INTERVIEW: Or Golan is a testament to the power of resilience

In the face of adversity, Or Golan has become a paragon of achievement, an inspiration to aspiring artists worldwide. His journey is all the more remarkable considering the challenges he has confronted, including a stutter and the relentless grip of FMF (familial Mediterranean fever), a hereditary disease. Undeterred by these formidable foes, he has risen above them, a towering testament to the indomitable human spirit. He is an artist who defies limits, transcends boundaries, and leaves an indelible mark on the fabric of contemporary music. His achievements, forged within the crucible of independence, are nothing short of extraordinary. Or Golan has proven that true success, the kind that endures and resonates with the hearts of millions, cannot be stifled or stolen. It thrives within the depths of an artist’s soul, nurtured by a relentless pursuit of one’s dreams. Let his tale be a beacon of hope, a testament to the power of resilience, and a reminder that even in the cutthroat world of music, the unwavering beat of passion will always prevail.

You have participated in numerous radio and magazine interviews. How important is it for you to connect with your audience through these interviews, and what do you hope to convey through them?

Or Golan: Marketing is a profession for life, especially if you are an artist, musician, singer, whatever you may be. I’m supposed to be applied to the whole world to refresh the memory of the people, otherwise I’m just someone they took from the trash.

Your music has reached more than 70 countries. How do you feel about the international recognition and impact of your music?

Or Golan: I knew I would succeed, I had a feeling when I first started. It is very beautiful that a stutterer has succeeded in this world. But here in the State of Israel, where I live, they don’t want to hear about me and they stole all my money, until today.

How do you feel about the significant number of copies your singles have sold? What do you think has contributed to their popularity?

Or Golan: I’ve done a lot in my life, really, I’m not like everyone else, I’m me, and what I transmit to people is what there is.

Achieving first place in radio charts 20 times is an incredible feat. What do you believe sets your music apart and makes it so successful on radio platforms?

Or Golan: There is one thing that musicians or singers will never use in life and that is the trump card. Even if you’re homeless and your life story can conquer the whole world and you don’t have three seconds at the beginning of a victory song, you’re done.

Your TV appearances in Brazil reached a massive audience. How do you think these appearances have impacted your fanbase and career trajectory?

Or Golan: Making a fool of myself I know from the beginning just to market myself, that says something about me, doesn’t it?

Achieving first place on radio charts 20 times is a remarkable accomplishment. What do you attribute to your consistent success in the charts?

Or Golan: Continuity for me as a musician has two ways: one is to continue to create, and the other is to continue to preserve myself. what do you choose? What gives you a rating? This is what determines a musician (another lesson on marketing and art)

Your official YouTube channel has garnered over 1,400,000 views. How important has YouTube been in reaching a wider audience?

Or Golan: Everyone has YouTube, everyone has ears, whoever loves me will always love me just the way I am.

Your interviews that were uploaded to YouTube provide a story that is unusual, why?

Or Golan: It will always be like this, there is something in my personality that simply gives something different from me, I have nothing to do against it, just be with it

Recently, your mini-documentary entered the IMDB site. What is this film about, and why did you make it?

Or Golan: I’ve always wanted to enter IMDB, always, it’s a status symbol, if you’re there it means that you’re liked, that you’re interesting, that you’re known, in this mini-film I talked about my musical career and how I got into music

How did it feel to be featured on Times Square, Wikipedia, BBC Radio 1, and in various articles, radio plays, and television interviews? Did these opportunities help elevate your career?

Or Golan: The truth is that I will never know what contributes and what does not contribute, I try to score something, if I succeed, great, if not, then not. To tell you that I am happy about it, may be because it is a great honor, but people forget quickly and that is what takes away from it.

Your achievements as an independent artist are impressive. How do you think your experiences as an independent musician have shaped your approach to creating music?

Or Golan: This profession, if you can call it a profession, is not a bed of roses, you don’t get up in the morning and be happy, yes I am happy that I succeeded and that I am known and that I did something in my life, but there is the other side of it, all the humiliations, embarrassments, craziness, anger, Visibility is not easy.

As an artist, what message or emotions do you strive to convey through your music, and how do you want your listeners to interpret your work?

Or Golan: Whenever I was asked this question, I would answer some kind of unproven message, because I think I have no message, I think I’m real, that’s what I have.

Would you like to represent your country in Eurovision?

Or Golan: Absolutely not my country, because it glorifies artists who do not deserve this honor at all, and who were published for nonsense. If there is a country in Europe that is willing to bet on me that one of the producers there reads this magazine, I am here, I am still open to offers from Europe.

Can singers and musicians still get involved in politics in Israel or is there a regime on livelihood?

Or Golan: In the State of Israel, the artists here are paralyzed, because they are afraid of their money. The citizens of the State of Israel are so divided because of politics here. If a singer decides to express a position they kill him completely. Just look at what they did to a singer named Achinoam Nini and see.

Why did they delete your Wikipedia page? There is a link, your name is there, but no content?

Or Golan: Oh, it’s a story, read and you’ll see how a respected institution wants to take down an artist because he doesn’t suit it. One day (November 3, 2022) I googled my name to see if there is anything new about me, something legitimate. Suddenly I see that I have a Wikipedia page, I felt like I won the lottery, finally someone from the State of Israel recognized me and my work abroad. Some time passed and suddenly I looked at Wikipedia to see what was happening with my page and I saw that my page had been deleted (I have photographic proof, a screenshot with what I will write now) on the claim that: this is an advertisement, it is not important because it is an unclear trolling of a personal advertisement, after inspection, not a small one, there is no such personality that is known and it is not clear why the entry was not deleted.

You have done almost everything, your name is already smeared in every country, what else is there to do?

Or Golan: The truth is that I don’t know, maybe someone will come and take me to some reality show where I will be a host, and if that happens, peace will come to the whole world and there will be no wars 🙂

Your latest song, “Myself,” is the first song that you sing on. How does it feel to step into the role of a vocalist, and what inspired you to explore singing in your music?

Or Golan: I wanted to prove that I, Or Golan, can also sing and not just be behind the scenes, I proved that I am famous in the world, so I will prove that I am also a singer.

Could you give us a glimpse into your upcoming album, “Bareness”? What can fans expect from this project?

Or Golan: An album full of my songs, it will be released soon, my songs always have time, I can go crazy until they hit the music stores, as if my songs know something I don’t. In any case, Bareness, a beautiful album I think, five songs, one of which is an acapella, the truth is there is a story that the distribution company didn’t let me include another song I wrote, and I don’t know why.

Despite facing obstacles such as stuttering and FMF, you have achieved tremendous success in your field. Can you tell us about the impact of these challenges on your music and how you have managed to overcome them?

Or Golan: If I had one dollar to count all the difficulties these two diseases cause me I would be a millionaire, stuttering is a mental illness (not a behavioral one as everyone thinks) it is an illness that hurts a person in all areas, he can’t work because they don’t accept him, because he is different. It hurts him in merging with the environment. FMF is a type of arthritis, I have a particularly severe type, where I suffer from pain all over my body and if it happens I can’t get out of bed for a few days.

What are your future goals and aspirations as an artist, and how do you plan to continue pushing boundaries and evolving your sound in the industry?

Or Golan: There are no limits for singers or musicians (here is another fact about us), art is the need to be free from the environment, this is how I describe it, and if the environment pressures then I will continue to be free because there is no escape. This is how I was born and this is how I will die.