Interview With Roy Niv

What was the beginning point for your music career? How did it all start?

It all started when I was in a Foo Fighters show at Sziget festival in Budapest 2019. They were the headliners (of course) and the crowd was massive. I was first raw and felt the weight of 50,000 on me but still the best show I’ve ever had. Needless to say, I knew how to play every Foo song there is and I shouted to frontman Dave Grohl and asked if I could come play with them. Still to this day I don’t know if he said it or was it all in my head, but I heard someone saying “GET YOUR OWN FUCKING BAND!!” The minute I got back home from the festival I started recording my song in my crappy studio in the attic. That’s how it all started.

Were there any bumps on the road? What kind of challenges did you have to deal with?

The people that know me the best, know I wasn’t born to do social media. It doesn’t come naturally to me and I’m still struggling with the challenges it brings. I realized it’s a part of the journey and learned how to deal with it the best way and still learning. Not everything comes easily on the road and that’s okay. But I’m always getting better at this and reaching more fans along the way.

What was the most fulfilling and satisfying moment so far?

The most satisfying moment was releasing my first single “Stay Up” which you can find here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKDV6rDVbo. It was so great getting all the love and support from who heard it. I was waiting for this moment for a long time and I know it’s only the beginning and I can’t wait for the next parts to come.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

I go with either cool guitar riffs with some distortion and powerful vocals, or ballads with an acoustic guitar and the most beautiful melody I could find in my head. I like both styles as they both show different sides to my personality and allow me to express and reflect a variety of emotions through the same tool which is playing and singing. Playing music has always been there for me when I wanted to release anger, love, or a broken heart, even without anyone listening.

What is your creative process like?

To be honest, I don’t have a specific process for writing or recording songs and for all I know, every song or project requires a different process or handeling. For example, one of my relatively mellow ballads was written from a place of pain after a breakup. That song almost wrote itself and I didn’t have to do much to make it happen. In another case I just heard a vocal line in my head during dinner and immediately rushed to my guitar to play it and develop it into a song 🙂 I believe there is no one creative process and I try to just listen carefully to my musical sense and trust that it knows what the song needs.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

Good question! I’d probably take less weight from social media and record labels and put more attention on live shows. I love it when people just go watch a band they have never heard of just because they are performing at the local bar or something like that. I believe that way you can really get to know the artist and what they are really bringing to the table.

If you were asked to give a piece of advice to upcoming bands, what would that be?

The first thing I would say to an upcoming band is HAVE FUN. I truly believe the essence of playing in a band and generally making music is the fun and the satisfaction that’s coming with doing what you love. I’m not saying every bit of that journey is pure fun, but if you don’t enjoy it, what’s the point?

What has been the best performance of your career so far?

I’m always starting with the good so I’ll start with the best. One of our greatest shows was in Tel Aviv, in this little club on the main street. It was one of our first shows and we were so excited to get it started! The crowd really felt our fire burning and bursting out of us as we waited so long to start performing. People were jumping and dancing and pushing each other around the place and I even got to go down the crowd and do a full song among them which really got me feeling their love and support.

If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing now?

I was always amused by the question of what I would do without music. I think I’d probably get myself deeper into acting as this is my second great passion and I had some experience in this field while I was playing a role in a TV show called “Spell Keepers” which was so fun and educational for me. If I had to choose something that has nothing to do with art at all. I would say I would go for something crazy like being an astronaut or a secret agent or something like that.

What is new with the band at the moment? What are you currently working on and would like to share with the world?

We are currently promoting our last single Stay Up which you should totally check out and working on our next few singles that sound freaking awesome and I can’t wait to share them with you guys. You can check out my IG page @roy_niv to stay tuned and be a part of that journey and see when new singles are coming out.