Gavi: An Orthodox singer-songwriter makes his way in the pop music industry

Gavi would certainly have been expected to become a doctor, lawyer or accountant like many of his peers. But Gavi’s (whose last name is withheld for security reasons) career path is somewhat unexplored. The 23-year-old West Hempstead native is a singer-songwriter who has chosen to pursue his dreams in the music industry. The secular music industry, not the Jewish one.

Although Gavi identifies as an Orthodox Jew and attended schools such as Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) and Yeshivat Har Etzion, the music he releases is pop and has no obvious Jewish themes. His song titles range from “Cheating on My Conscience” and “Lonely Pillows” to “Love Dies.” With nearly 13,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and over 250,000 streams, Gavi’s musical ambitions are becoming a reality.

Unfortunately, since October 7, Gavi has had to grapple more than ever with the role that Judaism plays in his career. After spending the summer of 2023 writing/recording his first album, Seasonal Affective Disorder: (SAD), and making positive connections in the music industry, everything fell apart. At first, Gavi received sympathetic messages and calls asking about him. A week later, the tone changed. The people he once considered trusted friends turned away from him. Those he respected as colleagues ignored him. The record label that had been so keen to sign him not long ago said, “We’re putting you on hold until the political climate calms down.” Although Gavi never made his personal views on Israel public, the fact that he is a proud kippah-wearing Jew was reason enough for the label to distance itself from him.

His story doesn’t start here. Quite the opposite. It began when Gavi was 8 years old and became interested in the anatomy of the voice. He read and learned about it, which helped him develop his vocal skills, including impersonations (he can imitate Kermit the Frog perfectly). A year later, he discovered Michael Jackson, which, he said, “changed my life instantly.” Later in high school, he was both captain of the football team and lead singer of the DRS choir.

In 11th grade, he was able to take his passion for music to the next level when his parents gave him a keyboard for Hanukkah. He quickly taught himself the instrument and wrote countless songs. “It was a really therapeutic, cathartic experience,” Gavi said. Throughout high school and during his gap year in Israel, he continued to write songs inspired by his own life. As for his inspiration in general, Gavi finds it in the human experience. “Imagination is key, but so is empathy,” he said. “Music is about mass personalization, about being understandable to as many people as possible.”

After spending a year at Yeshivat Har Etzion, Gavi attended Macaulay Honors College, where he studied linguistics and acting. However, he was still determined to pursue music professionally because of the powerful impact it can have on anyone. “Music is the language of the soul,” he said. In addition to the connections it can create between strangers, “we love seeing ourselves in different people.” Although Gavi knew he wanted to pursue this path, he wasn’t quite sure how he would get there.

Luckily for Gavi, he got his big break. “TikTok launched my professional career,” he said, half-joking. In 2021, at the suggestion of others, he created a TikTok account and began posting videos. One of them was seen by multi-platinum music producer, A&R executive and award-winning songwriter Jeff Blue of Warner Records. Blue visited Gavi’s Instagram and was impressed by his cover of Demi Lovato’s “Stone Cold.” Blue then messaged Gavi and set up a phone call, in which Blue urged him to come to Los Angeles to further his career. Gavi signed with Blue in 2022, taking time off from college and commuting coast to coast throughout the year.

Once in Los Angeles, Gavi’s initial concerns about working in the music industry as a devout Jew were allayed. “I think I had my first management contract with a Shabbat and Chagim clause,” he says. That meant Gavi couldn’t be forced to work on Saturdays or Jewish holidays. Even though his Jewishness meant he missed out on professional opportunities that coincided with Shabbat, it didn’t stop him from pursuing that path. “The human experience is really hyped up as this great thing: ‘The more famous you are, the more you do, the more you do… the more you are,'” but he takes a different view. “It’s more based on our own view of ourselves.” He related it to Judaism because, “If you find meaning in both a religious and a musical connection, then you have to find a balance between the two.” He has managed to balance the two.

This came to an abrupt end after October 7, when his professional ambitions and his commitment to Judaism collided. Around this time, Gavi lost a friend in Gaza who was serving in the Israeli army. The emotional turmoil of these experiences led him to release a song called “Count Me Out.” The lyrics read: “If you wanted me dead, tell me straight to my face / If you tear down a sign, then admit it’s hate / But don’t tell me it’s peace and don’t expect me to cease to exist, to continue / We won’t drown in rivers or seas.” The song is a fiery and passionate response to the rise of anti-Semitism worldwide. Although Gavi doesn’t write typically “Jewish” music, Judaism influences his style. He draws inspiration from Ecclesiastes, Mishlei and Tehillim. “Ecclesiastes feels real to me.”

Ultimately, these experiences helped Gavi meet his true friends, especially his writing partner Micah Steiner, with whom he is currently working on his second album, PTSD (Past The Seasonal Depression). Despite everything, Gavi is determined to continue on this path. However, his goal is not fame. Rather, his dream is to “impact as many people as possible.”

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) will be released on January 10, 2025. You can listen to it along with other music from Gavi on Spotify and other streaming platforms.

Sara Cohen is a summer intern at Jewish Link and studying English at Yeshiva University. You can reach her at (email protected).