In the words of 19th-century American poet Henry Longfellow, “Music is the universal language of mankind.” If that is true, then Shifra Jacobs is a master of linguistics.
For Jacobs, music is a means of communication, a language that can be refined and developed into something fun and beautiful.
She has been involved in the music scene for several years, writing and releasing her own songs since 2017. During that time, her songs, often characterized by their melancholy nature, have accrued over 100,000 hits, and she has regularly performed throughout the capital as part of the Sad City project. Jacobs aims to expand even further, working toward performing in the center of the country and breaking into music production.
In Jerusalem sat down with Jacobs to discuss her work, inspirations, and the challenges in her music career thus far.
What brought you to Israel?
I made aliyah with my mother and three older brothers when I was 11. I grew up in Manchester, England. Every year, my mother would say we were going to make aliyah, and then one year it was real.
The transition of being a young British girl moving into Israeli society was definitely a bit of a culture shock, but it’s also been one of the biggest gifts and blessings.
How did you get into music?
I’ve been singing since I was three or four. I always loved music. It always spoke to me in such a different way, compared to other things. It’s such an amazing way for me to communicate with other people. The more I sang, the more I wanted to do it. The more songs I wrote, the more I wanted to keep on writing songs.
It all grew from there.
Tell us about your music career thus far.
I started writing and releasing my own music in 2017. I released an EP called “Some Days” that year, and luckily enough I got onto a playlist made by Alexrainbird Music, a very popular indie music playlister. Because of that, the popularity of the EP skyrocketed.
Soon enough, I was working with other producers, and I realized that I wanted to learn music production myself. I graduated with a degree in music production in 2023.
I also performed with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, an Israeli-Palestinian choir, for 10 years. That was an amazing opportunity. I got to travel around the world, to sing and write, and to have incredible experiences.
Now, I just finished a year at the Rimon School of Music. I wanted the chance to polish my skills further and meet more people in the industry.
I’ve also been performing to try and get my name out there. I started performing with a project we’ve been calling Sad City, alongside guitarist Andi Abboudi. It’s a sort of play on the fact that many people have told me my songs are too sad and that I should write happier songs. But these are the songs I write. We’ve been performing in Jerusalem and want to expand into the center [of the country]. We perform original songs, and we do covers.
What challenges have you faced in your career?
Sometimes, you can pour your heart and soul into making music. It’s your work, it’s your project, it’s your baby. But the music industry can be very hard to break into. Sometimes, you’ll release something that you’re super excited about, but it won’t get a lot of attention. It can be hard to see the growth you’re achieving. But as long as you’re proud of the work you’re doing, you can still look back and say, ‘Hey, I did my best with this project.’ You have to be kind to yourself.
There are also challenges being a woman in music production. It’s a predominantly male field, though more women are going into it now. But I haven’t always been taken seriously everywhere I have gone.
Another challenge is finding balance. When you’re doing what you love, you need to find the balance in loving what you do. I want [music] to feel like something I love and not always like work. Sometimes it takes away from the joy of [making] music when you’re working on a professional level.
Who would you say are your musical inspirations and influences?
I love Amy Winehouse. She wrote from her soul. She also didn’t always write happy songs, but she wrote what was true to her. I also really admire Freddie Mercury, Ed Sheeran, and Lewis Capaldi – all people who are very true to their songwriting.
Another inspiration is David Newman, my high school friend who was murdered at the Supernova festival on Oct. 7. The light he brought into this world helps me keep going even in these darkest of times.
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians today?
I don’t think you have to be like everybody else. You don’t need to fit a formula or follow this step or that in order to get famous. Success is how you measure it.
Today, people are often expected to act a certain way. But what people really want is the human element. This may sound cheesy, but be true to yourself because people want to see something real.
Also, don’t stop loving what you do, and always treat people with respect.■