But rather than take the approach of many artists who translate their original compositions into other tongues, Broza immerses himself in the culture of each language he sings, writing original songs specifically for each.
For Broza, 45, immersion is more than just a holiday spent abroad with a smattering of language lessons. The son of British-Israeli parents - his father a businessman, his mother a folk singer - Broza was born in Israel, but reared and educated in England and Spain. Before moving to Madrid five years ago, he lived in the U.S. for a decade.

"Suddenly, everything came together," Broza says of his new album, "Isla Mujeres" ("Island of Women"). "I'm really now able to put out a logical mix ... of the Hebrew background with the Spanish influences and the American rock 'n' roll influences. So this year is kind of the end of a long, long journey and kind of the beginning of something new."

On Sunday, Broza returns to the States for what has become a tradition, a Christmas Eve concert at Town Hall. Broza plans to play songs in all three of the languages he records in, and he will be joined by friends such as Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista and Spryo Gyra sax man Jay Beckenstein.

Broza has been staging the show, which usually sells out, since 1995, when tragedy in Israel turned the concert into a vigil.

"It's kind of a bizarre circumstance," he says. "I was scheduled to play on Nov. 4, 1995, which was a Saturday night, at Town Hall. I was on my way to the show when the news broke that Rabin was assassinated. So we held an all-night vigil at the theater.

"And a few days later, I thought to myself, okay, we lost this show. Let's get together as quick as possible. How about Christmas Eve in New York City? Let's play a Hebrew show and make sure we're done by 11:30 so that everyone can run to midnight Mass. And that's how it started."

Broza says his country-hopping ways are rooted in his international childhood, which taught him that the most difficult borders to cross are psychological.

"Had I stayed in Tel Aviv, I probably wouldn't have had the kind of concept in my head that you can just pack up and move into a neighborhood that speaks a different language on a different continent," he says. "So I think, in a sense, that has kind of given me the easiness and the ability to move around."

Since attaining stardom in Israel in the early '80s, Broza has long sought to reach audiences outside his homeland. He says he tries to craft songs that send universal messages about love, peace and spirituality. Mastering other languages, he says, is his first step to reaching new listeners.

"In Israel, where we sing and speak in Hebrew, it's very important to create this new, Israeli culture," he says. "But once we do that, how do we expand beyond our little market? If I were singing only in Hebrew would a guy in Dayton, Ohio, pay $20 for a ticket to see me at the local theater. I doubt it. So what do I have to do? I have to break through."