Full Interview With Shmueli Ungar About His Life Before Singing, Music Career, Album Release & More

Okay, welcome back. I know we took a really long break from doing the Thursday night lives here at the Jewish platform. Way back, I got busy with the new film Desperate Measures and we had many other things happening, but we are back. I don't know if it's a new season. Hopefully this is going to continue and in order to kick this off, we brought on one of the most influential people in Yiddish music today. He is probably the most sought out for chasanas. He's been doing tons of events and concerts galore for the past three, four years or something like that. He quickly raised to stardom. He's the star in the frum world. Let us welcome the one and only Shmili Ungar. Shmili, how you doing? You know how to get a person excited. I'll tell you that. Okay guys, you can sit down. You can sit down. All right. Everybody be seated. Shmili, how you doing? Baruch Hashem. Baruch Hashem. Very nice to be here in the in the studios. Been uh The Jewish platform. platform studios. Welcome. Welcome everybody. It's it's his own studio. Amazing. Shmili, you were new on the platform about four years ago. You put out your first debut album, Shmili 2. Not sure what happened with Shmili 1, but okay. There's no Shmili 1. There's no such a thing. Hashem is 1. Oh. Even when you open the Gemara, you open a Gemara once in a while, but never open it with a 1. Okay. Okay. When you open the Gemara, you're going to see that it starts with daf beis. Daf beis is a dollar of because, you know, aleph this about Shavuot. So we start with two. We can't start with one. What kind of who would have Shmili one? Who would Who does he think he is? Putting out Shmili one. So we started with Shmili two. I love it. I love it. Anyway, you started off with Shmili one. You had some Shmili two. Shmili two. Talking the new album, we'll get to discussing it. You have over there that song the pie I don't know if it's a pie nigan but the pie nigan other than you. Other than you I'll play it. Yeah, is it called Is it called L'chu? L'chu yeah. Talking. But anyway um You started off with your first album. You had some knack nigan on there. You had MSV and every every everything that was a song. You had which is a beautiful heart to go song came with a beautiful music video. Such a nice song I have to give you a thank you. I even put it in my last film the skull of a genius. No. We got permission from you. We got permission from Naftali Schnitzler of course. Because because you asked nicely. You asked very nicely. ask nicely. And he did. I don't even remember. I appreciate it. And after you put out the first album, I believe that it was around that time all of a sudden Shmili Younger became the singer at concerts and everywhere else. Give me a quick brief history yourself how you got into the music industry. Shmili two. Tell me a little bit about that. So you see for you it started after Shmili two because you were doing your thing on a where where do you live? You live in Monsey? Flatbush whatever it is undisclosed location. Howell, New Jersey. Howell, New Jersey. I don't even know where that is. Next to Tom's River. Next to Tom's River. So so you were doing your thing, doing your videos, your movies and then you heard of us of Shmili two. I didn't even heard I didn't even hear his first album. Who's this guy? That's what you were thinking. And then maybe you bought the album, you liked what you heard. You said you put it in in your movie. But for me it didn't start with Shmilitoo. Shmilitoo was maybe I would say the beginning of, you know, coming out doing music for more than just my community in Monroe, in Monsey, the Shver. So I started I started I would say my first I did was in 2000 I don't know. Maybe 2000 11 or 2010. Can I know her? Was my first and it was a friend of mine in Yeshiva. And he was a Vision Bochur and but the Vision they don't have a singer. They just have a one man band. Our singer is a Zuch. Of course. a Zuch. So so mom is like a week before his he he knew that I'm taking voice lessons. It started even earlier. It started when I got to that Yeshiva my sister became engaged. Wait a second. Why don't we go back? Shmili, how old are you? Back it up. How old do you think I am? 28. All right. I'm 30. I just turned 30 in October, Tishrei. have liked to wish you a happy birthday thing for you. Come on. Come on. You said before you're an actor, you're a singer, director, producer. Let me hear those vocals. Listen. Everybody is going to log off before So so You were born in 1990. I was born in 1990, October 1990, yes. And I lost my father. My father passed away when I was 14. That was a big a big a big deal, a big trauma in my life back then. And my grandfather, my father's father, became involved in my life and my family's and my sisters. And he he knew that I could sing because I used to sing in Cheder with the Rov, whatever. Rov came about the CM from the Hinded blood. Whenever there was occasions in camp Um You never sang for Mushi Kraus. You didn't You didn't You never got into any of the choirs. I did. I did. When I was a bucher, I would go to Mushkas. He's a good friend of mine. And I went He would call me in and he would get I don't know, $15 an hour or I don't know if you remember how much, but I would do I did backup vocals for Sruli Werdyger. For Lipa Schmeltzer, I did uh Um hi, good morning. Do the bend do the bun. You know that song? I don't. Hi, good evening. Hi, good morning. Good shalom. It's a good song. Mona did the music, so I remember I did I did backup vocals with Mushi Kraus for that album. So, I did work with Mushi. I did work I I meant that I was going to say it's sarcastically that Mushi Kraus wasn't around 20-something years ago when he left, but No, now we did Yiddish Nachas. He He did He did studio work. Yiddish Nachas is a new project for Mushi Kraus. He had his old studio on Quickway he where he did just the independent discs with Chaim Blumenfeld or you know uh someone like Collage, Sefirah Collage or Pesach such stuff. Then Yiddish Nachas came along Mamish few years ago. Yeah, yeah. But we're talking now 2008, 9 that area, 10, 11. Aha, beautiful. So, you were a bucher 15 years old and you're doing So, I'm I'm more I'm older. I'm older. I'm like 17 and my sister becomes engaged and my zaida calls me up Shabbos or whatever we're going up Shabbos to my grandfather and says, "Shmuel Duvid." My name is Shmuel Duvid Ungar. Not to confuse it with the Nighter people because Nighter Ruv was also named Shmuel Duvid Ungar, but he was a Lievi. I'm not a Lievi. I'm trying to do the same as a Nighter Ruv either. No, I'm not a Nighter Ruv. No, no, no. But I could be a Nighter Ruv. Yes. Vilna'er. It's the Zana Goan. So, I was 17 My zaida calls me and he says, "You're going to do You're going to sing by your sister's wedding." And I was I was like shocked and I was very intrigued. As I said, "I I don't think I'm capable of doing the whole wedding, but I I I will take the mic if you want me to, but but if we're going to do this, we got to do it right. I want to take voice lessons, I got to buy a microphone, I I have to mic, you know. I even needed a cordless mic because cordless was was the hot, you know, that was the hot cordless. Yeah, yeah. So, he got me a cordless mic, he got me the inner monitor that's very expensive, it's like $1,500, $2,000. And we we came to an agreement that he's going to be paying for everything, all the expenses, voice lessons, for the business cards, you know, he's going to drive me. I didn't drive, I was a Bukharian Shiva, so he's going to drive me to my gigs. And whatever money comes in, it's 50/50. All right, it's pretty fair deal. Fair deal. You think? Did he know that you going to become Schmily Ungar? Nobody know, you know, back then you I got to say I was I was nothing. I was just an awkward heavy bucher who had just lost his father a few years ago. And you know, liking to sing, to do a lot of da da da da da, you know, a Bukharian Shiva who visits in the drum. That's, you know, I was very happy my sister got engaged, you know, because that was like the first thing that's happening that's normal in my family, you know, things are moving, they're getting married, I was next, I'm a Bukharian Shiva. Anyway, so I told him I will sing a few songs by the Hasana, but but if if you want me I should become a singer, we got to set it up, we're going to do it right. And he paid for everything, he paid for my voice lessons, every month he would give me 100 bucks. And every Wednesday I would go to the voice lesson, I would make like a lot of day of it, but after 6:00 I would take the bus, go to the lesson. The lesson was $70. So, with the rest of the $30 I went and bought myself some supper, you know, I would eat the dinner in the Oh. Um so, it was a very nice thing every Wednesday I would go out. And by my sister's wedding LaMasa, I I did did, I did a few songs. Bady Weber sang at the wedding. Shmuel Baby Weber his name was. And I did I did a few by the by the meal. I did Omar Omar Akodesh Baruchu. You know that one? Yeah, of course. And I did I did a Shiri Shavsteinu K'vod Rishon from Ger Nagina. Yeah, yeah. These two for sure. And then maybe by the end of the wedding I did the Al Chaim Messiah just nothing. But the the two main songs I did by the meal I I Omar Akodesh Baruchu for sure messed up. I think I remember I just whatever. And but the other one Shiri Shavsteinu I nailed it. I think it was good. With the British accent or without the British accent? No, no British accent. accent. Just just Yeshivish or Chassidish a fella. So to make it to make it to make it fast, so that's so my friend knew that I'm a singer I'm going to voice lessons and everything. He told me I'm getting married in two weeks. Didn't hire a singer. If you want my father told me you can come, you can sing. He doesn't He doesn't have money to pay you. But feel free to come over and you know you know to sing. Lamazein. I I I used to do like Shabbos davening in Yeshiva. So I was familiar with some stuff but I there was so much that I didn't know and I thought I know everything already. So I got to the wedding. My zaida took me. And and I had a a list of the songs. Couldn't memorize all those niggunim. Or a ya da da da ya da da da. Or the Zekster Kuf niggun. How does it go? Me? Da da da. I'm thinking da da da da da da da da da da da but that's a square. The Zekster Kuf Satmar is nine la da da la la la. So all those songs that don't have words I can