To say Hodaya is an impressive musical talent might be considered an understatement. As a performer who sings several styles/genres of songs in several languages including Italian, Hebrew and Spanish, and who has performed for both the President and prime minister in her native Israel, she’s no stranger when it comes to being in the spotlight, and earning considerable attention and acclaim in the process. Such acclaim looks set to be bolstered even further as she’ll soon release a new album “Me Myself & I” and recently shared the title track from the collection. With big dreams for her professional future, PopWrapped caught up with Hodaya to talk musical influences and career highlights.

How old were you when you first started singing?

I grew up in Israel in an amazing city called Modi’in. I was blessed to have a supportive family always there for me. I recall from a very young age singing and performing. I remember myself at age 6 practicing in front of the mirror and imagining I was on a big stage. At age 11, I auditioned for the school choir. My teacher really liked my voice and I remember she told me: “You will be a great singer.” Sometimes a child needs just one adult to believe in them – and so it happened. It was found with the support and love of my teacher and family. I was not afraid to go after the dreams. When I was 10 years old, I joined a musical group in Modi’in, Israel called “The stars of Modi’in” by Osi and Ilan Braidman and I performed with a musical group all over Israel in front of ambassadors including the Prime Minister, the President and performed in several national ceremonies.

During this time period, I started taking music lessons with professional teachers including Igal Israeli who held a B.A in musicology, composition and arrangements from the world acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston. When I was 16 years old, I was chosen to be the lead singer of an Israeli rock band. I performed with the band from 2007-2009 on a variety of platforms such as T.V. shows, concerts and national events with up to 50 thousand people. I was honored to win the young bands competition. In 2007, I performed on the national children’s T.V. channel. A year later, I competed in “Kolot ve Tzlilim” – Voice and Sound in English – on national television. I was the winner of the competition, “The Singer of Central Israel”. After the competition, I released my 1st single, “Farewell Letter” and music video to the radio and music channels. The single was a tremendous hit.

In 2010, I joined the Israeli Army. I was the lead manager of a musical group, I was nominated and awarded as an outstanding soldier. I performed in ceremonies and volunteered in Independence Day and Memorial Day for the soldiers and Holocaust Remembrance Day. After my success in Israel, I moved to Los Angeles in 2014, I was accepted to the prestigious Musician’s Institute in Hollywood.

When did you know that you wanted to pursue a professional career as a singer?

When I was 16 years old, I was chosen to be the lead singer of an Israeli rock band. I performed with the band from 2007-2009 on a variety of platforms such as T.V. shows, concerts and national events with up to 50 thousand people. I also won the young bands competition. In 2007, I performed on the national children’s TV channel. A year later, I competed in “Kolot ve Tzlilim” – Voice and Sound in English – on national television in Israel. After these experiences, I continued to participate and won several competitions in Israel. I was the winner of the competition, “The Singer of Central Israel”. On that point I understood the power of being a woman on stage, the power of singing and making other people happy with my music and performance. At that time, I decided to be a professional singer and to pursue my dream to the top.

Which artists might you say you’re most influenced or inspired by?

My major influences are Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Armin van Buuren, Adele and David Guetta. I admire Celine Dion, a female singer who moved from another country to achieve her dreams after leaving her family in Canada. As an artist she is talking about her life journey and empowering women all around the world. I moved to USA from Israel, following my dream to inspire other people around the world.

Tell us about your new single “Me Myself & I.” What’s the story behind it?

The song “Me Myself & I” is all about a strong woman who is not afraid to deal with her past. I co-wrote the song with Drew Lawrence – who also co-wrote “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri. The song is about a girl who was abused and was afraid to make her dreams come true. At the end of the journey she decides to fulfill herself and knows that what she needs is only herself. God gives her the strength and power to spread her wings, she finds her power when she looks at herself in the mirror. The song is the anthem of the “Me Too” movement because it empowers women to rise up and don’t be afraid to start again. My best friend had to escape from her husband and this song is dedicated to her.

Is there any particular concept/theme or idea to the video?

When I spoke first with Nir the videographer and director I told him about the story behind the song about a strong woman that has to rise up and don’t be afraid to start again. Nir is an amazing artist. He has a very specific taste when it comes to art. He decided to shoot half of the video in the desert and half in a studio. In the video you can see elements of fire and a story line between me and Moti, the main character. Eventually, I am disappearing to my safe place – the stage – and running away from him.

What have been some of your proudest achievements to date and what are you currently working on? Anything you can tease about what’s ahead for you?

Since I was a young child, I have been performing on national TV and represented Israel in international competitions. I have studied music extensively including an A.A in music from the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles and graduated as an outstanding student. I have had international success and have performed throughout Europe, Israel, and the United States. I was a contestant at 10 international competitions and TV shows. I won many awards in competitions such as “Morskoy Uzel”, “Charismas Talent League”; and “Rzeszow Carpathia Festival.” One of the highlights of my career was winning the Princess Award and 1^st place on one of the biggest international competition in Europe “Šlagerių festivalis.” The competition was broadcast on national television in Lithuania and viewed in all Europe.

I returned to Los Angeles in October 2019 and have since performed at many private and public events. I won 1st place in the competition “Discovery festival” in Bulgaria in December 2020 with the song “Me Myself and I.” Some of the jury members were a part of the Eurovision song contest. I am currently recording my album with Grammy nominated Gemini Musiq who produced songs for the Jonas Brothers, Boyz to Men, Christina Milian, Jackie Jackson, Shaq and Justin Bieber. “Me Myself and I“  is my first single from the album, as well as its name.

I am working on my album with the award winning Drew Lawrence who co-wrote the song “Jar of Hearts” with Christina Perri. “Jar of Hearts” spent 31 weeks in the Top 40 and 48 weeks in the Top 75. It was later certified Platinum after shipping 600,000 copies and was the 11th best-selling single of 2011 in the UK. Rob Kleiner was the vocal producer for the song “Me myself & I.” He’s worked with Sia, Labyrinth, Cee Lo, Andra Day, Foxy Shazam, Atlas Genius, Natalia Jimenez, Haley Reinhart, ZZ Ward, LP, and many more. Looking further ahead, I envision myself becoming an international performer who inspires the joining of religions, socio-economics and nationality to find a common bond by my music.

Check out the video for “Me Myself & I” below and for more information on Hodaya, visit her website, give her page a like on Facebook or follow her on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.