The production credits reveal a far more ambitious undertaking than the press materials initially suggested. Where the original information mentioned a modest setup, the final product bears the fingerprints of numerous collaborators: Lior Medan’s MIDI programming and co-production duties, Oren Tzur’s string arrangements, Ben Israeli’s vocal recording expertise, and Lyn Barzilai’s lyrical refinement. This expanded team hasn’t diluted Unna’s vision; rather, they’ve provided the scaffolding for his acoustic foundation to support greater emotional weight.<\/p>
Halperin’s vocals navigate the delicate territory between questioning and assertion. Her delivery refuses theatrical excess, instead finding strength in restraint\u2014a quality that serves the material’s philosophical bent. The vocal production allows her natural timbre to carry the melody without excessive processing, creating an intimacy that suits the song’s contemplative nature. When she asks “what is love,” she sounds genuinely curious rather than rhetorically pointed, inviting listeners into genuine inquiry rather than lecturing from predetermined conclusions.<\/p>
The instrumental arrangement builds carefully around Unna’s guitar and bass work. Yoav Asif’s keyboards provide harmonic texture without cluttering the sonic space, while Yotam Botner’s drumming maintains momentum without overwhelming the song’s reflective core. The addition of Oren Tzur’s strings proves particularly effective, adding cinematic sweep at crucial moments while knowing when to recede. This dynamic range\u2014from sparse acoustic passages to fuller orchestrated sections\u2014gives the track necessary breathing room, preventing the philosophical weight from becoming oppressive.<\/p>
Yoram Vazan’s mixing and mastering work, drawing on his experience at New York’s Firehouse Studio, brings professional polish without sacrificing the human imperfections that make the recording feel authentic. The production walks a tightrope between contemporary clarity and organic warmth, achieving a balance that should translate well across different listening environments while maintaining emotional immediacy.<\/p> Unna’s background merging Israeli musical traditions with Jewish spirituality provides crucial context for understanding “What Is Love.” His previous work, including the acclaimed “Tzipori Shabbat,” established him as an artist capable of bridging temporal and cultural divides\u2014connecting ancient musical wisdom with contemporary concerns. This single continues that project, taking a question as old as humanity itself and framing it through the lens of current global turmoil. The George Harrison influence he cites makes perfect sense; both artists seek spiritual sustenance through music-making during periods of collective uncertainty.<\/span><\/p> The song emerges from specific circumstances\u2014the violence in Israel, broader global tensions, the accumulated weight of modern hatred\u2014yet resists becoming topical in ways that might date it. By focusing on love as both question and potential answer, Unna avoids the trap of writing mere protest music. This isn’t na\u00efvet\u00e9; it’s a deliberate choice to combat darkness with inquiry rather than matching anger with anger.<\/span><\/p> What distinguishes “What Is Love” from countless other songs asking similar questions lies in its execution. The arrangement never mistakes complexity for depth, nor does it confuse simplicity with profundity. Instead, it finds a middle path where acoustic instrumentation, carefully deployed strings, and thoughtful production choices combine to create space for genuine emotional response. The song doesn’t demand agreement with its implicit suggestion that love might be the answer; it simply asks whether we’ve properly understood the question.<\/span><\/p> Unna’s stated desire to “spread love” through his music could easily ring hollow, but the craft evident in this single suggests serious artistic intent backing those sentiments. His ability to assemble a team of skilled collaborators while maintaining a coherent artistic vision speaks to both his growing stature in Israeli music and his commitment to serving the song rather than his ego.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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