write down. I have my I had my samunam and I wrote down a list of songs so I shouldn't run out in the middle of the wedding. And I forgot it at home. Can you believe it Buddha? I forgot it at home. You You make it up. And I come to the khaseneh and I'm all nervous and my friends were there from the yeshiva because of a friend of yeshiva at khaseneh and I told I told them I lost the list. What am I going to do? And so a friend of mine quickly put together he had a pen and paper and wrote me down like 10 15 songs. He said just have this for now to get you through. I started doing the khaseneh. My grandfather was beaming. He was sitting by the table there by the cake and you know the soda. And he was just looking and he he was so excited. I started singing I did a few Motke songs I remember. I remember I did Omno Melech Malchei Hamlachim. And my maggid came over to me a good maggid. Reb Chaim Itzing Fogel. And he says he he told me as Ishmadu you know being a good singer is not just having a good voice and talent you got to know what to sing. That's what he told me. And and he looked at me he says look here and here in a day this Chabad night was with about a lot of Vishnitz people you know with the white socks. You doing Omno Melech Malchei Hamlachim. It's nice it's good but they don't care for this music. You know you can do V'hi She'amda Sham. He didn't tell me that but I'm just telling you do that those kind of stuff. So that was an important lesson that you got to know what to sing. It's not about you it's about the people it's about the crowd it's about the audience. Yes, yes. So Shmili too came in 2016 and we're talking now 2010 where I lost my piece of paper and I got to the wedding while you were in Howell, New Jersey doing your movies. 2010 I was at Boca and Staten Island Yeshiva in Borough Park. Azoy. Azoy. Here so you also young 15 years old at the time. So I'm older than you. What are you 20? I'm 28. Ah, I thought I'm the youngest here tonight. to figure out in 2010 I was What year were you born? 18. You were 92? I was born in 92. Wow, I thought you were 18 years old. Good morning. Either way, so I was doing my thing and I was slowly slowly and then I got married. I got married in 2012 and I got divorced. And I remember while I was going through my divorce, it was it was I don't want to go into details, but it wasn't make it to us to begin with. It was a lot of information I didn't know, nobody knew. But I remember a lot of decisions when I was when I was making, am I going to go back together? You know, should I end this now? And I thought, what kind of a thing am I going to be? This I'm going to be a good get the guy a goodish. There's no way there's no way I'm going to be able to make a name of my name for name for myself. If people know, yeah, he's this divorced guy from Monroe or whatever, blah blah. So, it played a did a I'm not going to say big it played a big key in my decision, but it went through my mind, you know, you know, I'm trying to do this. I'm going to get divorced and that might end everything. But at that time, I I I I I I I got a a few new friends. You know, friends always in your life, you surround yourself with different people, you grow and you grow. So, at that time I found I found a guy his name was Schnitzler, Naftali Schnitzler. He was a big producer. You know Naftali? Who doesn't know Naftali? So, I didn't know him back then and and through a friend I got some answers. Maybe if you want to know the story, I will tell you the story. But I became good friends with him and together, even though there was no like a big contract or anything, but just being in his presence and knowing that this guy is working with Baddy Weber and and and Yoli Greenfield and Lipa Schmeltzer. This was enough for me to know, you know, I got this man on my side. Give me a lot of confidence and that that changed everything for me because if if if you don't have any confidence, I was doing weddings, I was getting in the wedding, I was I was being paid three $400. And the musicians were not top quality musicians, they were takuna musicians. They were all good people, but you know, it's it's a got Yana Punam and Kim Dortnun. And I'm always I'm I was busy knowing all the new stuff all the new stuff. This is all the weapons I had. What else I'm going to tell them here and why should you take me? I know the new stuff and I and then I I tried my best and I had the cordless mic. Also, that's when I made my decision. And and the earpiece. I made a decision. I don't like the cordless mic. I'm going to get a wire with a mic. And I was proud of myself for even for knowing that, you know, the cordless is all fun. It's good, but with the wire that works better for me. Um so, that's also important knowing what you want and not just doing what everybody else is doing what, you know, the the the the what's the name? Not not cliche. The What is the What is the word in English? Uh uh uh status quo. Status quo. Um so I so so having that gigs I come up on stage and I start singing and the problem was you you know what pitch means? Pitch There's off key and then there's off pitch. Off key you're off tone. You can noticeable. But pitch I'm very good at the off key thing, but I'm not Funny. So, which brings me back to my first chasuna I ran after the musician after the chasuna. Where's the Where's the recording? I need the recording. I want to listen to it. And he finally got it to me and I was in yeshiva. I put on the headphones and I started listening and it was no good. It was horrible. And I I I didn't even know what the problem was, but I just knew this is not how a singer is supposed to sound. I was very embarrassed. And the problem was pitch. That was about I didn't even know the word was pitch. I didn't even know that. And also there's all kinds of songs that you do at a wedding. Some songs go higher. Some songs go lower. So, you have got to know the key in which you want to do it in. And at that point I just started songs. Whatever the key was playing, that song I started. And a lot of times I couldn't reach on the bottom. A lot of times I thought it's going to be too high, so just the mic got unplugged by accident. I made it work, but you singers out there, aspiring singers, you should know if you're ever in the wrong key, the wrong anything, unplug the mic. Or or I talked to the game series sometime back for for you D and M choir for their 10-year anniversary. And one of the questions were what does the singer do if he messes up? And what you're supposed to do is look at the choir. So if you see you can't reach the key, just give it over to the choir. Well, it's not it's not always nice to do it, but the choir usually is is better equipped because they're a choir. Even though they can't reach it, but it's together and it sounds good. And also usually they have the guy doing the active. So that guy can always reach the high notes. I had one to story not with you D and M it's with you Shira choir. Always remember the story, but remember V'ein Somach Galton. I I came to it was a bar mitzvah Rabinovich. I remember in Williamsburg 15. And it was in the Sefirah. Still before Shmuly Taub. Yes, way before Shmuly Taub. Way before Shmuly Taub. Yes. I it was Sefirah. It was a bar mitzvah and he had Shira choir and Avrumi Schreiber on the drums. No music, but they wanted to be different. And we get there and we go I go with Shlaga Faber Gold from Shira what we're going to do what we're going to sing and I ask him there's no music. So I have my keys. We mentioned keys before. I we're going to do this in this song. This is on an A minor. We're going to be coming from this song which is on an F minor. So you know, I have my phone. I can check the key to start the next song and he says no no no. I got this. You just follow the choir. We'll do whatever. And we start the song from Greenfield V'eirastem V'eirastem Ki Lecha Hashem Hashem. You know it you know it? You don't know it. Anyway, I start the song and I realize right away this is not the right key. This is something is going to happen. Just wait and see. So I did the first part and it came to the high part. I just turned around and said Shira like take it away. Something like that. And they knew Shlaga knew also right away? Yeah, it was the wrong key. Anyway. What did he say? At least I have room for Schmuel David on the drums. was he was solid solid. So you were saying that you got back and you got the recording from the chosson. You went into the dorm, you went into Yeshiva, put the earphones on. It was horrible, the pitch was off. the pitch was off. So which ah, so which takes me further. So I was doing these gigs for $350, $450, $550. It's a lot of money. It's a lot of money maybe for people living in uh an owl. And I was going to say I don't know when Cuba or in the North Korea $300 is a lot of money. But it was it was nice. I was it wasn't anything was nice back money. I I was working for Shira Choir also then. And also by Shira I would make $600, $800 for a Shabbos whatever. It was nice good money to put away uh for the chosson or just to have for my savings. So so you're asking me as an aftalis so confidence that's what we were talking about. So when you get up on stage you charge $300. Nobody knows who you are. You're at the wedding because either because your friend is a good friend of the mechutan and the neighbor he pulled it off he got you in and taking $200 agent money you know either for that reason or I'm there because just it's a takuna chosson and the mechutanem don't have a big budget and they're happy with whatever they have. So I get up there and and I I wanted to do all these new songs and try to be try to be just to do different and and and and it it's hard it's very hard when you don't have a monitor or if you have an inner monitor but the musician doesn't know how to hook it up or what to give you to hear. I was having a lot of a lot of nights like that where just at the end of the wedding it was good people were felt good but in the beginning or or during I would feel like feeling it. It wasn't I was thinking to myself what are you doing here? Schmuel David I was still Schmuel David then I think. At one point, I changed my name to Schmily. My mother didn't like it because Dovid is from her side. It's my mother's mother's father. And Schmily is from my father's father's father. So So, that's why Schmuldovid don't got I have nothing with neither. Schmily is from my father's side and Dovid is from my mother's side. Um be neither of those, yeah. Yeah, it