By Julia Paperny, Lemur Magazine
Keren Or is a multi-talented singer-songwriter who is set to release her anticipated album in 2023. With a heritage that combines both Polish and Moroccan roots, her diverse background and wealth of experiences has established herself not only as a talented musician, but also as a beloved yoga teacher. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the suburbs of Israel, her creativity adapts from a lot of places. Her songs are inspired by other songs that relate on a personal level or poignant stories and of course, a broken heart.
What was the last song you listened to? And what do you most expect to listen to next?
The last song I listened to was Against All Odds by Phil Collins, actually I was screaming its lyrics while riding my car. I’m a sucker for romance and have always been this way. When you look at the history of my music app, it is most likely that you will see George Michael there, so this will always be my next choice.
How would your 10-year-old self react to what you do today?
Actually this is something I think about a lot. As a 10 y/o I already had my own songs which I planned to send to Yardena Arazi who probably was the most popular female singer in Israel at the time (I still remember one of the songs…I am very happy I never sent it). I guess that this little girl will be very happy to see how music has become a big part of my life today. Also at this age, my father who was a PE teacher, used to take me every summer to the Wingate Institute for PR and Sports, and I was watching the girls practice Gymnastics and envied their abilities. So being able now to do all kinds of things through Yoga with the body, is also a big achievement when I look at this from that perspective.
What’s the career highlight you’re most proud of?
I have to say that it is this very moment: having my first music Album accomplished and starting live performances. Still, God is in the small things I believe, so not necessarily the obvious highlight is the brightest one. Sometimes the moments in between are those which are the most profound.
What is the one thing we should pay more attention to as human beings?
Since I was a little girl I remember that the most important thing to me was to be a good person. I truly believe that this is our true nature. In one of the most known Yoga texts there is a list of values and the first one is Ahimsa. It is translated from Sanskrit to non-violence or harmlessness and the commentators say that once you practice this value, it covers all other values like an elephant footprint.
For right now, what or who inspires you the most?
I am very inspired by the new generation. They have far more tolerance to the LGBT community, to different sizes in people, to families in different constructions and I really hope that this will bring change to the world. This is a big inspiration to me.
What do you most enjoy spending money on?
I love spending money on people who I appreciate their work. If it is my team or my musicians or my shrink, I know it helps the good people keep going and it makes me happy.
If you could go back to any time in history, where would you go?
Can I go before the time that history has been written? History has been written by men so I am always so curious to know what happened before that, before patriarchy. The narrative that history tells us is not necessarily what has truly happened and that is where I would like to go. I imagine communities, peace between genders and sexuality at its best.
Currently, what is your biggest challenge?
Currently and always: relationships. Even though it is a fairly good period of my life in this aspect.
What is your most irrational fear?
I am scared to death from missile alarms and not afraid to ride my car in this crazy country. Statistics show it is very irrational.
What was the motivation to write a love song? Or music in general?
Sometimes the motivation is just there. It can be a song I heard that made my heart expand, or a story of a person that moved me and of course a broken heart is a big motivation to write a song but thank god it is not always the shape of it. While working on my album we had to have a pile of songs so we could choose the best ones. So I had to write a lot and to find creative ways to have the motivation to write. It came out that one of the songs is actually a collection of text messages that combined into one of my favorite songs in the album.