Meet Shelly Pweled

We were lucky to catch up with Shelly Pweled recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shelly, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I always knew what I wanted to do. It sounds cliché, but even when I was really young, I already knew I wanted to sing and be on stage. That was the place where I felt the most like myself.

More than ten years ago, I had a rock band. My guitarist was also one of my closest friends and the person who produced my music. After a few years of playing and creating together, he passed away suddenly at the age of 26.

His death broke something in me. I felt numb. I felt lost. I didn’t understand what I was even making music for anymore. For the first time in my life, I questioned if this was still my path. I started going to therapy, but I was just sad all the time, and the inspiration I always had felt completely gone.

Around that time, Mike Shinoda from LINKIN PARK released his album Post Traumatic, which was all about losing his friend and bandmate Chester Bennington. I connected to it so deeply. Something in that album made me feel seen, and I remember thinking that I just wanted to meet him.

And then, in the most magical way possible, he came to perform in Tel Aviv that year. I was in the front row holding a sign asking to sing a song with him called Make It Up As I Go. He saw it, jumped off the stage, listened to me sing right there in the crowd, and then handed me the mic. After hearing me, he invited me on stage. We sang together, and the audience genuinely thought it was planned because I was so in my element.

Something clicked in that moment. Standing on stage, singing words that meant so much to me, I suddenly felt alive again. I remembered exactly why I loved music and why I needed it in my life.

That was the moment I understood that giving up on music would be the same as giving up on myself. That moment helped me find my way back, and it became the beginning of the music I create today.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I make dark pop music. I call it dark pop because my songs usually have hooky, catchy production, but the lyrics always go deeper. They’re darker, more honest, and very raw. I don’t really write “sweet” songs. Most of my music is story driven.

My first album, SWIM, came out in 2022 and focused on mental health, survival, and what it takes to jump into the water and come out stronger on the other side.

These days I’m working on a new album called Not Every Love Song Is Soft. Every song is inspired by books, romance, and stories that stayed with me. Two singles are already out: Fuck Your Blue Eyes and NEED.

I’m also getting ready to release my next single, Bruises, and I’m very excited about a special project in collaboration with Beit Hayozer of ACUM. It is a live-session series of three of my songs and one cover, all played in a stripped, intimate arrangement with live instruments and backing vocals. The sessions will be released on YouTube and Spotify.

And honestly, I’m just excited to be back on stage again soon. Performing is where I feel the most alive.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, I think the three qualities that shaped my journey the most are consistency, self-belief, and having a solid base to lean on.

The first one is consistency. It sounds simple, but showing up for your art even on the days when you don’t feel inspired is everything. Anyone can create when they’re excited, but the real growth happens when you keep going through the quiet, messy, uninspired moments. Those are the days that actually move the wheel forward.

The second is believing in yourself. Being an artist means you’re constantly dealing with opinions, doubts, algorithms, rejections and your own inner critic. If you don’t hold onto your own voice, it’s easy to get lost. Learning to trust my vision, even when no one else sees it yet, changed everything for me.

And the third thing is having a center. A home base. For me it’s my partner, my family, my close friends. Being an artist isn’t easy, and you need people or places that bring you back to yourself. The world can get loud and chaotic, and having that emotional anchor keeps you grounded.

My advice to anyone starting out is simple: keep going, keep improving, and don’t underestimate the power of the people who hold you together.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I learned recently that sometimes the best thing you can do when you feel overwhelmed is to stop for a moment and give yourself a real break. To focus on yourself and what feels right, even if it simply means allowing yourself to rest.
It sounds small, but it changes everything when life feels too heavy.

A few years ago, I was in London on a really successful tour, and out of nowhere I got really sick and lost my voice. I felt like my whole world was falling apart. But that moment taught me something important: you have to take care of yourself first. Mentally, emotionally, physically.

It’s not always easy, especially for someone self-driven like me (and like so many other artists), but giving yourself permission to slow down is sometimes the only way to move forward.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Alon Peled (pic per diem)
Avraham Greenshtein
Gintrare Sukyte
Benny Rotlevy

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