could still be neither of and and then some. So, I started calling myself Schmily. I don't know if I I I forgot what I was saying cuz I also wanted to say that I changed my hat. I used to wear a stuff on the head. Do you know what a stuff on it is? I've never heard of it. How do you call a stuff on it? top, yeah. A woolen top, it's called. top, yeah. No, why? A woolen top, it's called. How do you think we make wool? No, there's a hat called a Hamburg. That's the woolen top. I I know what a stuff on it is. I used to wear a stuff on it in the in the weekdays and Shabbos. All my life I went to summer camp. I'm saying that I know what it is. What do you wear now? A crack head? I don't know. Whatever is here or whatever is Whatever is here or whatever is available. A crack head, yeah. We call it a up hat in in civilized Yeah. I bought a parking here. It was 600 bucks a year. And here. So So, I changed I I Shabbos I would wear a flat habibit. And in the the weekdays I would wear a stuff on the head. You You were already married and At this point when I changed and divorced. You weren't wearing a flat habibit anymore on Shabbos. Right, right, right. But I'm talking I guess in 2009 10 by my first wedding, first few weddings. Before I got married I got married in the end of 2012. So, I'm talking between 2010 and 2012 I was doing maybe 10 gigs a year. So, all in all together I came to weddings and I saw that the hat I'm wearing is not is not the mainstream hat. You got to understand I'm coming from Monroe. In Monroe there's the flat habibit and the the modern hat where the stuff even the stuff on it is where is is, you know, more cool. But when I I became a mitzvah my father told me, "Shmuel Dovid, I want to want you to wear a hoyche biberit." Hoyche biberit. I mean No, no, no, a biberit. A biberit, right. Because there's a flache biberit and a biberit. Exactly. But in Monroe, there's a biberit and a hoyche biberit. Helps. So, so I saw the mainstream matters of hoyche biberit and I'm wearing a shtoffenit and also Shabbos. I didn't like the flache hit Shabbos because I was a big guy, not like now. I used to I was used to be big. Uh Yeah, see you you didn't know how to what's what's happening. I'm trying to figure out. You used to be big. Anyway, but yeah, gets it. I didn't like the flache hit and I wanted to change it to a hoyche biberit because when I became a bar mitzvah, my father told me, "Maybe you wear a hoyche biberit." Because he That's what he wore. He learned them Bobov in Borough Park. And he wore such a hat, but we moved to Monroe. In the Monroe, the custom was a shtoffenit and a flache hit. There was a few hoyche biberit, but they were like everybody knew, "Oh, that guy with a hoyche biberit." They were different. So, I told him, "Tati, just please lose shtoffenit biberit. I don't want to be different." Exactly. So, and he was very cool. Whatever. They did on the head and finished. So, I became 18 and I was doing weddings and I did a lot of Bobov weddings talk because I had a good agent in Bobov. And I saw the hoyche biberit is the mainstream matter. So, I went I went to my rebbe, Reb Chaim Leibish Sternbuch in Farshai. I learned in this yeshiva. And I told him, "I want to change my I don't like the shtoffenit. I want to change to the hoyche biberit. And Shabbos, I'll stay with the flache hit." And he says, "Change everything. Just put on the hoyche hit Shabbos and wochen. Cut out everything." So, it was just funny and I I started wearing that hat. And I also it it it it it zitzige gave me to the feeling we're okay, you know, uh I forget my schnitzel. My name is Shmilly Unger. I'm wearing the hoyche biberit. Shmilly Unger or Shmilly Ungar? Either way. We had a big pre-interview machlokes if it's Unger or Ungar. Shmilly Unger Shmuel Dovid Ungar. In Monroe, I was Ungar. The Litvishe people call me Unger. Unger, I'm saying. Unger. People know me as Shmuli Shmuli Ungar. But how do you call me my first name? Shmuli. Oh, so if you say Shmuli, it's usually Ungar. Shmuli Ungar. But if you say Shmuli, then it's Ungar. Yeah, you'll be surprised. Hello Shmuli. Shmuli all over the place. Hi Shmuli, can you make me a video because my neighbor is getting bar mitzvah and because of Corona he's not going to have his friend. So he can make me a video. I'm trying to collect a video. Shmuli. Anyway, so a lot of people call me Shmuli. So Shmuli is Ungar and Shmuli is Ungar. Okay, perfect. All right, give all the one second. I just want to this segment is more than I think. I just want to I I just want to put it like this. We see like this. Your grandfather had faith in you. Right? He saw this in your words, this heavy awkward book head and he said, I'm going to pay for your voice lessons. I'm going to pay for your cordless mic. I'm going to pay for your in-ear monitor. Your grandfather went ahead and he had faith in you and from that awkward book head with a flat beaver head and a minor they call it a plain beaver head. From that turned into Shmuli Ungar or Shmuli Ungar. It turned into that and and we see somebody goes ahead, somebody has faith in somebody. It could really make all the difference. And also like you said, enough with the Schnitzel. When you're going through that rough period of time, he went ahead, he gave you confidence. Sometimes just having a good friend, yeah? That gives somebody confidence can be the difference between I don't know if it's nice to say, but the difference between a $300 a night concert with a musician that doesn't know how to plug in the ear piece monitor and being a superstar. We're going to cut quickly for commercial break and we are going to come back with our next question. Okay, welcome back. Schmily, commercial break's over. Okay, you went ahead, you put out Schmily 2, all right? So, what happened? You were You were This is talking about 2015, you were divorced. You're doing cosiness, but but you're not where you want to be. You have it in you to be a superstar and succeeding niche. Where do we go from there? So, I never had this feeling I'm trying to be a superstar succeeding niche. I never Even even right now, there's always place to move forward. You can call me Madrigal Madrigal. Yeah, yeah. We'll get to it. So, I always felt good about myself. Even even even in the I always I I felt good about myself. I knew that I can sing nice. Wasn't the most professional. I never thought I'm going to be I'm going to be a wedding singer but now but I felt good about myself. So, in 2016 2016, I didn't think of myself like it's a guy niche. To me, it looked like I get the CD. We did a nice concert and then it's cool with Vaxhaul 2. I had MBD on stage and to me it looked and then I became engaged. I got married to 2. And I remember during the I was dating her and then came out the an interview I did in a in a paper called the Moment. And she read the whole interview and she checked my Twitter feed, everything I ever tweeted. She had a lot of info that I didn't I didn't get from her. But that was in the same time we did 2. We did the concert. I got married and it was a lot of a lot of things happening and uh For the good. Yes, yes. It was always going better better. We had we had MS. We had a nice Yiddish song that I was very proud of. We had a few good niggunim there that I I found myself doing at shows or at weddings wherever at events where I would perform. I would do a lot of my stuff people would would would would would request it. And you always when you put out a CD it goes like that you would have a good show. And people start waiting for more. When are you putting out your next one? Well, you know, where is your where you're heading? And you keep on putting out videos but a CD you got to have material, right? Because people want to hear the material and I want to get to that soon about putting out CDs. Anyway, so to answer your question, I felt good about myself in 2016 even though even now I'm still not there. You can always grow. You can always you can reach the whole world. This is 6 billion people. And what how much have I reached? There's Monroe, Monsey, Williamsburg, Borough Park, Lakewood, Flatbush, Five Towns. And and Howell, we just reached Howell. Toms River. Toms River. Moshe doesn't live in Monsey. Moshe lives in And Pomona, right. Pomona. He's living in Pomona with the Bears. Yeah. I know. So, there's always room to grow. So, I big vetoes grass, you know, you you try to expand and expand and the shamaya you can reach more and more people in this day and age with with You Tube and and and social media, it's so much easier. Yes, and Jewish platforms. And yes, I do. The Jewish platform. That Jewish platform. So, now we're in 2018 and all of a sudden you went ahead and you put out not Shmuel three, but you went ahead and you put out Macha Brocha. Now, Macha Brocha was definitely one of the most successful songs in the past 5 10 years. I'm saying you put out a song singing in Hasidic Yiddish Macha Brocha. I have no idea how you paired up together with Meirkay. You made that music video that was wow. It has over 5 and 1/2 million views on YouTube. And that song went all over the place. Yeah? And it was a whole album. But Macha Brocha song did to you what what Yesh Tikvah did to Benny Friedman. I'm saying I wish. No, it shot you up there and everybody was singing Tell tell me a little bit about your second album. It was no Yesh Tikvah, but I I understand because of lack of a better term you would compare it to that. But Yesh Tikvah was huge. Yesh Tikvah you even Benny couldn't keep up with Yesh Tikvah. I don't know how much mine. Yeah, but did you keep up with Macha Brocha? Yes, I was able to keep up with Macha Brocha was not so you look at Yesh Tikvah how many views there as on YouTube? Maybe 50 million. I don't know. It has it has like we discussed it at Benny's interview. So, so so Yesh Tikvah was really really big. Mach Brocha, Mach Brocha was was very gutsy. Was gutsy first because I'm a Chassidishe guy and the the beat, the rhythm of Mach Brocha is is more and more secular, but you know, pop, if you want to call it. Mambaba Mambaba was screaming jazzy. Yeah. Yeah. She didn't want to listen to it, huh? No, I'm saying I I don't even know if she was alive for Mach Brocha. But she would call such music jazzy. Yes, yes. Jazz, jazz. be the theme of jazz. It's not jazz, but it's my jazz, but he understands what you wanted to say. Yeah. So, Mach Brocha, I would never ever put out such music, such a song, such a title track, nothing. But I had Siyata Dishmaya. It's all Siyata Dishmaya. We had