The New York Jewish Travel Guide (NYJTG) recently had the pleasure of interviewing Gilad Paz. In this exclusive conversation, Gilad enthusiastically shares his deep passion for music, highlights from his career, and his future plans.

NYJTG: Thank you for your time. Can you tell us about your early life and how you got into music? Did growing up between the NYC metro area and Ra’anana, Israel, influence your musical style? What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and who were your biggest influences growing up?

Gilad Paz: I was born in Teaneck, NJ, where my parents were living for my dad’s academic studies. When I was 2.5 years old, they decided to move back to Israel, and I made “aliyah”. I was very into music from a young age, “performing” whenever and however I could, and loving the attention. Though my parents are both music lovers, neither of them is a professional musician, but they always encouraged my love for music and performing.

I grew up in Ra’anana, where some of my earliest memories involve grabbing vinyl records from my parents’ collection and listening to classic Israeli music, American children’s songs, and Western classical music. When I was in 2nd grade I joined my elementary school choir, where I was the only boy, and I’ve loved being on stage ever since!

In addition to the school choir, I was also a member of kids and youth singing groups in my hometown, where I learned how to be comfortable on a stage and had the opportunity to perform on some of the biggest stages in the country. These performances consisted of Israeli repertoire, from the classics to modern rock and pop music.

I have a vivid memory of my father introducing me to his favorite band growing up, Deep Purple, when I was 12 years old. By this time, I had already been exposed to many kinds of music, and had felt inspired by voices like Freddie Mercury’s, but the music of Deep Purple, which included classical elements within a hard rock style, along with Ian Gillan’s singing, blew me away, and from that moment I became a rocker at heart!

When I was 14, I relocated to Plainview, NY with my parents and younger twin brothers. I was already deep into rock music by then, but still spent my high school years singing in the school’s choir and chamber choir, where we sang mostly Western classical music, as well as a-cappella groups. During my three years there, I received lots of positive feedback on my singing, winning multiple awards and being selected for the all-county and all-state choirs. High school is also where I met my wife, Lisa.

After my family and I returned to Ra’anana, I spent a year at the Rimon Jazz and Contemporary Music School before being drafted into the IDF. I had the privilege of spending most of my service performing for soldiers and high schoolers with the Armored Corps Entertainment Group (Le’hakat Chel Ha’Shiryon).

Israel’s music scene always felt a bit too small for me, and thanks to my dual citizenship it was easy for me to move back to the USA, so when I was accepted to Queens College-CUNY for my classical voice studies (in order to become the best rock singer, I could be!) I moved 5,000 miles away from my family and friends to pursue my performance career in NYC.

NYJTG:  You’ve performed in various venues, from Carnegie Hall to rock clubs. Which is your favorite, and why? Can you share a memorable moment from America’s Got Talent? How do you prepare for different performances? What inspired you to co-found VOCE NOVA? Can you explain OPROCK’s concept? How do you choose your repertoire and how do you connect with your audience? 

Gilad Paz: Being on stage is one of my favorite things to do!  I love performing and connecting with people, and my goal is for the audience to have a great time and be bummed when a show is over. This is a principle I follow for every kind of performance I do, no matter if it’s in front of 5 people or 15,000. As a matter of fact, my wife Lisa once commented that I always perform like I’m in a stadium, and always bring great energy to every show. Performances in front of large audiences are some of my favorites because I feed off the energy of the crowd, and I get to do what I love in front of many people. However, I also enjoy the smaller shows where I get to speak to folks while looking them straight in the eye and connecting on a more personal level.

At the end of the day, for me it’s all about giving people what they want, which has been a guiding principle when creating acts like OPROCK and VOCE NOVA, as well as TLV and my own solo performances. OPROCK and VOCE NOVA both stemmed from my love for combining classical music with modern styles, like rock and pop music. People around the world love listening to classical singing but aren’t always excited to sit through a full 3-hour opera. With these acts I have found innovative new ways to make classical music more accessible and fun for any audience.

VOCE NOVA is geared specifically towards corporate events, galas, fundraisers, and private events, and has been in existence since 2018. In order to have a broad appeal, my co-founder Natalia and I created an act that puts a twist on some of the world’s favorite songs, which also led to the opportunity to perform on the America’s Got Talent stage thanks to the uniqueness of our act. The day of the shoot, March 14th, 2020, was one of the most intense I’ve ever experienced in my life. It was the day that all of Hollywood shut down because of COVID-19, which meant that we had to spend most of the 11-hour wait prior to our performance seeing the entire production being broken down and packed up around us. Even though there was no audience present for our taped audition, we gave an incredible performance singing “Libiamo Remixed”, our version of the all-time opera hit paired with a Moroccan dance beat (which is available on all streaming platforms). Our audition actually aired four months later, garnering some great reactions and opening up more opportunities for us.

One challenge I had to overcome as a show creator was the language barrier when presenting performances with my Israeli music cover band, TLV, to non-Hebrew speaking audiences. Most of our performances are for Jewish communities throughout North America that are very connected to Israel, but don’t necessarily know the language or all the songs, so my co-owner Adi and I always need to find ways to make sure everyone has a great time. Thankfully, we are able to do just that by offering songs that these community members know from their experiences in the Jewish world, from rousing horas and hits from the Eurovision contest and the 1970s, all the way to modern Israeli pop music. In addition, by giving some context to the songs in the form of factoids and anecdotes, and bringing high energy to every show, we make everyone feel like they belong and invite them to have a wonderful experience.

NYJTG:  Are there any upcoming projects or performances you’re excited about? What are your long-term goals? Is there any advice for aspiring musicians? How do you and Lisa enjoy your time in Chelsea, NYC? What have been your biggest career challenges, and how did you overcome them? 

 Gilad Paz: I’m always thinking about new shows and concepts to offer, some of which currently include a new TLV offering called “A History of Israel in Song”, as well as a couple of really cool themed rock shows to be presented late this year or early next year.

My long-term goal as a performer is to keep growing and reaching more audiences in places that I haven’t yet performed. I’d love to be able to perform 3 times a week to sold out audiences in venues with 2,500 seats or more, to feel the excitement of collaborating with other musicians on stage, and to sing the kind of music I love to perform!

In addition to my work as a performer I’m also a certified success coach offering mindset & business coaching and consulting services for musicians through my platform, The Marketable Musician. I’ve worked with many musicians at different stages of their careers so far, and I feel that the number one thing that makes someone a successful musician is honing in on what makes them unique and then finding ways to incorporate that uniqueness into their artistic life. Throughout my performance career, I’ve always drawn on my own diverse musical background – the Israeli and Middle Eastern music I was immersed in growing up, my classical training, my love of rock, pop, etc. – to create a unique artist brand that sets me apart from other musicians and helps me book a wide range of shows.

When I’m not on stage or coaching, I love spending time with Lisa walking around Chelsea and other Manhattan neighborhoods, eating great meals ranging from Michelin star restaurants to “hole-in-the-wall” joints, and everything in between. We also enjoy traveling domestically and internationally.

NYJTG: Thank you for your valuable time and for all the information you shared with us. I appreciated it, as will our readers.

For more information:

Story by Meyer Harroch, New York Jewish Travel Guide.com, and New York Jewish Guide.com

For more information on Gilad Paz, visit https://giladpaz.com/ or email info@giladpaz.com.