Yosef Nativ on His Third Album: "I've Always Known There's Something Illogical About This Life"

After returning from a long trip in India, artist Yossi Nativ—or by his renewed name, 'Yosef'—sank into a deep depression that consumed his days and haunted his nights. Among various solutions he hoped for, he never imagined that a night-shift job at a psychiatric hospital would be his salvation.

"Shortly after I returned from India," Nativ recounts, "I fell into a depression that lasted several months. I didn't take any medication, nor did I consult a specialist, but all the signs were there. Looking back, I realize I needed to confront big questions like 'What do I want to do in life?' and 'What role do I want music to play in my life?' It took a heavy emotional toll on me."

"During those days, I hardly left the house and just waited for my mother to return from work so I could talk to someone. I didn't feel I could share what I was going through with any friends. I watched them from the sidelines, thinking, 'One is studying, another has a car and is always traveling, another is working,' and so on. Everyone seemed to be on the life track, and I felt lost.

"Moreover, the change was so drastic, and I struggled to digest it. In India, I was on an incredible high, full of confidence, joy, and freedom. But suddenly, back in the country, I had nothing. I thought it was terrible that at 23, I had nothing.

"One of the most severe issues during this period was my inability to touch a guitar or engage with music. I had an overwhelming urge to do what was considered serious, earning, and advancing. Music, in my view and the society I was a part of, was considered frivolous, so I ran from it too. After several months of depression, I started working as a security guard at a psychiatric hospital in Pardesiya, which brought a tremendous change to my life.

"Today, I understand that working there restored me. It felt good to start working and also put things into perspective when I saw the patients. Witnessing such situations alters something in you. It changes your perspective on life.

"I mainly worked there at night, and slowly, I began to feel that the only thing I truly had was God. I didn't quite connect with the other workers, felt very alone, but felt strongly that Hashem was with me. It's hard to explain, but through those people, I saw God. I realized they weren't just there by chance. They needed to undergo some correction. This experience brought me closer to Judaism.

"Beyond that, I realized that the health and good life I had are not to be taken for granted. I started appreciating what Hashem gave me more. As my mood improved, I returned to music, and through work and creation, I began returning to life."

"I've Wanted to Reclaim My True Name for Years"

I spoke with Yosef, 39, a singer-songwriter, husband, and father of four living in Harish, in advance of his soon-to-be-released third album. The first single, 'It's You,' was released a few days ago under his new stage name, 'Yosef,' and received rave reviews.

"There has been a lot of buzz recently around my name change. It makes sense since I've previously released work under 'Yossi Nativ,' but now it's 'Yosef.' Some people find it strange. Important for me to say it's not really a change because Yosef is my original name given at my brit. My grandfather was named Yosef, and my mom added 'Yossi' on the ID to have a more modern, catchy name.

"For years I've wanted to revert to my real name in both personal life and career but didn't have the courage to do it. Habits are hard to change. But now I've gone for it. Both for my personal life and for my stage name, because it connects to the music I create.

"My songs are often spiritual, and my root name, which is more spiritual, the name I was given at birth, is Yosef. Over the past year, the thought of returning to it came up repeatedly. I tried to dodge it, but it was an involuntary thought that wouldn't stop popping up.

"I consulted several people about reclaiming the name, and they were very supportive. I felt it was right and decided to go for it. Slowly, I made the change visible, on social networks and all, and the process was natural and gradual. Some people, like several baalei teshuva from Harish, called me Yosef from the day we met. They heard my name was Yossi, but some folks deeply connected to Hashem and Torah tend to use a person's full name rather than a nickname. It always felt right and comforting to me.

"Nevertheless, people who have called me 'Yossi' all my life, like my mother and wife, still call me 'Yossi,' sometimes half-jokingly call me 'Yosef.' When I'm called 'Yossi,' I don't correct them because 'Yossi' is an affectionate form of 'Yosef.' People who met me recently, due to the new single, call me Yosef naturally. Just a few days ago, a guy from Beit El called me, moved by my songs, and started the conversation with 'Good evening, Yosef.' It was nice to see it resonating.

"Beyond all this, I feel the name Yosef draws abundance and light toward me. I'm very connected to Yosef HaTzaddik, maybe because my initial return to faith was through Breslov, where Yosef HaTzaddik is frequently mentioned in Likutey Moharan. Interesting to note, when I changed my name, it coincided with the Torah portions concerning Yosef. It's amazing to see that despite everything he went through, he managed to reach greatness."

