Exclusive Interview with 'NADAV SIVAN'

Soul, hip-hop, funk, and classical music are just a few of the genres that Nadav Sivan mixes in his music. From contemplative piano ballads to opulent band anthems, Nadav’s performance style and combination of influences produce a stirring and expansive experience.
Up until the age of 18, the pop singer from London studied classical music. During his time in the army, he later met producer and fellow collaborator Yuval Bigel, with whom he has worked on music ever since.
Black Mirror, Nadav Sivan’s debut single, is a masterfully written and performed song that comes with a dramatic music video. Despite the big-band background, Nadav’s vocals are contagious and strong, making the young singer one to watch in 2022. Check out his debut single ‘Black Mirror’ and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?

NADAV SIVAN: I was born in a small village in the north of Israel, to a Moroccan Romanian father and a British mother. I was born 85% deaf. At the age of 4 I underwent a complex operation to restore my hearing and right after that my parents brought a piano home and I started playing and studying.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

NADAV SIVAN: I was trained from a young age as a classical pianist with a Sisyphean and arduous training. At the age of 18 I was exposed to the world of pop, hip hop, soul, funk and from there everything is history. I rolled into this world without forgetting or abandoning for a moment the classical sources on which I grew up.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘NADAV SIVAN’?

NADAV SIVAN: From Chopin, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff to the great singers of American music such as Nina Simone, Etta James, Janice Joplin and .Beyoncé The truth is that my full name is Nadav Yitzhak Sivan Ben Yosef but I feel it is a bit too long hahaha.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

NADAV SIVAN:
First of all the piano playing, in addition to the versatility of the songs, which go from emotional piano ballads to grandiose pop songs with nostalgic touches of punk and soul.

5. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?
NADAV SIVAN:

I believe that the role of my music is to empower and give people a brave feeling. To male people connect and be moved to tears or until they simply have to dance. That’s my dream.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

NADAV SIVAN:

At the moment she mainly adds work to my accountant, but I have no doubt that in the future he will buy tickets to the concert.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

NADAV SIVAN:

Some of the songs begin with evenings of alcohol and the piano, and some begin with multi-participant sessions of producers and songwriters. I produced all my music to this day together with my main musical partner – Bigel. Sometimes it starts with a line or a conceptual concept, sometimes with some cool chord progression, sometimes with a crazy hook and sometimes with a beat that kicks your ass.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

NADAV SIVAN: I think the hardest thing I’ve faced so far, and it still exists today, is the day-to-day struggle to be able to do what I love to do the most despite all the difficulties, questions and insults. To constantly reinvent myself. To make my ideas, my sound and my music accessible to more and more people. To excite, interest and constantly surprise everyone and most of all, myself 10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far? NADAV SIVAN: In life itself we are in pursuit of records and successes and I say: heyyyy! relax, enjoy the journey. I wish that the process, the performances, the audience and the colleagues will continue to be the most significant and exciting thing in what I do.