Lipa Schmeltzer ( Elazar Lipa Schmeltzer, ; born March 17, 1978) is an American singer, entertainer, and composer. He is a headliner in Hasidic as well as modern Jewish communities worldwide and "the Lady Gaga of Hasidic music". , Schmeltzer has released 18 solo albums. Family background Lipa Schmeltzer grew up in the Chasidic enclave of New Square, New York a village in Rockland County, New York. His grandfather, a Chasidic farmer in pre-war Hungary, was murdered during World War II, leaving his father, Reuven, an orphan at the age of 13. Reuven Schmeltzer was one of the 1,684 Jews who escaped Nazi-controlled Hungary on the Kastner train and spent time in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp before being released in Switzerland. He and his wife had 12 children, of whom Lipa is the second-youngest. Lipa married his wife, Miriam, also a native of New Square, on August 27, 1998 (they have since divorced). They have four children. Musical career After his wedding, Schmeltzer tried to find work as a badchen (entertainer) for weddings. Though he had no formal musical training, he began performing at weddings and bar mitzvahs in the Haredi Chasidic communities of upstate New York and Brooklyn. He earned a reputation as a natural performer, and began releasing recordings and videos. The first, Nor B'Simcha (Just Be Happy), was released shortly after his wedding. With his thick, round eyeglasses and sidelocks, "outlandish" outfits, and comical YouTube videos, he has rocketed to stardom in the Hasidic music world. Schmeltzer's music has both gained popularity and generated controversy within the American Chasidic community due to the fusion of traditional Chasidic music and lyrics with contemporary music styles. His performance range includes "hard-driving rock tunes, jazzy shuffles, pseudo-rap numbers, solemn prayers, klezmer dances and jokey skits, accompanied by a nine-piece band and a troupe of actors". He writes lyrics in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish. Schmeltzer's concerts are not gender-segregated, as is the norm in Hasidic circles. He has been criticized for introducing "too modern" musical styles to the Hasidic community. Opponents contend that Schmeltzer's identity as a bona fide Hasid makes him more appealing to a wider Hasidic audience and therefore more likely to introduce contemporary music to their community, which tends to be insular and more reserved. Benefit performances Schmeltzer frequently contributes his talents for Jewish benefit performances. He has also written songs and performed in response to tragedies within