Sruly Meyer on our team. And he did the marketing and he did he did the social media and he always gave us direction what we should do and what we need to do, maybe make a duet, always, you know, brainstorming and looking and and and and thinking. And we were going to put out the the the the the second album and we're looking for a title track. I mean, the first one we did Shmily 2 and it was all weird. Why Shmily 2 with the questions? You know, even now you ask me why Shmily 2. If it would have been named Yevorach, you wouldn't ask anything. Beautiful, Yevorach. Yevorach. But Shmily 2 always people it it it invites questions. So, we were thinking by the second album, do we want to do we want to double down on the joke? Do we want to just move forward? What are we doing? And there was a few title tracks and there was a song like Mach Brocha that it wasn't track one, it wasn't something big, it was like something funky, something nice, something different, something in between, not too Chassidic, but not too left, you know? Very versatile, you're able to get to everybody. Yeah, something like that. And I mean, the real Chassidim said it's no good. They could not listen to this in their house, which is understandable. But but it for the mainstream it was good. And Sruly Meyer pushed us very much to, you know, he I remember he said it's time to step out of the small shoes and to step into the big shoes. That's the term he used. You want to do something big? Name it Macha Brocha and it's going to be Macha Brocha. It's a big message. It's It's It's It's It's It's Yiddish and it's English. Even people universally accepted. Exactly. Macha Brocha. accepted. It's Macha Brocha. So, we did that song and then Meir Kay, how did we Meir Kay? I think you're the only one in the world that calls him Meir Kay. Yeah? Maybe. Maybe. Meir Kay, I'm saying I'm saying yeah. Meir Kay, Meir Kay. the people that call um um Meir de Blasio instead of Meir de Blasio. Saying yeah. Same thing. And in my context his name is spelled m e i r as Meir, not Mayor. So, really Mayor is m a y e r. So, that's Mayor Mayor de Blasio. Anyway, so I don't know how he he he he he got to us or maybe I don't know we definitely reached out to him. But why did we reach out to him? Because I already had done a video with him called Carpool Karaoke. He used to do it Carpool Karaoke. You know what that is. So, we did that I think after Shmili 2, I think I don't know when it was. Yes, it was right after my my wedding. So, it was for Shmili 2. So, we knew about Meir Kay and then he put out videos with Mordecha Shapiro. He did videos with Benny Friedman. I think Todah. And we just liked his work. Everyonachi. Everyonachi, yes. Everyonachi with the bus with the colorful bus. Everyonachi has the more has has more more views than than Yishtabach. Yes. more. Interesting but Yishtabach was much more of a breakthrough than Everyonachi. Interesting. So, I saw his his material, his videos and we reached out to him and it was very expensive and I think I think we passed. And then we saw a lot of other guys and we came back to Meir Kay. And we we signed an agreement and we told him this is the song, what do you see in a video? And he came back with a with a whole concept Yes, with the numbers. 006 this happens, 008 this happens, the whole thing. It's going to be Storyboard. A storyboard. Oh, this is the Mr. Mr. Producer. So, with the like a whole sheet with the storyboard. Yeah, what's happening? There's going to be kids and malachim, and angels building the Beis Hamikdash, making brachos. And we just did a video. I didn't I I You know, it's so funny. You you you you you you you you you you you you you think when Benny was recording Yesh Tikvah, did he was he was thinking to himself, "This is the hit that's happening?" You don't think that way. You just go into the studio, you do your thing, you do the best that you can. You get to the to the to the to the shooting place, with the shooting macha brocha. You see all kinds of props and objects and painting. You know, a lot of work. The sun, somebody was actually picking it up. Whatever If you're going to watch the movie, you're going to see Yeah, yeah, yeah. Somebody cut it out, was sitting weeks and making the props. Wait a second. Wait a second. That means you actually went into a um um You're in a box of um oatmeal or something like that. Yeah. Did you actually go into Funny. It wasn't a green in a green Green screen. green screen. So, where we were standing was not a green screen, but it was like a box. And by the corner was like It wasn't a corner. It was round. It was round, yeah. And that's where I have a green screen studio in Howell. So, you know how it is. We're in in in in Howell. In Howell, yeah. In Howell. come visit? Um let me ask you. Okay, so so Yeah, so we did the video and it was nice. It was good. People loved it and it it it it it it became what it became, but we did everything We just did it. We didn't know what's going to happen. Right. So, we we discussed this We started off saying in the beginning of macha brocha, you said the beat and the real chasidim I don't know what you mean by real I do know what you mean. Real chasidim, not real chasidim. A stone real chasidish or not. Yeah, but okay. So, let me ask you something. We we we were saying earlier about the macha brocha. You were saying about the real chasidim. So, I'm not going to get into who's real chasidim and who's not real chasidim. If you're against the medina, you're real chasidim. If you're not against the medina, a stone real chasidish if you wear masks or not. But anyway, I know what you mean by real and not. Because you're so in the wedding industry, you're awesome as gold or and then the whole friend music industry. I have a question to ask you now. Not judging anybody, no prejudice no miss I'm not looking they must know. I want to ask you a question. I want to see your opinion on this. Getting nervous already. No, 5 years ago you went to us now. Everybody's dancing in a circle. First dance the second dance is you know the friends or whatever a hard yeah. I'm doing the wedding 5 years ago. I just walked in. Anybody I'm talking about I'm walking into a wedding. Don't dancing in a circle eating with the that's what it was. Last things, I come to us now. Yes. And here's what's going on. Yeah, you have the people you have no circle bunch of people in the middle and you have this guy doing this and then you have the other guy. And then you have no circles anymore. So we go over to group of guys and I ask them what's going on over here? What what are you doing? And then they say we're waiting for the drop. So I say what's this a drop? What are you waiting for? Wait and see. So finally I'm waiting and all of a sudden the beat gets faster and faster and faster until the beat can't get any faster and then all of a sudden boom, there's the drop. Then I see everybody shaking their head. I don't know what's going on. I'm asking you you're in the you're Where does this come from? Is this a good thing? Is it what what tell me a little bit how I don't know for 50 years everybody dance by Hashem in a circle and all of a sudden everybody's in the middle doing their Yeah, whatever. Yeah? What was the days? He danced like that. I'm not judging. I'm asking you what your opinion is. So So you know in the middle of your question you were saying 50 years ago they were dancing around and around and that was the norm. I I had a schmear with baby baby and and we were discussing not this and sorry and and I was talking to him about about this kind of dances and everything and he asked me a question. He says let's say you were born in a different in in a different place and not a city to have nothing with Hashem. You don't know about Judaism. You don't know anything. And you walk into a hall at 8:30 Roman Williams just in the green and you see you see people walking around. Yeah, I can't call it dancing. You know the the far out there's a lot of circles. The then there's the friends who don't slave it in and then around them is a little bit slower and then the big round By the circle I was going to say there was the people that dance like this. You know it's not walking around in the circle. Yeah, those people. Um but anyway carry on baby was saying. So and then there's the out the the way the way out circle and that's where the they're just walking whatever looking around. Some look really miserable and just bitter. They got to be here because they want the to come to their wedding when they're making a wedding. But they're just there after a day of hard work and they were walking around. You can't call it dancing. Just you know walking walking and you walk into such a hall what would you think? What's going on here? And you would see also the other people doing like this. You you would think as the people walking around they're dancing and the person doing this is weird. I don't think so. I think you would think the person doing this, you know, is really into it and this is his jam and he's having fun with it. And the guy walking around is just, you know, he's lazy, doesn't have so much and he's just walking around. This is his contribution to Simchas Torah. So, what I say to it, first of all, 5 years ago there was a lot of this going on. You just see you got to had to go out of Howell, New Jersey and go to the house. I was a bocher in Stonington. Oh, you see, you were a good boy. So, there was doing this, there was going on this for more than 10, 15 years already. Things always change. Yes, for sure. You know what DJs 15 years ago? You don't have to You don't need a DJ to do to do this. Uh-huh. But with a DJ it goes much better, I can understand. You don't have a drop without a DJ. Right. You So, you can't do that. Yeah, but people do this without a drop. I I was You you said before that the guy told you, "We're waiting for the drop." I didn't expect that to come. You don't need to wait for a drop to do this. But I understand. And then after the drop they just this? They mix it up. Until the beat until they wait for the next next drop. So, music is meant to move you, right? That's what music is. To to to to maybe bring you closer Jewish music is to bring you closer to and a and a and the Torah. And it's meant to connect you. And and if this guy by the wedding his friend is getting married and he's hearing a song and he just wants to go like this now, whatever, by all means let him do this. What do I care? First of all, the other guy wants to do the hora, he's doing the