Irit Dekel who supported Lisa Stansfield on tour very kindly gave TotalNtertainment a few mins of her time for a quick chat.
- Thanks for your time, how did the tour with Lisa Stansfield go?
The tour with Lisa Stansfield was amazing. I’m so lucky to have landed such an awesome opportunity to perform my music to a new audience and play in great venues across the UK. The audiences were amazing and I really enjoyed admiring the UK’s beautiful views from our tour van window.
- What are your plans following the tour and for the rest of 2018?
I have quite a few gigs coming up including a 3-night residency at The Troubadour, London (May 10th, June 6th, July 5th), ‘How The Light Gets In’ festival (May 26th), The Stables, Milton Keynes (June 13th) and Cornbury Festival (July 13th).
- I read somewhere that you relocated from Tel Aviv to London, what prompted that decision and how have you found the move?
Well firstly The UK is home to a lot of music I love, including: Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Imogen Heap, The Bird and The Bee, London Grammar, Kate Bush, Camel and of course The Beatles. After landing a great opportunity to move to London and work on my music, I thought I’d try my luck. I found the move quite challenging and can say with certainty that moving to a different country is not for the faint hearted however, moving to the UK has been an important part of finding myself as an artist.
Before the move I was involved in many projects all over the world including: Israel, Germany, Spain and Italy, but none of the projects felt quite right. Now I’m just doing my own thing and doing it as best as I can and know-how. ‘What will be will be’, as my dad always taught me.
- Could you tell us a bit about your life in Tel Aviv – how different culturally is it to London?
When I first arrived, I found lots of similarities between Tel Aviv and London, especially with East London. I think it’s something to do with the whole hipster vibe there. But that was in the beginning when I had just arrived. I guess that once you are in a new country/area you are looking for similarities even if they are not really there. I moved to Jaffa before my move to London, which is the old city near Tel Aviv. In Jaffa, it’s got the whole hipster vibe where old meets new that I suppose is similar to East London. However, in terms of culture, Tel Aviv and London are very different. For example, as Israel is in the heart of the Middle East the weather is nearly always warm and the people are too! The people in London are warm in different ways, for example there’s a real mix of cultures, music, language, food and history in London, and it’s the same in Tel Aviv. You can always find something to suit you. I’m no longer looking for similarities between Tel Aviv and London as I once was. I’m just observing it all and interpreting it my way, as I always do.
- Aside from your music, you’ve acted, hosted TV shows and performed on stage, quite a repertoire. Out of all the jobs you’ve done, where would you say your passion lies?
I would say that my passion lies in being actively creative and experimenting when making new music. The most important thing for me is to develop my signature style as an artist. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to do my own thing for a while now and be my own director without having to fulfil someone else’s vision. As long as I’m happy with my vision and can proudly stand behind what I’m doing, then I will always be following my passion.
- You have an album out at the moment Hello, can you tell our readers a bit about it?
‘Hello’ is the beginning of my journey to find and establish my style. I’d say it’s a mix of genres and could be described as being cheeky, colourful, uplifting, dark, funny and everything in between all that. It includes references from cinema, visual art and the theatre world. I don’t want to go into too much detail as I know what the songs are about. I’d like my listeners to interpret the songs their way, figure out what it means to them and how they relate to my songs.
- When writing, who or what do you draw inspiration from?
I try to draw inspiration from everything around me, focusing more on surroundings than myself. The main sources that spark my imagination are the natural world, animals, relationships, cinema, visual art, books, family and theatre. I’m an observer so I spot all the little details that are usually missed. There is so much to learn, see and feel in this world that it’s hard to not be inspired. I try to keep an open mind when it comes to writing and think that’s the best way to be when writing new songs.
- If you could have any job in the world what would you choose and why?
If I wasn’t doing music, I would love to have a job that helps animals and the environment. I can’t think of a more fulfilling job than being in a position to help animals. Whether it’s re-introducing them to their natural environment, or a vet saving an animals life, their work is extremely important for improving a healthy balance in nature.
- Thanks for your time Irit and good luck with everything. When can your fans expect to see you in the North of England again?
Thank you for this interview and hopefully I will be back very soon. I love the north of England. You guys are much warmer there and it reminds me of home. ????
https://www.instagram.com/iritdekel
