From “Getting Out of Depression” to National Anthem: The Incredible Journey of Yagel Oshri

“Even though the song ‘Latzet Mi’Dikaon’ (Getting Out of Depression) broke out suddenly and powerfully, and at the beginning of the war became a kind of national anthem, the road I traveled until gaining public recognition was not simple at all,” says Yagel Oshri, 24, a musician living in Moshav Elyachin. “For several years I tried to break through with my songs and it did not really work, and a few months before the war began I finished a very difficult professional year. I ran out of money, I parted ways with my management, and I really did not want to go back to waiting tables. It was very confusing. My videos were getting millions of views a month on social media, but I had no idea what to do with myself because I wasn't earning a single shekel from it.

“It was clear to me that I could not blame anyone but myself, and I asked myself what I could do to improve the situation. Toward the end of that year I wrote ‘Latzet Mi’Dikaon.’ At first I only had the verse without the chorus. At some point I reached Ofir Cohen, one of the biggest producers and songwriters in Israel, and told him I wanted to work with him. I played him several songs and he wanted us to work specifically on this one, which surprised me a bit because it was the least ready.

“On the very first chord we played, things just flew, and within six minutes we already had the verses and the chorus. We recorded a rough version, and although I am usually very particular about my songs, I gave him complete freedom to produce it as he wished. He worked on it for two months, with breaks of course, and when I came to hear the song for the first time I started to cry. The whole difficult year I had gone through came back to me, and it was one of the most emotional experiences of my life.”

Between the Mori and Eyal Golan

“I was born into a traditional family, a Yemenite father and a Tripolitanian mother,” Yagel recalls. “We lived in Netanya. When I was three years old we moved to Elyachin, a Yemenite moshav near Hadera. It was very important to my grandfather and my father that my siblings and I learn the Yemenite tradition properly, so from age six to sixteen I would regularly go to the Mori (traditional Yemenite Torah teacher). I loved going to him very much. It brought our family together, and it is a feeling that cannot be explained in words. And yes, I know that I will pass this ancient tradition on to my children as well.”

I assume that thanks to that, you also realized that you have a beautiful voice.

“I always loved singing, but as a child and even later on, people did not really tell me that I had a beautiful voice. The truth is that I also do not have the broad Yemenite vocal range, with the ability to go very high and so on. What I discovered later is that I know how to find the depth in the lyrics. When you sing, you have to understand the words and connect to them, and that adds so much to the performance. I also started playing music relatively late, so maybe that is something that characterizes me in general.

“When I was fifteen, my father came home one day with a keyboard he bought for fifty shekels from a friend. I did not understand why he bought it, because no one in our house knew how to play. When I came home from school, I would open YouTube and learn to play by ear. Slowly melodies and texts began to come to me, and as a result I built myself a home studio and started recording.”

How did the army service fit in with the musical career you were beginning to build?

“My military service did stop it to some extent. I come from a family of combat soldiers and I did not want to join an army band, because it was important to me to serve in combat. In the end I enlisted in a combat intelligence collection unit and served on the Gaza border. During my service I mostly put the music aside, and only occasionally uploaded various clips to the internet. Near the end of my service I really felt the itch to return, and after discharge I began my professional musical path.”

Most people online knew you as someone who made funny videos. How did they react to your transition into being a musician?

“It really was not easy, and for many people it took time to digest. Most of what I had posted until then was humorous, and suddenly I came with something serious, and it did not go over smoothly. My first song after my discharge did not do much, but the second one was very successful. After that I released a few more songs that did relatively well, we opened a show, and right after that I experienced the not-so-good year I mentioned earlier.

“After a long period without management, I already had one foot out of music — and then came the phone call that changed everything. One day Udi Gueta, the CEO of Liam Productions, Eyal Golan’s company, called me and invited me to a meeting. I had met Eyal a short time earlier because a mutual friend connected us to make a humorous video together.

“At the meeting Udi told me that he appreciated me and that they wanted to sign me. Of course I agreed. Since joining them, Eyal has been involved in every little thing I do, and we are in very close contact. He is a singer I grew up on, and he has become a musical mentor for me — someone I consult with and who consults with me about the things we work on. I really want to release many more good songs and perform in a big show. I believe it will happen, the question is when.”

Songs After the War

“October 7 was a terrible day that forced upon us a war — but that day also brought points of light, both nationally and personally. The song ‘Latzet Mi’Dikaon’ helped me get out of the difficult period I was in, it marked the way out for me, and suddenly everyone wanted to hear me sing everywhere. My band and I began traveling all over the country, and we performed over a hundred times voluntarily, sometimes even four times a day. You go into hospitals, you see and hear very difficult things, and you are able to help, strengthen, and comfort.

“In general, it was a time when my tears flowed constantly. My younger brother’s girlfriend was murdered at Nova, and since then I cried a lot. She was like part of our family and I was very close to her. Her funeral was unbelievably painful. Hearing your brother deliver a eulogy is a horrific experience.

“For four months after October 7, I did not think about my career at all, only about the soldiers and everyone affected by the war. But at some point I realized that what had happened was going to bring me back to creativity and success, and I returned to releasing songs. The lyrics I wrote after the war were completely different from what I wrote before it. For example, I released a song called ‘Tefillah’ (Prayer), which speaks about my connection with God. In it I sing that in the end, what remains for me is only prayer. It was amazing to hear similar words also from the hostages, who spoke in an inspiring way about prayer and faith.”

Speaking of prayer and faith — where do you see God’s presence in your life?

“I feel God in every small thing, in everything I do. I have no doubt that He is the One who gave me this song that moved an entire country. I especially feel Him every morning when I put on tefillin, and I know that all blessing comes only from Him. I grew up in a home with a lot of tradition, and that stays with me and will continue with me. Until age sixteen we kept Shabbat at home, and Shabbat is a very special day for me. So of course my connection to God and to Judaism also finds expression in the songs I write.

“Since ‘Latzet Mi’Dikaon’ came out, I have released ten new songs, and I also received the ACUM ‘Achievement of the Year’ award for it. Anyone who listens to my songs recognizes the values embedded in them. For example, in the song ‘Etzlenu Ba’Binyan’ (In Our Building) I sing, ‘Whether a soldier from Givatayim or a yeshiva student who fears Heaven — today they will dance together in the street.’ The division among us pains me deeply. I believe that soldiers can embrace yeshiva boys and be united with them. We need young men who learn in yeshiva, because I understand the importance of Torah study, and we need to reach agreements on this issue. Our unity is more important than anything — it is our strength to win every war, and also to rise from every depression.”