Israeli newcomer Gali Givon makes her explosive debut with 'Show Me Love', out April 1st through Universal Israel
THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST SIGNED TO UNIVERSAL ISRAEL
It’s a rare occasion that a true rock artist arrives, seemingly fully formed, on to the contemporary music scene. Gali Givon is one such artist, and she’s about to take the world by storm as she delivers her pounding debut single ‘Show Me Love’.
She makes her debut with ‘Show Me Love’, a fascinating blend of industrial rock with traditional Middle Eastern melodies, the roots of which can be traced back through the centuries. This emerges in the instrumentation – the heady inflections of the electric guitar – and Gali’s own mesmerising vocal delivery. The track has a polished effect while retaining its grit.
Produced by Jon Levine (Dua lipa, Drake, Tom Morello, Avril) and co-written with Solly (Shawn Mendes, Jason Derulo, Ava Max), ‘Show Me Love’ makes for a fresh and impactful introduction to her sound. Accompanied by an eye-catching video, it establishes her as a name looking to break away from the conventions of both life and her appearance, and cements herself as a truly distinctive artist, one that never plays by the rules or your expectations.
“Sometimes people look so blank, so emotionless, that I feel the need to ask, ‘Is there anybody in there?’” she explains. The lyrics channel the frustration of wanting to shake any sign of emotion out of the other person: “Changing my name and shifting shapes but I don’t know why I dig my grave into the desert after midnight.”
Going further she says, "'Show me Love' is a song I wrote with Jon Levine and Solly, after a long conversation we had on the studio couch, around a weird question - do the bummed out people we meet and talk to everyday actually care and have warm feelings towards anything?"
While adding about the new visuals, "The music video of “Show me love” shows how we can give the 'normal' way of life the middle finger. And how sometimes, while trying to do that, we end up wanting something that is a little more normal than we expected."
One of the first acts signed to the newly established Universal Israel, this Tel Aviv-based musician is living proof of why you should never judge from appearances alone. At first glance, Gali is the perfect pop star: a young woman carving out radio-ready jams that could easily sit alongside hits by Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and co. But dig a little deeper and you’ll discover a different side to Gali, whose early releases channel the quintessential heroes of rock’n’roll, from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to Audioslave and Pantera.
Born to a surgeon mother and father who worked as a CEO in the film industry, Gali herself admits that her chosen path might be surprising to some. But both her parents are classic rock fans, and she was raised on a diet of Bowie, Queen and Pink Floyd. Later, she realised she gravitated towards heavier rock – grunge and metal, particularly – as a means of coping with her father’s health issues.
“My dad used to go in and out of hospital, so I’d spend a lot of time at home, alone,” she says. “I remember the silence being so loud… I had to fill it up with something louder. I needed something to fall into, and rock music was what caught me.” She picked up the guitar, aged 10 and began composing her own songs around the same time ("I really thought I was Axl Rose", she laughs). Other children her age attended after-school groups; she stayed at home and let her feelings pour out.
“It was almost painful, this inclination to write… it came from somewhere within,” she says. “I don’t think I was born a musician. I feel like this path chose me.”
DISCOVER GALI GIVON