The 33,000 fans who packed Park Hayarkon Wednesday night for the gala Noa Kirel concert received a special treat – a surprise performance by American pop sensation Gayle.
During a brief break from a European tour, the 18-year-old pop star with the huge hit single “abcdefu,” joined the Israeli superstar onstage for two songs.
Both artists are signed to Atlantic Records and Gayle was contacted by Kirel’s team before her tour to invite her to Kirel’s gala performance. Luckily, Gayle explained, the scheduling aligned perfectly.
“It’s just such an amazing opportunity and I really love what Noa stands for,” Gayle told the Post from her room in Tel Aviv’s Carlton Hotel. “To have [Noa] this young, 21-year-old woman, who has such a strong independent perspective in her music – think of me, reach out to me and put the effort to have me be here – I just feel so taken care of and appreciated by her and her team.”
During her brief time in Israel, Gayle, whose real name is Taylor Gayle Rutherfurd, focused on her performance, but expressed an appreciation for the country.
“It’s my first time in Israel and it’s absolutely beautiful here,” she said. “The view outside of the hotel, the buildings and the ocean – it’s just so beautiful.”
The singer regretted having no time for sightseeing, but did get to enjoy the Tel Aviv beach scene. “This morning we were able to have some breakfast and walk around a little bit. I’ve seen quite a bit – the view, seeing people live their daily life running and surfing – it’s just completely stunning here.”
She expressed a desire to explore, saying “I’d obviously love to see more and come here again, but I’m very happy that I even get 48 hours here.”
Gayle’s music is categorized as pop, but has a very distinct edgy tone that has proven itself to be resonant with audiences worldwide. The resonance of “abcdefu” in particular, the artist theorized, may be connected to the world’s shared traumatic experiences over the last several years.
“I feel like a lot of people were carrying anger and sadness, especially after the pandemic. We lost a lot of people. There’s just so many things going on in the world and I think people had things to be mad about. Here’s a song where you could have a place to put that anger.”
She was not always so confident that the anger would be received well. “As a young woman,” Gayle said, “I was really intimidated about being openly angry.” In the end, however, “We were able to create a safe space to process [that] anger.”
Her EP, A Study of the Human Experience volume one, explores similar emotions and themes to her hit single “abcdefu” in more depth.