"Schooling in the Moshav Made Me Quite a Lonely Child"

"Speaking of Yosef HaTzaddik," Nativ continues, "who spent many years in environments distant from Torah and mitzvah observance, I also grew up in a similar context. I was born to a secular-traditional family. My father immigrated from Tunisia, my mother from Morocco—both their families lived in the south and eventually moved to Netanya, where I grew up.

"We would perform Kiddush at home, but besides that, the Shabbat observance was limited. We did keep Pesach, Yom Kippur, and a few other things—very minimally. I had two sisters, was the only son, and my parents enrolled me in a school for moshavniks in the area, unlike all my friends from Netanya. This schooling experience in the moshav made me quite a lonely child. I thank Hashem that music was with me throughout.

"My mother was a singer, had a band in Dimona, and it's one reason music entered my life. At 16, I learned three guitar chords and began writing and composing songs. During my military service, I was a combat soldier, so I let it go. After discharge, I traveled to the U.S., where it also got neglected.

"Looking back, I think life diverted me from it. I never took an extreme approach of 'only being an artist and only writing songs.' It was almost always present, but on the side. After returning from the U.S., I traveled to India, and upon returning to the country, I began a search journey that started in India, continued with reading 'The New Testament,' which I regret, and then was helped by a Breslov friend in my first steps in the world of Torah and mitzvot.

"After India, I began studying music education, and as studies commenced, I started awakening in teshuva. I worked at some restaurant then, and occasionally after shifts, I would visit a friend whose home became a refuge for me. This friend was a Breslov chassid; he shared what he was going through, the books he was reading, and I slowly began getting closer to Hashem and the commandments. I found warmth, home, and pleasantness in Torah.

"There was always a feeling like there's something illogical in life's scheme—that people, including myself, are missing something. I'd listen to people talk and feel they were missing some truth. That people weren't living the purpose. My father's brother is Ultra-Orthodox, and when he'd talk to me about Judaism, it just touched my heart."

An Album Without a Star

"I've always felt drawn to matters connected to the World to Come and spirituality, questions like 'How did Hashem create the world?' and 'If and how does He oversee it?'" Nativ adds. "But I didn't believe I'd become religious. I was neck-deep in worldly matters; going out, enjoying, indulging desires, traveling abroad frequently, etc. Still, when I read Rabbi Nachman's teachings, it felt intimately familiar—it had always been there, just yet unseen.

"Meanwhile, during this time, music was, as always, present, though again—it was never central in my life. During that period, I met my future wife; initially, we were friends and classmates until one day, I realized I had found the woman of my life. That year was wonderful because I grew closer to Hashem and got married, both of which brought tremendous joy.

"Despite these positive feelings, my first album released during this time cast a shadow. It didn't succeed as expected. NMC United produced the album; there were high expectations; I hoped they'd turn me into a star.

"Many people worked on the album; significant money was invested, including serious PR efforts, but it didn't happen. Upon realizing it wasn't skyrocketing, I started blaming various factors for the failure. Later, I understood the biggest fault probably lied with me. I expected others to work while I reaped the rewards, but it doesn't work that way. I realized I must be present and invest heavily to succeed."

"In my favor, I can say that with the first album, I didn't give it my all. I also had to work to support my family. This led to my second album being created out of despair. After a first album produced by a major label still failed, I thought, 'How can I succeed with the second one with such limited means?'

"I genuinely had no way to gather serious funds, so I started small. Another friend and I collected equipment, built a studio from it, and decided to produce the album together without any external help. Once it was ready, we posted it on YouTube, and then a miracle happened. It took off; people heard about it, and I received amazing feedback.

"One of the things that helped make this happen was a phone call I received one morning from David Cohen, editor of the Hidabroot website. He introduced himself, said he'd discovered my YouTube channel, loved what he heard, and urged me to keep creating and pushing my music intensely. Beyond that, he praised me on the Hidabroot site, and soon after, I saw my YouTube views soar."

"After the relative success of the second album, especially compared to the first, I realized the love and appreciation I was getting from people, which led me to a thought process about the future. In the end, I decided, for the first time in my life, to put music completely at the center. The outcome of this process is the third album, which, with Hashem's help, will be out soon.

"In this album, B"H, there are special songs I've worked on extensively, both new and old, including duets with Yonatan Razel and Ishay Ribo. Speaking of Ribo, his arranger and producer Maor Shoshan also produced my new album.

"Alongside this renewal, focus, and professionalism, we removed several of my songs from YouTube and reuploaded them with a new design. We wanted to present them in a better, more beautiful way. I fully believe in my previous albums and know anyone revisiting them will find strong content. However, at the moment, my mind is primarily on the third, which I have immense hope will break through strongly, touch as many people as possible, and connect them to themselves and Hashem. It provides a tremendous sense of fulfillment that makes everything worthwhile."