Even if on paper the concept of "Hed Kolach", Ruhama Raz's new show based on poems by poets, corresponds with the spirit of the times and gender power relations, she admits that this is not necessarily what she had in mind when she conceived it.
At least not consciously.
"Was there some feminist statement behind it? I didn't think about it," she says.
"But it's known that female singers are discriminated against in the Israeli playlist, so maybe that influenced me. I think that the language of a female poet speaks to me more and touches me."
Do you find that not enough poets' songs are composed like in the past, and that the language in contemporary music is poorer?
"I think so, it's a more everyday language. I'm not here to criticize it. There's probably such a desire to simplify the language. I'm very excited by a good text by poets, and I chose to dedicate my show to that because it's easier to do a show around a topic and not get distracted I personally really like this kind of singing, and when I hear a song I want it to have a little more than the everyday language, something above the simplistic speech. Sometimes I perform with Rachel Shapira and after the performance people tell me that when they hear these songs they fall in love with the Hebrew language all over again. It's exciting." .
Is there anyone from contemporary pop that you would like to work with?
"I really like Shlomi Shaban and also Ili Butner, I would be happy to receive a melody from him."
Rachel Shapira, photo: Moshe Shay
As mentioned, the singer bases her new show on the songs of poets such as Rachel, Tirza Atar, Naomi Shemer, Rachel Shapira and Leah Goldberg.
Its name, "the echo of your voice", has a double meaning: on the one hand, it is a voice that echoes through her.
On the other hand, it is an echo of her voice, which under other circumstances would hardly be heard anymore.
In 2017, a cancerous tumor was discovered in her brain stem.
The rehabilitation period, as you can imagine, was not easy and included moments of breakdown, when she thought she would never return to daily functioning again.
Not to mention singing.
"I was lucky to have a great doctor," she says today, sharp and clear, without any sign of the medical procedure she underwent and the slow recovery.
"There were very difficult moments and the rehabilitation was not easy. The place where the tumor was was such that if you move a little during surgery to another place, you can damage sensitive places. Slowly I came back to myself, I am strong, happy, perform, do yoga and teach voice development. I Knows how to appreciate things, because nothing is taken for granted, knows how to be thankful. I got proportions for life, I don't take it to heart anymore."
Do you talk about it in your show?
"Sometimes I tell, because I think it might fall on ears that would be just right for this story. A few days ago, a relatively elderly woman approached me and said that she had this tumor, which was not malignant, and when she sees me on stage, it makes her so happy. There was also a couple of parents who saw me perform, and they came to me excited. It gave them hope that their daughter would recover."
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