We recently connected with Yahli Ambus and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Yahli, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I was born and raised in Israel, a small country that makes a lot of noise and has a very small music industry. When I was 18, right after finishing high school, I joined the military band (as an Israeli citizen, you have to join the army at 18 for 2-3 years). The military band was known for having the best young musicians who would go on to become the leading artists in the industry, making it a highly competitive environment. So, right after I finished my service, I took my first risk and decided to fully commit to making a living from music. At first, I still worked as a waitress, but after 8 months, I quit and put all my effort into finding gigs, projects, and sessions. It was hard—I had to play some pretty bad gigs for very little money and carry my drum set to way too many places. It took me three years to finally have enough gigs and projects to proudly say that I made a nice amount of money. I was performing multiple times a week and recording for international artists, but since the industry was so small, I was still fighting to get a spot at the bigger gigs. At that point, I decided to take my second big risk and move to the USA. I wanted to play in the “big league” and be part of much bigger projects. I’ve been in the US for 6 months now and am still struggling to get gigs and projects here, but I guess that’s part of moving to a new country and starting over. I don’t know what the future holds, but for now, I’m very glad that I took that risk.

Yahli, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Yahli Ambus, and I am a 23-year-old professional drummer, musician, and content creator. Originally from Israel, I currently live in Boston but will be moving to LA soon. I proudly work as a session drummer, recording both remotely and in-house, while also serving as a performing artist and musical director. I’ve played on top-charting songs and collaborated with international artists, as well as labels like Universal Music Group. Recently, I released my first drum sample pack, with the second one set to launch soon. I am also proudly endorsed by Ludwig Drums, Meinl Cymbals, and Vater Drumsticks.

On a more personal note, I started playing drums at the age of 11 and immediately knew it was my passion. I committed to it fully. When I was 18, I began posting drumming videos on Instagram, and things progressed quickly from there. The videos went viral, I gained a lot of followers, and new opportunities started to come my way. I was recognized by people and companies I never imagined I’d interact with, which led to my endorsements—one of my biggest accomplishments to date. Over the years, I’ve learned to find my voice as a drummer and have developed a sound that I believe sets me apart from others. I hope this unique sound continues to open doors to even greater opportunities in the future.

How did you build your audience on social media?

From my experience with social media, there’s no right or wrong way to approach it, and you can never truly predict if your video is going to go viral, which can make this whole process very frustrating. However, what I can say is that consistency is key. Since the moment I started posting videos, I’ve made it a point to post one video every week, ideally on the same day and time. The second thing I believe is crucial is aesthetics. The more aesthetically pleasing you make your videos, the higher the chance they’ll go viral. Beyond that, I think being unique is important—finding what you’re best at and putting it out there. It can be embarrassing or uncomfortable at first, but there’s no harm in that, and you never know how things will turn out for you.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a musician is the feeling of accomplishment. It begins with getting a call to play on a song or gig, seeing more listeners tune in to a project you’ve poured months of work into, or even receiving fair compensation for your hard work. From there, it builds up to playing on big stages and hearing the crowd scream the lyrics back at you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yahliambusdrummer.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yahli__/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepinkdrummer/shorts

Image Credits

Moshiko Kanevski, Ori Taub