Crowdfunding
The
Album
together
- 10 original songs
- Yiddish + English
- Rock
- Blues
- Pop
- Jazz
- even EDM
A little bit about me
Hi! I’m
Riki.
I am a Yiddish singer, songwriter, and entertainer. I grew up in the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community in Williamsburg, and I wanted to be a singer from as far back as I can remember. Growing up in a world where kol isha—a woman’s voice is supposed to be hidden—my voice was anything but that. Big, powerful, along with my personality and rebellious nature, I never stopped singing.
“What a waste of a voice on a girl,” people would say. “Too bad you are not a boy.” “You should sing in our shul,” they joked. “You sing better than our chazzan.”
“Yes, I do,” I thought to myself, “but I am a girl, and they won’t let girls be the chazzan in shul.”
As I got older, I became more rebellious. I never stopped singing. I never stopped dreaming. I had a dream of becoming the first Chassidish rockstar, and now that dream is becoming a reality.
I may not exactly be living a Chassidish lifestyle anymore, but my soul is still Chassidish.
“Im ein ani li, mi li?”If not me, then who?
Leaving the community was a long, painful journey, and rediscovering my Jewish identity took a long time. But the Yiddish language and Yiddish music have always been with me.
Wherever I went, I sang and spoke Yiddish, even if no one understood me. In bars and clubs, people would stop in their tracks to figure out what I was singing because it spoke to their soul. Some people would come up to me with tears in their eyes and tell me I reminded them of a time long gone, of ancestors they miss who are no longer here.
Because Yiddish is my first language, and the language of my soul, it is the most natural language for me to write in. Along my journey of healing and recovery, I wrote my stories in Yiddish, and I started performing them everywhere. The more I worked on myself, the more I healed, the more my career took off.
About the album
I still have even bigger dreams, but I cannot do it alone.
My fans—a mix of Hasidim, ex-Hasidim, Yiddishistn, the klezmer community, Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and everything in between—have been there for me through it all. They have watched me fall and pick myself back up a hundred times. They have stood by me and supported me whenever I needed them. They have loved me unconditionally, and I am so grateful for that.
This album features 10 original songs that I have written throughout my journey—most of them in Yiddish and some in English. The theme is self-awareness, resilience, joy, and healing. The music is a blend of genres, from rock to blues to pop to jazz, and even EDM. English translations will be available so that everyone can understand the songs. I am working with incredible producers who are also my friends and supporters.
When you listen to this album, I hope you laugh, I hope you cry, and I hope you get goosebumps. If you don’t speak Yiddish, this album will help you learn how to.
These songs are my children, and you know what they say—it takes a village. Let’s build the future of Yiddish music together.
Shkoyach! — Riki
Donate whatever is within your means.
It takes a village. Let’s build the future of Yiddish music together.
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