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Artist Spotlight: Meet Jiva

What was the creative process like for this particular single?

Two days after the rocket attacks on Israel began on October 7th, we were in southern Ashkelon. Our house doesn’t have a shelter, so my family and I took refuge in the stairwell. The rocket fire was so intense that my youngest daughter was shaking from fear for hours. We heard a rocket hit the house next door, and we couldn’t leave because terrorists had entered the city. We were glued to the news, horrified by the rising death toll. On the evening of the 9th, we left Ashkelon and went to stay with friends in Ramat Gan to help the kids calm down. There were sirens there too, but less frequent. We planned to stay for a few days but ended up staying for a month. When we returned home, I spent several days trying to process all the emotions that had built up. That’s how the song “7.10” was born, written as if from the perspective of someone who died that day. It’s all so close, so painful. We’re still mourning the victims and waiting for the return of those captured and held hostage by Hamas.

Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for “7.10.23?”

This was my first recording with Yuri Liush. He offered to record the song for free and had just bought a new microphone the day before. We recorded it right in our sports studio, where my husband and I work as trainers. It’s a raw, live recording — just guitar and vocals, no autotune, no edits — like I’m singing directly to the listener in the same room. It was a new experience for me, as I used to patch together tracks second by second. I’m happy with how it turned out. This was also my first track in English, so apologies for the accent.

How did you work with the producer or sound engineers to bring your vision for “7.10.23” to life?

Yuri Liush wasn’t just the sound engineer; he deeply understood the song because he lived through everything that happened on October 7th. Sderot, where he was, became an empty city, and for some time, he was the only person living on his street. My husband, Yarun, who introduced us and inspired the project, was the driving force behind making the recording happen. Without him, none of this would have come together.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into music?

I was born and raised in Ukraine, and both Ukrainian and Israeli cultures are close to my heart. I wrote my first musical composition when I was 7, on an accordion we had at home. Later, we got a synthesizer and a piano, and I kept composing music, even participating in young composer competitions. As a teenager, I wrote my first song because I didn’t like what I heard on the radio. I asked myself, “What kind of song would I want to listen to?” And then I wrote what I felt.

Your lyrics often tell stories. Can you talk about your approach to storytelling through music?

My connection to music is always rooted in intuition and honesty. I constantly ask myself, “Does this note capture my emotion or not?” That’s how the music unfolds, piece by piece. Sometimes, the words and music come to me at the same time. I’m fascinated by how different languages shape musical thinking and how the voice sounds across cultures. I dream of mastering Ableton and continuing my experiments there.

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