hora. Each to their own, finished. There's all kinds of people. this is bringing somebody closer If this is making somebody happy by by by by his friend's This makes the happy. This makes his friends happy. The make him happy. The side happy. Himself happy. Himself, yeah. But you see what you you were saying about preach pre-prejudiced prejudice. Prejudice. You were saying so if let me ask you if a Hasidic guy walks into such a hole and sees this book doing this, he would think to himself, "Oh my gosh, what's happening to him? I wrote something down. I cannot take him for an item. I hope I I don't know have anything anything to do with this family. But Maybe they even have a smartphone. Maybe they have a schlissel like they have keys. But you don't know, maybe this book just before this wedding he was in hospital singing for a patient or gave a hitch to a lady who was going to visit her daughter to the hospital doing chesed, doing whatever he needs to do. And by the chosson this is his jam. This is what he wants to do. It's very easy to judge oh you know let's learn that you see that guy doing this after the drop. It's very easy to say but but you you never know because the title track is Madregas and I say yesh madregos rabos b'nei Hashem. There's all kinds of madregas, right? Mhm. You can always go better and go me madregah l'madregah but whatever place you are, you have a place at the table. Kil on yoshvin l'fun of l'an shichanu osai. Right. That's part of the big message. So the guy dancing like this or the guy dancing like this, you don't know who they are or what they do. You just see their moves and this is his move and that's their move. Verstehst? Madregas. Now we're going to cut to a quick commercial break. All right. And we are going to come back and we are going to discuss your new album Madregas. Hello, the flis time I knew They were walking Yadid, let me Inglan, it's Mishka in there. Okay, welcome back. Now, cutting to the chase, your new album, Madreiga, is beautiful album. I love it. There are three tracks in it, Madreiga, really. They're right? What do you mean three tracks in a Madreiga? I'm not sure. I I turned it on for that I of course I bought it right away, which one second I'm I'm going to stop for a second. However, so much work goes into making a production, making a CD, making an album. Instead of get Yeah, we know you can get it on Telegram, you get it on WhatsApp. Don't. He put in hours of work. Buy it. You could download it for $10.99 on my Telegram channel. You could download it for $10.99. Even even if it's on streaming, you got Apple Music, Spotify, you have Google Play, Amazon Play, YouTube Play, all those streaming, it's not a lot of money. You sign yourself up for $10 a year. You have all the music. Yeah. Don't steal it. And yes, I'm saying steal it because it's stealing. But anyway, as soon as I I ahead and I downloaded it from mostlymusic.com. Yeah, I did it. I went ahead I downloaded it from them. The first track starts playing my madrigas, beautiful track. I'm waiting for the actual song to start. So my madriga all of you mean And in my madriga all of them all of them goes to track two and I'm trying to figure out what's wrong and I see that track one is 40 seconds. Then I go a little bit further on to madriga two, which is what track? It's it's not called madriga two. five. Track five. bias. And then my the third madriga Madriga game with track 11. Track 11. I already thought for sure um um it's going to be again another 30 second thing, but that's actually a full No. Wait, no no no. Madrigas the actual madrigas All three madrigas are like 40 seconds, 45 seconds because it's like kind of like an intro to the next song coming up. So the CD is is is titled in the madrigas. You try to go with madriga la madriga. There? I'm a kind of a soy. There you have it. Magashan. So there's three madrigas. It's so funny how this how the album came together because if you would if you were to stop me six months ago, I could never tell you I would look at this would look foreign to me. It's not like we had a plan and a vision. It came together as we went along with the project. So I knew you skipped we went from Shmily Mach Machabrocha straight to madrigas. There was a CD in the middle called On Stage. That's that's like a live wedding album. We gave it out for Purim, for Uder. It's like a wedding a second dance the CD starts. It's you you it's it's it looks like it sounds like it's by a wedding and then there's a chosna color of the chosna middle I make a little bit of a kumzitz and then they go dance. So that was On Stage. And by On Stage I realized it was I was I was being very much myself because it wasn't a it wasn't an like Macha Brocha or Shmili 2 where there's like 10 11 individual tracks with brand new material. It's what I do every night actually. So, when I recorded it, it I felt I felt good about it. I felt like I know what I'm doing. I know what I want to hear. project. Exactly. Exactly. And of course I had help with Moshie Roth from Mona Ganam, Sholom Wachsman, Hershy Weinberger, Naftali Schnitzler to work it out, you know, which song should come next and what kind of songs we should put in to begin with. So, by by by On Stage, I I became more in touch with myself. It By Macha Brocha, I was more in touch with myself than Shmili 2. And by On Stage, I was more in touch with myself than Macha Brocha. And now by My Dregos, I'm even more in touch with myself more than than On Stage, even though it's a it has brand new stuff. It's not like a wedding. It's old music. And by Shmili 2 and by Macha Brocha, if you listen to the CDs, I I I sang the songs with a Yeshivish Havurah. I do Rachamon Adonai. And where I grow up grew up, I say Rachmonu D'Younai. The Biber Aitz Lacha Biber Aitz Lacha Samacha. The regular Biber Aitz. The regular Biber Aitz. So, I never felt comfortable doing doing singing my material in the Yeshivish Havurah. MS was takke Chassidish. MS Ve'emunah It wasn't MS Ve'emunah called Zois. It's called Zois. It's called Zois. It was Chassidish. And that was takke maybe the more the the most authentic. And then maybe that's why people liked it because I was just I was singing. But Kam Lulei Emanti is also Yeshivish. And then Ani Holeich L'Beis HaKnesses. And I I didn't like it. It never felt It never It never felt it was you. Maybe I just I didn't I I I felt like I'm being somebody else. Yeah, like I'm I'm trying to do something because I remember Naftali, my producer, he he he explained to me, he said, "You listen, you want to reach a bigger audience, and you got to understand that Monroe and Williamsburg, where you grew up, it's like where you grew up, but they're in the minority. If you go to Israel, you go to most of the Jewish cloudless little places, they say, "Baruch Hashem Amavarech." Whatever. "Amavarech." But "Baruch Hashem" is a Monroe, is in the Hasidic places. And 70% of cloudless rules speaks Yeshivish. That's why Chazonus, yeah. You know what I thought about it? I I I I thought the exact opposite. I thought, "Can I ignore the Hasidim are taking over?" Maybe we are, because we're having a lot of kids in the last 20 years. We've been gaining ground. But still, if you go to any stone in the shul in Israel, they they they don't have the the Hasidic word. True, but but stone is a minority in the by by the Hasidim. Right. Saying When's the last time you heard somebody saying, "I need a tailor chulent"? I'm saying. Double tailor chulent. No, there is a lot of people say chulent. Mayor Case says chulent. You see. Yeah. Mayor Case says chulent. But the point is, I think it's at least 70, 60, 70% of cloudless rules speaks with Yeshivish word. That's that's that's no question. That Chazonus is "V'hu Rachum." It's not "V'hu Rachum." And and if you want to put out music for the for the average Joe, they they they they speak the Yeshivish word. So, don't stick out. Put in Yeshivish word and like blend in with the flow. You know, the mainstream. singers though are Hasidish, no? No. The past few years, if we go to Again, because you're saying the past few years, that's the second time you're saying. The past few years, Hasidic guide did pick up, did gain ground. I see it by the Chazonus, the Litvish one, the Hasidic one. Ahak. Which also brings me why we did Hasidic. Hasidic is definitely the new trend. I don't want to mention any names, but there was a lot of Litvish singers who they were doing good. They were putting out music and and people I love their stuff. But Satmar I don't see them at weddings because even the Litvish people they don't want to have the Litvish guy they want the Litvish guy. This is how the I remember years ago Shwekey Yaakov Shwekey what a good person. Um he put out Yiddish einayni with the Litvish a hood and everyone was shocked. You're talking probably 15 years ago. Yeah only you did only you did. 15 years ago exactly because it was 15 years ago. 15 years ago You know it goes? And everybody was shocked. Of course I know it goes. Yiddish einayni einayni it's Yiddish einayni einayni Yiddish einayni you were shocked? I wasn't shocked it was definitely something we had a Sefardi coming out of deal. Yeah. Um singing a Litvish song of worship. It's not something you see everyday. What should we we talk and speak about the the track that you did together with Ohad because I don't know if Ohad's Sefardi or not but he's also clean shaven. Yes I don't know if he's Beautiful voice. Nobody knows anything about Ohad. Nobody knows anything about Ohad. When people when I told people that I'm doing the wet song with somebody try to guess who I give you five guesses nobody guessed Ohad. And even when Ohad called me up he messaged me maybe we do it the wet together I WAS LIKE WOW OHAD YOU KNOW THAT'S DIFFERENT. I Where have you been? It's it's was very interesting. Ohad is is is something people wouldn't people didn't expect but I don't know anything is he Litvish I don't know what he is. Probably not Litvish. Because he's shaving his beard that's why. Probably not and probably doesn't wear a beeper hat. No. I'm glad he's just wearing a yarmulke huh? Maybe he didn't even not even have stuff in it. Or crack it. But anyway, we were talking about my dry goods and you were saying over here you feel more real, more comfortable. Exactly. So after we did I kept on telling Naftali we got to snap out of this Yeshivish stuff. And then we came Matzah Macha Bracha and we I did a few songs in the Yiddish Avoda like I wanted to and then we re-recorded it in the Yeshivish