AN INTERVIEW WITH SHYFRIN: ON PHILOSOPHY, MUSIC, AND REINVENTION
ON PHILOSOPHY, ART & INSPIRATION
Q: Your music— particularly In the Shadow of Time and Colours of Time— deals with profound philosophical themes. How did your interest in metaphysics and Kabbalah influence these songs? A: Kabbalah and my research into the Kabbalah of Information radically changed my understanding and perception of reality— and of myself.
Almost all my lyrics are shaped by this mystical journey. Music is an alternative form of communication compared to speech. Through speech, we express conscious thoughts in a compressed form; through music, we express subconscious feelings. The combination of music and lyrics allows us to express both the conscious and subconscious together.
Kabbalah affects you in the same way— your consciousness and subconsciousness. My ambition has been to express, through music and lyrics, the mystical perceptions of our reality— of God and man, life and death, time, space, love, and more.
My motto is:“ Music of the mystic, mystics of the music.”
Q: What does“ the shadow of time” represent to you personally? Is it rooted in fear, mystery, or something else? A: In the Shadow of Time is about the concept of time itself. Time is a mysterious notion— science still doesn’ t know what time truly is. We can’ t consciously comprehend it: not time, not eternity( the absence of time), nor even the flow of time. We grasp it only partially, at the subconscious level.
It’ s similar to abstract expressionism or surrealism. I would say that time is the veil that separates us from God— from eternity. We are puzzled and tormented by it.
Q: You’ ve said,“ The Colours of Time could be different— black, white, red … but I definitely loathe grey.” Could you elaborate on what grey symbolizes for you? A: Why did God create colours? The obvious answer is: so we can see the boundaries between different substances. But colours are also a form of communication— they affect our state of mind on the subconscious level.
Kabbalists attributed colours to different information concepts: red for judgment and might, green for loving-kindness, white for mercy, and so on.
We associate time with a sequence of events made up of these informational concepts. That’ s why I refer to the Colours of Time— a radically new concept.
Now you may understand why I loathe grey time.
Q: The Shyfrin Alliance brings together some of France’ s top session musicians. What drew you to collaborate with them, and how do they contribute to your vision? A: In 2020, I settled in the South of France and resumed vocal, piano, and guitar lessons. My vocal tutor was Lizzy Parks, a brilliant jazz singer. In 2022, I started writing songs, but I had no connections in the music world.
THE ART OF LUXURY ISSUE 73 2025