Itzik Orlev: "I Sang the Song for My Paralyzed Mother, and We All Cried"

Successful artists in particular, and people in general, tend not to share, especially not with the media, the painful aspects of their lives. A brief stroll through social media reminds us of what we already know - people prefer to post the pleasant parts of their lives and avoid sharing the difficult times they endure. In this context, singer Itzik Orlev, 32, divorced and a father living in Netanya, whose hits have received millions of views on YouTube and numerous plays on both mainstream and religious radio, as well as on dance floors, is pleasantly surprising.

Orlev demonstrates his candidness, unexpectedly granting his first career interview, highlighting how much his writing reflects what happens in his life. One can deduce this from his latest song, 'Not Broken.' "Everyone has periods, short or long, when they feel difficulty," says Orlev. "No one is immune to life's challenges. We're not machines. One of the messages I wanted to convey in my new song is to allow sadness its place and, at the same time, to use the situation as an opportunity to draw closer to Hashem and not to break. When someone is in distress, they feel they need Hashem more, thus it's a good time to feel His love and just talk to Him."

Your words seem to come from the heart, not superficial.

"That's true. Thank God, professionally I am very successful. From a young age, everything happened for me very quickly and positively, but on a personal level, I am going through difficult years," Orlev says openly. "With all the limelight that everyone sees from the outside, and all the love I receive from the audience, there are days when I feel a great emptiness inside. It's not easy coming home after a performance to an empty house, without a wife and children waiting for you. In the period following my divorce, I was traumatized by the end of the marriage, so I didn't really want to look for a new option, despite the difficulty and loneliness."

"Truthfully, in some respect, I've lost trust in romantic relationships, lost faith that it could work. On the other hand, it's known that 'it's not good for man to be alone,' so I really wished for it to happen for me. Beyond that, managing the house alone is very difficult, alongside dealing with the world outside. Sometimes I feel like I want to give up on music. People expect huge things from me, thinking I'm an angel, believing everything always goes smoothly for me. They don't remember I also have low moments or days without any mood, and they always expect me to uplift and bring joy. Sometimes I arrive at performances drained, exhausted, but I try very hard not to show it."

This must be a challenging struggle. Reminds me of the sad clown syndrome.

"It's really not simple. Sometimes it reaches bizarre situations. For example, on the day I got divorced, I went straight from the rabbinical court to perform at a wedding, and no one knew how broken I was. In general, there were long months when I wanted to leave everything. I had no strength for music or anything else. My brother Roy, who is also my personal manager, was worried that I wouldn't show up for events with hundreds of people waiting for me. I would call him before the event and say I couldn't go. I was in a very bad mental state.

"Nonetheless, thank God, time does its job, and slowly I came out of it, started rebuilding my new life. I'm still troubled by loneliness; it's painful to look for a wife and not succeed in finding one, but part of the pain of the household's breakdown has healed."

Photo: Moshe Biton

"People think: 'Itzik must be set'"

Orlev, like his new song suggests, is not broken and continues to perform consistently. After several hits that dominated every possible stage, including: 'Let's Light the Fire,' 'One G-d,' and many others, alongside being a sought-after wedding singer, it seems he's here to stay. However, perhaps for this reason, the personal struggle overshadows everything else. "Today I once again believe in relationships and am also more mature. Just as I bring joy to others, I wish for Hashem to bring me joy, and in turn, I will be able to make my future wife happy."

What are you doing about it? Have you opened a profile on 'Shidduchim'?

"Because of my status, people think I'm surrounded by many who constantly offer suggestions, so they think to themselves: 'Surely Itzik is all set, no need to worry about him,' but in the end, I'm alone. Generally, the more successful you are, the more people distance themselves from you. Some people are envious and struggle to see your success, and others feel threatened by you. When I see such situations, I tell people: 'You don't need to distance yourself, I'm just a human being, simple and ordinary. Everyone has a mission. Hashem arranged for me to be a singer, but everyone has their unique mission.'

"Additionally," Orlev continues, "there are people who love you, want to be close to you, but don't know how to communicate with you because you're famous. What ends up happening is that I sometimes find myself outside the social circle, and it is very difficult. My greatest fortune in life is having my beloved child. He is the light of my life."

Nonetheless, how do you think the divorce affected him?

"Of course, it’s not easy for him; no one is happy when their parents divorce, and because of that, I try to be with him as much as possible. Moreover, I see that he gains confidence thanks to my songs. For instance, when they play some of my songs at his school on various occasions, I know it boosts his confidence immensely. Also, though he's only nine, I treat him as if we're close friends.

"And of course," Orlev states, "music brings me a lot of happiness and strength, especially from people who appreciate it. Sometimes people hesitate to approach, which is a shame because we artists genuinely need it. Sometimes when I see that people hesitate, I approach them and say we are just human beings, not angels, not vice-presidents of Hashem, and we are happy when people come and express their appreciation and love."