Avoda. Because I always trusted Naftali. I mean he's the producer. Uh I pay him for his for his guidance, you know? It's very stupid of me to be paying him money and not taking his advice. He likes to call himself Naftali. The world. The world? calls Naftali. I know him as I know him as Nameish. That's how I call him, Nameish. It's Naftula Moishe Shnitzler is Niam M'shien is Nameish. Cuz I like him as a Lutian Chiba. It's Nameish. So I call him Nameish, Naftali, Naftuli. Everybody Naftula Moishe. People know him differently. Great person. Stop it. Yes, he really really is. Yes, he's a fantastic. And he kept on saying Shmili we got to stick to Yeshivish. I know it's not us and he and I trusted him and I said all right, we're doing Yeshivish. And even on the interviews after City I was always be get bombarded from from Velvel Shmeltzer why Yeshivish and I was have to come up with not not excuses but like reasons why I'm doing it. I have a lot of Yeshivish weddings and it's easier for the Yeshivish guy to listen to Asher Bochar Bochanu. Me he call her Amen as opposed to Asher Bochar Bohuni. It's it's different. Anyway, but I I I I kept on seeing Motty Steinmetz is putting out his stuff and he's sticking to Chassidish. Avraham Fried is doing his thing is doing his thing also Chassidish and I see a lot of Avraham Fried being a lot of by the Litvish Chibas and Litvish crowds and they they all know about Avraham Fried and Motty Steinmetz as well. Everybody knows him. He's going all over the world and he's doing Chassidish. When he thinks when he sings different for different projects he can he can do he can do a Shiva Shavua. But for his album he's being authentic. So after I was more in touch with myself like I started saying after Macha Brocha and after on stage I knew I I knew this coming album is going to be strictly me. I want to do Chassidish. I also realized that the issue that the Litvish people they they don't care what I think. Just sing. And it's all right. That's it. That's it. There's a few people who who would tell me by the Chuppah I should do Hu Yivarech not Hu Yifarech. I can understand it. But overall it might not be yeah. But the condition might not be Chaw. Either way but I told Naftali I want to go I want to we're going to do a Chassidish and Naftali also he he he he at Moidecha when it was like yes. We're doing it who's Vosti and I got to say that. So I told him I'm going Chassidish. What? No, I think you're talking behind my back. Why he's not doing this stuff? Um Uh so so so what what what was I saying? Okay, so Macha Brocha I couldn't copy Macha Brocha again. I knew also I'm not going to go in the Macha Brocha direction. I want something fresh. You got to you got to re re not reinvite re reinvent yourself it's called. You got to have like a rebirth every now and then. So by my Macha Brocha I had a track called Kal Mistater. You know Kal Mistater? U'Kal Mistater Moshe Goldman Beslo. B'Shafrir Chev'yon a really really Chassidish Dor Gevart Nigen. Yossi Green tells me we were doing the Brocha and Nagels and he said by the rehearsals he says Kal Mistater is a Nigen where he didn't hear he never heard such a beautiful Nigen. And also because it was authentic. It was Chassidish. The first time I heard it I knew it's a good song. I I want it on my I want it on my album. And my schwere always kept on telling me, "Schmily, what do you do? I make a CD." I really can't understand it. But he wanted to go even further. He said there's a lot a lot of a lot of old niggunim from Stolin and from Modzhitz and from Belz. You can bring it back. That's what Moshiach crushed us did with Sklena. What Sklena did it with Soska Goodman's. Sklena did it in the past a few times giving out their stuff. But I wouldn't focus just on Chabadsker songs or on Sklena songs. I would I would focus on nice variety of Sklena shtarke from old music. And I started doing that. I have a guy in my neighborhood, Myer Rub, in the neighborhood of Naftula Steinwortzel. He has a brother, Reb Yisroel Steinwortzel. And he is known he's about filla, he's a singer. He has an MP3 in his head. He knows a lot a lot a lot a lot of old stuff, fast, slow. And he davens for the Yomim Tovim. He comes davening for the Yomim Tovim by Steinwortzel. And he starts by the shkoydish Elul, the slichos, and Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, throughout the whole whole thing. And he never repeats anything. Never repeats. And if he does, he knows he did it already and he has a reason why he why why he wants to do it again. And he davens in our shul. And always people say, "Nee, Schmily, alte niggunim, deiningen." People always have eitzos. Uh either alte eitzos mit an idea. a I have a good idea for you. Why don't you Nee, so so I told I told my schwere, "You know what? You're saying I should do this album. I know this guy, Reb Yisroel Steinwortzel. I'm I'm going to sit with him. Let's see what you know, let's see if something is going to materialize." The maaseh, nothing materialized. I sat with him. I heard some stuff. It didn't such great to me. But I did know that I this next CD is going to go in the direction of Chassidish. I want to keep it the Kalle Stamme style. It's not going to be only old tracks, but I want to mix it up. And I remember in shiva, Reb Chaim Leib Shtarkman in Frisch he would Friday night after the bottle, if he was in a good mood, if we behaved, he would do this guy Luda niggun. It's a old Spinka song. And he he sang nice. And he starts guy Luda and all the and he says God love it and it's the whole the whole niggun and I always liked it. And I told him after the maybe we'll put in this song. It was good and then a few weeks later I also thought to myself like it it I always also liked it. I never knew that I liked it but if I tapped in, I know you know this this tenia when the Bal Tfila says it seven times, it does something for me. So I also know I want this and then we were doing a niggun we came we came after a break. I have to have to take breaks. a new song, no? Lekhu is a new song. We went into it. Hershy Hershy composed it with Naftali and me and it was a good song and Hershy said okay Schmily take the mic, let's record a demo. So we have a demo of it. And he takes the mic and he and he says hey it's also an old tenia from Hershy of it. And a lot of people do it for gasham a lot of Bal Tfilas. So it's about counter tenia. You know this tenia? You sure know, you know know? It sound it sounds a little bit first of all stone diamonds everything like they're all the same? No no no not all the same but different than everybody else. Yeah. Yeah they they want to make sure that we don't put out any albums. But I thought that the tenia was very very similar to K'vod Olam. Tirirara So that's I heard it I was like sounds like the Mikdash song. It does sound. But maybe maybe there's a few minor you saw it again all this by the doesn't go maybe some people do that to me but so here she just started this and then he okay I've been just better to the song and just just he said I don't know why how it came to him so that's after after we recorded this I I had a sham came I had and now I had music for grandma and it's a very so that's when that's when it came to us like we're going to do I don't want to do the whole because it's a long it comes fast I just want to start with it just a few words it goes you don't know the song so it goes but it can void of a good people that says we know so we know and then it starts we have again so at first I wanted to do also that's why at least finish that first thing but I didn't use the part the we know the part didn't do the part so so everything is the smile so the whole project came together and we have a I love to start and you go into a folk song the greatest God kind I could say very good song good beat for sure become probably became a big head yes yes they don't get a weddings it's more difficult for such a thing make it make its way into weddings because this is a Friday the rhythm is like 160 tempo and by by weddings they usually do sad no No, by weddings, by the first dance where you do the tempo 160 there's Mo he day yummy or there's a ta ra ra ra pa pa ram. There's old stuff that everybody uses and I thought that that's where this goes in. Like a shmuck first. Yes, but it's you know in the last 10 years if you ask me what what songs became popular for the first dance you have a hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah. You have maybe Ki Hibah So To He Va So Lo and you have Ka Ka Rutze Lo Ni Bi Zi Bi Zi A Shu. Those three maybe Ta Ta Dich Tza Din Na Na Mi Ten Mes also Shveki Hasidish. Yeah, but but that's that's really more than 10 years old it's 12 years old. Maybe I'm saying 15 years old. Give me 15 years. Shveki the same Shmayim. Yes, Shmayim Shmayim. No, that Yeah, MS was from the same Shmayim correct. Yes. So maybe it was more than 12 years, but the point is so it's went through 15 years and I just mentioned five songs. Oh, you have Nicht Ze Fun Ni Ye Ye Ze Fun from MBD. So six songs. And then if you look at the second dance, what came in in the last 15 years there's a whole list. So the second dance obviously is much easier to get in if it's a good pop song the book of like it it moves you it goes in but by the first dance it needs to have a background. A hallelujah was the square background. Ki Hibah So I think what maybe was the Karlin style and background. No, it was it was some some place also I forgot. Either way it's it's through letting it Exactly, it has it has some backing. And if it comes along with just a a secular singer not a rebbe or a niggun that they didn't make for a Hasidic Hoif I can I can I can also have a various songs. Lipa Shmeltzer K'Aini V'Dap K'Aini Bi Yaitzer Tov it's a good gishmak niggun never made made its way in. Ad Olam that's also a lot of good niggunim. It didn't make it in. So I Kudish Ka Shem is a good song and people told me before the album came out this song is going to make it. I don't know. I don't know. You know Yishoma Had Yishoma or Yishoma but that's not in the first dance, that's more in the third dance people doing it. The bands are doing it in the first dance like you Shomo, interesting. So, you Shomo made it in, it's also allowed for formula, all is all the other loud for songs, in Vayigash and Mit Mazel Tov. So, he has a Who first, yeah, yeah. Yeah, he has he has his formula for the for the first dance. So, A Gute Shabbos Shabbos is a leibedig niggun, it's like Modeh Ani, it's a fast song. 160 tempo. Yes, and it's a chasidishe vibe. 160 tempo is chasidi. You can't confuse it unless it's like funny lyrics or like I don't know what, jazzy. Yeah. But, if it's a 160 165 tempo, chances are it's a chasidishe niggun, and that's what they were aiming for. And I want to put out a chasidishe album, I'm not going to start with Macha Bracha or with even MS, that's a 120 tempo. I'm starting with a freilichen niggun 160. 