Sometime almost five years ago Rotem Bar Or found himself mentally broken.
At this stage, the Angelsy, the band that he (still, one can relax) leads with his voice and his writing, was already established as one of the most loved and played on Israeli radio, with a loyal audience that frequents its performances and spreads its news everywhere.
But success, and this is a well-known cliché, has a price and Bar Or found himself "overheated".
Or "emotionally overwhelmed", translated into Hebrew - a language that has now become part of his story.
"It had to do with my relationship with intimacy, with myself and my body and with close relationships in my family," he says.
"But I can say that it also affected the feeling I had on stage. Right at the end of the decade we had, I already felt that I was losing something and that I couldn't connect. I had to go through spiritual things to meet myself. I lost the animals, I lost the center, I no longer understood why I was doing what I was doing. Our second album has things I really like but it already has signs of desperation. You can walk around and be applauded and be in all kinds of places and it won't necessarily fill you up. This is one of the reasons why people are using escape . They constantly need some kind of 'boost' to continue being at the top. Consent to meet the bottom is also denied."
Was there also a writing crisis involved in this?
"I'm in a writing crisis most of the time, except when I'm not. It's very easy for me to get into a crisis. Not a breaking crisis like I really experienced, but the mental breakdown I experienced was a good thing. I wish everyone I wish everyone to meet the floor of something every once in a while in life, because There is the opportunity to truly change, to be reborn, to succeed in meeting life."
Rotem's journey went through personal therapy, a stay in Peru and an introduction to the world of shamanism through workshops given by the journalist, writer and musician Gon Ben Ari, who is considered one of his best friends.
"The meeting with Gon affected my life. I went through a lot with him," he says.
"He uses tools of acceptance but brings them his own take and really pushes for positivity. One of the first things I can say I learned from him is to say 'yes'. All my life I would say 'no'."
The growth process, which also included sessions at remote resorts, Vipassana and psychological therapy, also led him to release material in Hebrew, in preparation for an album that will be released soon.
The new song from it, "Cactusim", was released today (Wednesday) and continues the more intimate and clear line of Bar Or.
After years of writing in English, some would say that the transition to writing and singing in his mother tongue made him more accessible.
to his audience and to himself.
What happened that you decided now is the time to take them out?
"There was a period already during the time of the Angels that I started to get tired of me. We performed a lot in Europe and Israel, and in Israel I always felt strange about the fact that I was standing in front of people with whom I could speak in their language and instead we were speaking in another language. It also created alienation. I don't know if I would have been able to talk about these things in Hebrew. But under the auspices of the covid, as many people went back inward into themselves, so I found my way back to Hebrew."
Cacti, and the clip that accompanies it will testify to this, deals with intimate connection and sexuality.
And here the Rabbi says, he can now act from a cleaner and more vulnerable place. Even optimistic. "I feel that I have succeeded in bringing something here that I have wanted to bring for years.
It's a song about sexual intimacy.
There is hope in Angelsi's songs because there are a lot of animals in them, but they don't dare to be optimistic yet.
The point was then to write hymns to despair.
"But I think something is happening here now and the younger generation is much less ashamed to look for the good. It has to do with a lot of things, including the state of the earth and the fact that we understand that thought creates reality. If humanity is desperate then obviously we will destroy the world. With Angelsi I would be more Instead of being cynical, but with the songs in Hebrew I go through a phase and try to bring the good to the front of the stage."
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
