Let’s get the obvious out of the way. How did the two of you
meet, and what inspired the project and name “Lemalla”?
Eliezer: Lemalla, is the higher essence, it’s the higher
the manner of being in our personality. I’ve always been
fascinated with India, it’s music and culture. Then came
a time a few years ago, when our management from the
United States, recommended that we do a collaboration with
an Indian artist and my search began. The very second I
came across Lucky’s voice and his very presence of screen,
I knew there was something there. I was fascinated by his
depth, his songs, his humanity and felt a connection. We
started with an idea of a song and three years later this
became an entire album - of friendship, love and discovery.
Lucky: The meaning as explained by Eli, can be described
as something that is higher than the thoughts that we
operate on, a daily basis. It’s an aspiration, more than
a goal. The album was about discovery, indeed…
In your new project, you emphasise the need for listening
over “convincing”. Could you elaborate on how you managed
to communicate this message through your music?
Both: There is the general approach that perceives the other
and doesn't try to change the other and that's our basic
premise of this whole project together, not to create conflicts
butactually through our presentation create anexample of
connection. Practically, music is an opportunity is to exercise
this personality in the best way because music demands us
to be… to feel, to sense, to express our senses and at the same
time to be in dialogue with our partners that our creating
together with us and to receive also their expression through
that articulate together of the movements and developments.
On paper, you read as two completely different people, coming
from very different spaces. During your time together, what
similarities have you found between yourselves?
are taking us. That’s the key to understanding whose
ideas are what moving forward together in thought.
In a world ridden with cultural conflict, “Lemalla” is almost rebellious in
its representation of collaboration. Why do you think so many people and
cultures, find it so hard to look beyond their differences and find common
ground, and did you experience any of these challenges yourselves?
Eliezer I think that if we approached the ideas of community
in the wrong fashion, we would subscribe to wrong ideas and
then make things about ‘us’ or ‘them’ and engage in some
sort of an unwanted competition, which helps no one.
But if we retain our individual personalities along with the
right kind of environmental sensibilities - of belonging to an
identity or faith - as also humanity, we could connect through
every situation, as it is, to every person. Yes, this project was
about taking a chance and fortunately so, we hope that this will
become an example of the fact that racism is not only wrong
but also destroys the very beauty of human connections.
What was your biggest takeaway from your journey together as musicians?
Both: ability to connect beyond language, words,
geographical boundaries and other contrasts, just
by listening to the language of our hearts, through
expression, conversations and music.
Given that you both have somewhat distinct styles
of music, was production a challenge?
Eliezer: Our attitude towards our collaboration was also
the attitude of going to a new journey and coming out of
known or familiar space. So it allowed us to go through an
emotional dialogue of what we hear, what as musicians
we want,collaborating with our partners because of their
sound and their personality’s expression. We felt that
its right energy of the songs and subjects of the song.
Both: Both of us see music as the language of the heart and
write and compose out of seeking for answers within ourselves
as well as humanity. tFor sure our beautiful friendship are
expressed in hobbies we have together we are family people
we tribe people, we lived in the movements of family and
professional life with people that we loved being with, and
we have a lot of common hobbies of history, may be learning,
exploring and discovering things together. We both like to
sit with friends, relax and carry on the feeling as long as its
connected to inspiration and continuation and good vibes. Music of course, has the ability to evoke a number of emotions in
the listener. But if you had the choice of your audience taking back
just a single idea or message, what would you choose and why?
As songwriters/performers, what do you feel is the most
distinctive thing about you? And how do you bring these
two elements together in your newest collaboration? What do you admire the most about each other?
Eliezer: I think what’s unique about me is that I’m
myself and no one else and that’s how I look at everyone
else as their individual selves… A collaboration is just
a beautiful dialogue between people and dialogues are
and should be unformatted, accepting and organic…
During the making of “Lemalla”, how often did you have a clash of
creative interests? And how did you manage to move past them?
Both: Its all the question of approach because, creating
is all about bringing different opinions insituations. So
the continuation is the expression of dialogues and just
bringing up the options, we have to put our egos aside
and just listen and be sensitive to our senses, to what we
feel and like and also to where our collective emotions
Eliezer: To seek what connect us more than what
divides us because, in the places of connection we create
something new, which in turn creates an opportunity
to fix and to learn from the past… All in order to create
more positive situation, not to use our experiences or our
talents in order to mess up the present that there is and
creating together out of love, for love, for connection.
Eliezer: He is caring, Lucky's movements in life
is a movement that brings blessing to all of his
surroundings. He looks as everyone as an equal
and his heart is open to love and with love.
I admire lucky, for living the true life of an artist…
as also a human. I look at him as a teacher for
me as well, and a partner and a friend…
Tell us about your favourite moment throughout
the entire making of this project.
Eliezer: The strongest memory for me, was to see Lucky's
face to face for the first time. At that moment I felt like
I’ve received an answer for my intuition of a long-long
time — that I my intuition was right. I found a friend
to go on a journey with, that I'm very thankful for.
The
Score Magazine
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