160. And if it gets into weddings, by all means, you know, gevaldig. But, if it doesn't get, it's still a great song, I love it. song. When you're flying down the highway in the car, you can't have something on a 120 tempo. You know what I mean? Yeah. You got to go for 160. And then we had Keil Malei Rachamim. Keil Malei Rachamim is a waltz. Keil Malei Rachamim Adonai Eloheinu. start you start off with an accordion, yeah? What instrument do you start off It's it's beautiful. The whole thing it just starts off. I'm sitting in the car like, what instrument is that? I don't think I've ever heard that instrument. I don't know. On an album, isn't it I I don't know, it was I think it's an accordion, yes. It it starts off very yeah, very nice, classic. But, also chasidish, you feel the chasidishkeit, verstehst? Keil Malei Rachamim was composed by Reb Carlebach, he composed it 20 years ago for the Belzer for the Belzer Hoif. And when I when I worked for Shira, I would go around Shabbos and with the Shira guys, they would sing this song. And I always loved it, and I asked, where does I never heard this who sings it? He says, nobody sings it, it's just a background niggun bells. So, I knew right there I want to put it on my album. It didn't make it on Shmily 2, it didn't make it on Macha Brocha, but on Madregas it had a special place. And then we have Benai Chula. Benai Chula. Benai Chula I call a sister for Kal Mistater. Both both are sang by Shala Shidas by Rava d'Ravin. Both are very Torah God like the Chassidish Niggunim. It has a little bit of a shmek of extra of the Kalina extra. And it's also very Chassidish. So, Madregas Aleph is strictly Chassidish. You see? Now we move on to Madregas Bais. Madregas Bais starts also with dir da da da da da da da da da da and then you go into instead of Ein Kodesh which is a fast Chassidish song, you go into L'chu which is 120. L'chu I love the song L'chu. It's a good song. it's the the words of Tehillim are beautiful. There aren't many songs on Kilo Nu on L'chu L'chu. No, there's some there's a very nice yeah. You know that one? Lipa put it on the Ailu v'Ailu. Right. But Tehillim are it's it's a very very very nice song. My kids' favorite song is Bonim. Yeah, Bonim? Beautiful song. I'm getting the most feedback on Bonim. Unless I'm getting mixed up. No, Gam Zeh Elokim Kinderlich. That's Bonim. That's Bonim. Mhm. Beautiful beautiful beautiful song. That's that's that's going to become a slow Chassidishe song, a Kumzits song, everything. It's stunning song. It talks to the heart. It talks to the heart. It's it's what every father wants. What every mother wants. Mhm. It's it's like it was together with last year Benny Friedman's V'sakeini. Oh, that's a nice Niggun. Baruch Levine Benny Friedman. It goes Sh'sakeini you should mix them together. You should make a medley out of it. Maybe but that's that's a ballad. This is a Umpa. And and I na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na that's I think that's way slower, but I hear I hear what you're saying. It's it's a it's the sequel to it. Beautiful. Absolutely. And then we have Yossi Moskowitz I'm saying there was only one up until now, no? From Yom Tov Ehrlich. Yom Tov Ehrlich. How does it go? Til a na na na na na na na You went ahead and you put out it's more than it. I love it. This is gevaldig. You you listen to it and it puts a smile onto your face and I'll tell you I was sitting with the producer Moshy Greenfield. We were sitting right before the and we were schmoozing about it. And all of a sudden Moshy says I wonder if Shmili is going to make a music video out of it. Oh yeah, Moshy said to Yeah, Moshy I'm saying I'm in the video industry and all of a sudden Moshy said, "Well, Boruch what about you making a music video out of it?" And the truth is I don't do commercial video anymore. I do my own projects or whatever, but it sounded interesting. I looked at what Moshy had said, "Listen I'm not going to go to make an olden day music video about it because it's just too much work. Yeah? What do you mean like like making an old house and an old fish? boat and an old I I could do it. I I The skull of a genius the whole thing was olden days, but talking about a lot a lot of work. I told Moshy maybe I would do um a today's days and and it would be a nice concept. A today's days Yossi Moskowitz. You have a guy Yossi Moskowitz didn't have a lot of money. He was a poor guy. Yeah? But he loved Shabbos and then he said, "You have that rich guy can I know what I'm saying?" I don't know if if a navigator is a rich enough car, but you know what I mean? You have No, you're going to need a Maybach. Or a Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce. Moshy, come on. Tell tell him what we need. No, and the I don't know, but in the Heimish eating and the Navi as I'm saying Navi is the top that you have? And the Navi This guy's from The rich guy wasn't from. That's why we need you Moishe. That's why we need Moishe. Get in there Moishe. Cute little mouse, huh? So you said you want to make a video from today's video. I'm telling you what we were talking about About doing videos? I don't know. I'm not thinking about videos right now. I I again someone roll. Yeah. Who says? Slideshow. We can make a slideshow right here. if it's all said. If if it brings you closer to the to the my best friend, that's what it's all about. I I've had one of one of a composer tell me that uh the CD doesn't have this this not a song. This one this song is just a Tanya. This song is just a gimmick. I don't know what you don't have any real songs. And I told him, "What do you mean by real songs?" To me a real song is when I somebody can send me a video of a book or anybody listening to my music and they have a connection. That's all it is. I don't need real songs. What what do I need real songs? The music is meant to move you and to to help you communicate, you know, spiritually. And you know, get in touch with yourself and you know the feeling and you just kind of everything. That's what music is for me at least. That's what it is. And it's meant to move. And if you say it's just a Tanya or this is just a gimmick, so be it. Be it a gimmick. If it helps somebody become closer to the religion. That's what it is. And which brings me also to my other point that I mentioned earlier where you said about Telegram and about people copying the music. I'm thinking if I should say it cuz I I in no way, don't misunderstand, am I okay with people downloading it illegally or copying it. But I do realize that my panacea, my main panacea is not from selling albums. It's nice. It's good. I'm more than break even. I make money, but it's not It's nowhere near to, you know, to pay a mortgage and uh you know, buy new shoes. Or or a Lincoln Navigator. Or a Navigator. So, my my main income is doing live gigs, doing chasanas, weddings, shows, events, anything live performances. And I need to put out material. People should request and people should have something to listen to and they say, "Oh, you know, Shmuly Yanklowitz, I want I want to have him." So, we did an interview on the radio with Not Kol Chai. It was a different show and it I don't know I don't remember the name. Sholom Vagshal and Yanky Luber in Israel have a big radio. And they we spoke about the album and the music was playing on the album and then somebody took the whole interview and took out just the music. So, track two starts with me talking and then shock it, let people listen to it. That's how the track starts. But, he did it anyway. He had all my music, all 14 tracks. And it wasn't the clearest, it wasn't the best quality, but it was out there and it was very very, you know, I just released the album. I want people to buy it and now it's all over Telegram, Instagram, and WhatsApp. But, then I decided, you know what? I'm not going to beat myself up. What do I want? I want my music to get to everybody. Everybody should listen to it. People should know it. People should request it. People should sing it at the Shabbos table, in the car with the kids. It should be a family album. And and if you request the songs and you sing the songs and you like the songs, that's the whole point of it. That's why I told the guy, Chaim, who we spoke before, "Make it available on all streaming, not just on iTunes or on most of the music thing. Make it available cuz everybody wants to listen to it on streaming and just open it up." And so, he whatever. He said we should do it in January, February, but the master's all out. I opened it. People should listen to it, enjoy it. And the in the same way I wasn't beating myself up, "Oh my gosh, people are stealing your music." I And you know why you're copying it? I I I want to be that guy. So, a lot of people came to me from this business asking for videos. Would you do a video saying that you can't copy? Would you do a video how you said? And I always told them, "I'm not in this fight. I I don't I don't I don't con- condone it is the name of it? No. Condone is what? I'm for it? shmas kind. Oh, I'm not Condone means you agree with something. Oh, so I'm not condoning it. But I'm also not going to condemn it because I'm not your shasheva your magachee going to complain and cry. Don't steal my CD. You want to listen to my music, you enjoy it. You have Apple Music, stream it. You get it on YouTube, download it. Just do it legally. That's what I say. Legally. Yeah, yeah. Or stay still. Moving right along. Boonem is yeah. When we did Boonem it it it started Boonem started with 100 year. That's that's what we know that we're going into. It was Naftali Naftali's song. And he said that that's how it came along. But the high part Naftali says he doesn't want the song to be exclusive just for couples struggling with kids. Because there's a lot of there's more people having kids and enjoying their kids. And also, you know, people don't want to be stigmatized. Oh, this is song is for me because I I'm suffering. I don't have kids. So, the high part is to mention those couples waiting for kids they can enjoy You know what is everybody wants and just to see nachas of them. So, everybody can enjoy this song. You