SHAKKED

Shakked Lederman is a Tel Aviv based singer-songwriter, composer and saxophone player.
Shakked began writing and composing at a young age, and studied Jazz and saxophone.
In her two part EP Garden, Shakedde brings her unique creative energy and vision to life.

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"When I was offered to create my debut album, the fire of creation in me has finally come to life again after a few years of complete musical abstinence. A mutual friend connected me and music producer Oded Distelman, and after a trial session we agreed that we were going to make an album together. I couldn't believe my luck, that a producer wanted to work with me.

 At the beginning I wanted to be present in all the stages of production. I felt I had to see and hear the process, and me being extremely technophobic, I didn't know what producing a song is exactly. I knew how a finished song sounded, but I didn't know how it sounded during the different stages of production.

I came to understand that much of the process is letting go emotionally and striving for the best thing for the song. I dove into my life-story, tackled it from an artistic point of view and wrote new songs which Oded then refined and arranged.

We worked like this for almost 4 years, trying things, changing vibes, tempos, lyrics, trying to be as flexible and innovative as we can. We worked on many songs simultaneously as it allowed us to stay fresh for the music while still having the song feel relevant when all the projects were ready for release. 

In terms of my artistic vision I wanted the best people, my favorite musicians, no compromises. I'm astounded that it actually happened. The team here is beyond my wildest expectations: Shai Maestro, Gadi Stern, Stav Achai, Beno Hendler, Adam Ben Ezra, Rony Iwryn, Amir Bresler, Shay Hazan, Amalia Williams and Shachar Orly. 

Interestingly enough, I discovered that it wasn't easy to find the right groove sometimes, to replace or upgrade the 808 or whatever it is we did in the demo, even with these giants. Every song is like a delicate puzzle, and the image is revealed only when you finish it. See In The Water, for example, was a musical tongue twister. Getting it to move and flow was challenging. Oded called it the "Battleship Song" because it took us a long time to figure out how to maneuver it in the right direction.

When we recorded Nobody so many beautiful things happened, but we weren't able to use everything, so Oded created a little instrumental interlude called "The Door Is Open/You Can Go Now". When I heard that interlude for the first time I knew right away that the little mistakes must stay, the imperfection was magical. It's one of my favorite moments in the album.

Mama is also a special one for me because I wrote it about my mother, with whom I had a very complicated relationship that ended abruptly when I was 12. She got swept away and died in a river in Costa Rica. I tried and failed to save her and almost drowned myself. The C part in Mama is definitely another one of my favorite moments in the album, because of how the music responds to me, recreating the jungle it actually happened in, surrounding me in that wild experience. 

Those life experiences I had are all in the songs, along with my wishes for myself, my secrets and my wildest dreams. I'm releasing my music with the hope to connect with people, provide emotional stimulation and create a little bubble for a few minutes where you can simply feel. To open a door you didn't see before. If you're reading this, I want to thank you. Because you are a part of my journey as a person and musician. I send this to you with my deepest wishes for your good health and honest happiness.

Believe in your big dreams. They can come true too. And after they come true, dream bigger.

Love

Shakked"

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