We All Cried Together

Speaking of drawing strength from music, Orlev shares the significant role music played during his childhood, as the son of Sephardi returnees to religion who decided to send their child to an Ashkenazi yeshiva. "I was born to parents who returned to religious observance, my father Iraqi, my mother Tripolitan, but studied in an Ashkenazi yeshiva. Until the age of 13, I prayed only in Ashkenazi pronunciation. Returnees often want to go all out, so my parents sent me specifically to a religious yeshiva.

"People don’t understand why I don't sing much in a Sephardi style, but the reason is that my childhood melodies are Ashkenazi. Moreover, I was the soloist in the yeshiva's choir, probably the only Sephardi child in history to receive such an honor. "Things progressed," Orlev says, "and by age 15, I was leading a choir, but overall everything was still amateur, and the significant change occurred thanks to my mother's 50th birthday celebration.

"We organized a very big event for her, created a video, and I sang a moving song for her. My brother Roy is friends with the singer Itzik Eshel, he showed him the video, Itzik was very impressed by what he heard, and said he wanted me to sing his song, and if I manage to do it well, he would make an album for me. I went along with the proposal, went to the studio, and after two takes I was done. Itzik was thrilled with the result, and indeed produced an album for me titled 'Circles.'"

Itzik Orlev. Photo: Nir Lavi

How were the reactions?

"Thank Hashem, the album was very successful. Several songs from it topped music charts and became big hits. There was huge divine assistance, I was only 17 back then, everything happened really fast, and in a short time, I was invited to perform on big stages. Thanks to my chassidic singing, I quickly entered the wedding industry, and during the events, I released my second album, 'Missing You.' That album was produced by Yoram Yitzhak Azazna, and thank God, it too was very successful.

"For one of the weddings where I performed," Orlev recalls, "the groom asked me to perform a special song for the ceremony. Back then, the whole genre of ceremony songs wasn't very developed, but I told him I'd prepare something. We took a melody, crafted the lyrics, and thus the song 'Consecrated' was born. I sang the song at the ceremony, it went up on YouTube, and that's how the big success started. Right after it was uploaded, my brother Roy started receiving a flood of calls from people who wanted me to sing the song at their ceremonies."

According to Orlev, the new situation threw them into a whirl, but good things eventually came out of it. "We received a lot of inquiries, and back then, we didn't even know what a ceremony singer was. Until then, I would do a few hours performing at weddings, and suddenly they started inviting me just to sing at ceremonies. Nine years ago, the matter of my ceremony songs took a leap when, at one ceremony, the groom asked that I sing Lior Narkis's 'Blessing of the Priests.' I made my own version suitable for ceremony entry, and the song made a strong impression, to the point where many people think it's my song."

What are the plans for the future?

"There are many things on the agenda, but the two main things that interest me are to keep making more good music and continue strengthening and bringing joy to people. I've seen great things happen with ceremony songs, so in recent years we've released more like: 'Come in Peace,' 'Angels' Blessing,' 'Surrounded by Angels,' songs that, thank God, became very popular in ceremony playlists. Additionally, I'm currently working on some ceremony songs with children's choirs, and I believe it will turn out great. Thank God, I'm constantly invited to perform with these songs both in Israel and abroad, so innovation is constantly needed. Nonetheless, I continue to release lively songs with engaging music videos. That's my natural place, where I came from. I want to sanctify His name, and reach every Jewish heart."

Additionally, according to Orlev, a significant portion of his time and energy is devoted to helping others, and he receives heartfelt feedback for these actions. "Alongside the commercial performances and all such endeavors," Orlev says, "it's very important to me to be there for anyone who needs me. By the way, in this regard, I want to appreciate the Hidabrut channel, which also dedicates many resources for the benefit of all in need. I'm also thankful to the Hidabrut channel for supporting my songs and broadcasting them, which helps them reach many people and spread goodness in the world."

Can you share a particularly touching story that occurred because of your songs?

"There are numerous moving and inspirational stories; I'll share two. A few years ago, a woman approached me at a wedding, practically shouting at me. She said they were not religious at home, not connected in any way, and that her daughter returned to faith because of my songs and was soon to marry someone religious. Initially, it was unpleasant, but we continued to talk, and eventually, she admitted she was actually happy about it because she said her daughter changed for the better.

"The second story happened seven years ago and moved many people. It involved a young couple, where the wife became pregnant, and in the fifth month, suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage. Ultimately, she delivered a healthy baby girl, but she remained paralyzed throughout her body. Her parents called my brother Roy and said what gives their daughter strength to live and fight are my songs, particularly 'Surrounded by Angels,' and asked if I could come to support her.

"The request reached me, and I immediately agreed. I arrived with my guitarist, started singing, and it was amazing to see how within seconds, from being extinguished, she began to flourish. She started making sounds, and her eyes simply glowed with happiness. As I sang, she burst into tears, and we all cried together with her."