don't have to be childless to enjoy this niggun. Verstehst? That's what that was Boonem while I was Yossi Green Shabbas hold held up the whole production. We We would have been out with Madregas probably by Rosh Hashanah. But Yossi Green Shabbas, you know, because of the words go give it like you the level fast. It's so Can you do it something? No? No. No. No. Not even going to try. You want You want me to try? Do you want me to do this? Should I do it this way? Let's go right now. Here you go. Oh, you do know it was in the ghetto. I said I'm not going to try to rap the lyrics. So So the the words are inner interconnected. And we were sitting with him he was writing the lyrics and every week we came up with two more lines, another two lines, and another two lines. And then we started changing the first two lines. And it was a long long process, but it was worth it, I think. It's a solid song. It's really solid. Yes, it's definitely solid. It's going to take a long time. People download the the music these days from the phone, meaning I bought it on my phone to see the lyrics of Yismach I remember when Shloime Daskal came out with Um breed I remember I sat there with the lyrics and I bought it and I sat with the lyrics with the music for a week until I'm saying Let's leave it. And so so we have to figure out what to do to get all the lyrics from Yismach for the bochurim that want to learn it. But anyway, we move on to Madraige Gemel. No, you forgot two tracks. Tefilusi on CD. Tefilusi is something from Pinky Weber. You can't go with a CD without Pinky Weber. It was a very nice song Tefilusi. And then we had See E. See E was one of the first tracks. We knew it was going to be on the album. Like when you work on the CD on the project, a lot of songs fall out of those and songs come in and then they fall out of those and it's a long process. But See E we did in the same session that we we had she composed Ben Aya Chulu and say E was at the same sitting by by Emden Heim and say E What do you mean Hershey just sat down and composed the song on the spot? Yeah. We came up to his house to his apartment, me and Naftali and Shai Gross. You know Shai Gross? He does he says uh Mizan and Dona King David of the students. It's all his stuff. He's a a heavy man and he came up with all all the Hasidic guy. And we started just jamming by the piano this song and that song and we probably did 15 songs and only two materialized. Maybe there's a lot of other good stuff. still you sat down and you made up a song. That's that's wow. Yeah, so I told you before Madregas I love it starts and then you go into Kyle Kyle Udo and sorry to An Kodesh Hashem which is a freilich niggun Madregas buys after the Madregas go into to a disco a little bit more a bit so mad uh Hatikvah 2020 but Madregas Gimel after Shema Yisrael came it's when we're going to Madregas. It's not very fast. It's not very slow. It's just Madregas. And so people ask me what's your favorite niggun? It always changes. Now it's Madregas. Madregas is my favorite niggun. I go to my car and I'm I'm going to drive home after this uh live interview and I'm going to sit I'm going to probably going to listen to Madregas. Madregas is a song. All right. very powerful message. It's very I had a big story with this with Benny Weber. We were composing this niggun me Hershey and Naftali. We were doing it and I Hershey had an idea me Madregas Madregas Taleni and the Hofetz Chaim has nice words yes Madregas Rabois. And doing it felt good while we were doing a nice niggun. I took out my phone we took an Instagram and just whatever a post. And then later that night I got a call from Hershey that Benny Weber called and Benny says I just saw you were sitting with Shmili and we're doing the Madregas. This is my idea. It's my song. it's my tune. What are you doing? What am I missing? And I said, "Oh my god, I completely forgot. Yes, I did it with you 2 years ago. And it was your concept. And this was the The whole concept, the steps, everything, it was his idea. And he said, she said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what to do. Let's let's work it out." And so he asked me, "Hey Schmeely, what what what what am I telling Bady?" So I told him, "Let me call let's straighten this out." And I called Bady. And he told me, "Yeah, it's his song." I said, "Well, I had no idea it's yours, obviously, but you said the more you the greatest gunner. You hear it to me, you hear it to me there, and then you just make up your own stuff. You don't know, you don't realize that you heard it already somewhere. The first part is completely his, but Bady, you got to understand we did a high part and we did a third part, which had nothing to do with you. It was just us, and it was so good, it felt so right. And then you just please maybe maybe you just let it slide. Give me the song." And he said, "You know, it's I don't give me the song. I worked on it as it's an idea. You have to think about it." And he called his La Mas told me, "Schmeely, Wow. And it's funny, until he didn't say that he's giving it to me, I didn't really like it. I I I heard the demo. And I was like, "All right, it's good. It's nice. It's a good message." But after he gave me the go-ahead, he said, "Schmeely, take it with Matana." I started loving it. Wow. But then it cooled off. I started liking it again, but now we're back at Matrigas. I'm loving it. again. O mine again is a smack of Bady's song. Yes, O mine O mine is a like like MSV, it's more harder, disco. And we were having a very hard time with the high part for O mine. We couldn't find a high part. You want to know what high high part it went? The one high part went like this. Um O O you mine O mine goes like O mine. You see it's it's O mine. But I don't know what I'm doing. Oh line, you got to listen to my low mind. Are you mine, oh mine, oh mine? Oh, mine, oh mine, oh mine. Oh, mine, oh mine, oh mine. Oh, mine. That was one of the the things and I just we couldn't find a good Couldn't find, but ah. I just found this. And then you hear such a beautiful song. Yiras Shamayim My I eat a lot of bonus challah. Give me Yiras Shamayim. So, that's what it is. And it's beautiful. It's from the heart. Yes, it's a it's a neshik for a person. If he wants to communicate, you somebody tells me that he's davening, his whole davening is Yiras Shamayim. That's how he davens now. Wow. You know, it's a it's a it's it's it's a I opened the door for people in this generation, for Bukhara, and even even people for themselves. They don't know how how to how to ask for stuff. They're not in touch with themselves. They're they're just They're busy with their family and then the parnossah and then just the grind of life. And they never have the space just to communicate with Hashem. It's very simple. I just want to be a Yiras Shamayim. And and it took off. People are singing it all over the place. I'm getting videos non-stop, non-stop. Everybody expects me to post about I cannot post all of them. And and folks out there, not all the videos you're sending me is good videos. It's just let me send a video for Shmilly, you know, not singing the song right. If you sing it right and you put in your I don't something like that, I might repost it. It has to be nice. It has to be authentic, you know, not just sitting in the car playing Yiras Shamayim. Not going to get you post. Shmilly, thank you so so much for coming on. So again, have a My Draga's is available like Shmuly said, all over the place. He wants everybody to be able to access it, to be able to stream it, to be able to download it, to be able to listen to it. It's a beautiful album. I have it playing in my car. Not 24/7 because I'm not in my car 24/7, but a lot. Shmuly, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. We'll have to see what's going to happen with the music video. We'll see. And I think the most important point in the kiddie that I came out with in today's interview is with your Zeda, that had faith in you. And after the schnitz, Naftali as you call him, had faith in you, have a If there's somebody out there that that needs a little bit of encouragement that you see potential We all need encouragement. We all need his gift. We all need a good word. Go ahead, leave. Now, if you see somebody, you don't have to go look for it, you know, it's all around us all the time. Everybody Everybody is you know, uh uh trying to find themselves and and and and to be to be who they are, but we're so distracted and we we're so not focused on the right thing. I'm talking to myself, you know, I'm focused on this and that and that. Just Just be yourself and it's it's very it's very That's the challenge. That's the challenge. So if you go I go finish it So it was a nice message. If you see somebody that needs a good word So now, go out there encourage people Tell them to buy my Draga's. Tell them to buy my Draga's. Tell them if they listen to my Draga's it's going to change them. But also, Yes, absolutely. if you have faith in somebody not you go ah, there's a famous thing with the stocks. You have to buy low and sell high, right? When you go in there's a stock that's all the way down, you know, this stock has potential. That's when you become rich. If you go in a stock that's all the way on the top, uh you go and tell somebody you believe in them. Tell somebody you have faith in them. When they're getting $300 a night at a chasuna with a Bieber head, overweight buck head, that's when you go into them, buy them a wireless mic, buy them an in-ear monitor, drive them to chasanas. Okay, now Shmily, any message that you want to give to our audience? Just if you do go out and you buy the album, you download it and you feel it, I want I I'm hopeful that you it's going to bring you me madraga madraga. And also, one of the great things about this album is that when you finish by track 14, you got a shamayim and the CD starts again from track one. You don't start from madraga aleph. You're already up to madraga tes vuv because it goes higher and higher. This is an aliyah fun the malus fun the CD. Anyway, it should bring you closer to Hashem and it should bring you a freilichkeit and yiddishkeit. Wow, thank you so much again for being with us. Thank you so much our producer, Moishe Grunfeld, making it all happen and even chiming in from time to time. Your interview is gevaldig. And a huge thank you to Sholom Badansky for letting us use this space over here as our studio over here in Perlman Square. Thank you everybody for tuning in. Till next time, kol tuv.