We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yael D. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Yael thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I so wish I would have started sooner. Since forever I knew I wanted to be an artist and be on stage. When I was little I forced my poor younger sister to do plays with me using the window curtains as curtain and the tiny space in between back stage. She hated it but I forced her!
In elementary , mid and high school, I always participated in plays and musical (never got a lead part though !!!)
When I finished high school, my father, Unfortunately, didn’t let me pursue that career further :-( I tried to convince him but he said that I shall get a “real” degree and a “real job” and then if I don’t like it, I can choose. So I did what he said , I was so scared of him :-) so, I went to College and I studied economics , then I married a lawyer and got a job as an I.T programmer and Analyst.
Few years later, when I turned about 30, something tragic happened in my life and it was a huge wake up call.
I realized that life is too short and we CAN CHOOSE what we want to do with it.
Suddenly I remembered my dream : to be an artist. Now that I am a grown up I can do it without asking anyone’s permission. So I did !
I quite the job, divorced the husband and started an acting school in Paris (where I lived) few years later I moved to New York to get a better grasp of Lee Strasberg method acting.
In New York I realized that I can make money singing and playing music in French restaurants….so I started my career as a full time Singer / Musician , I was about 35 years old. thats OLD inn artist life !!!!! but never the less, I didn’t care, I absolutely loved it.
Of course, I did realize that I have to make it up for all the years I lost doing something else than musi, so I studied and practiced a lot, I mean A LOT. like 8 hours a day. I still do !
I even went back to University and did a master degree in Jazz music in Queens College NY.
Long story ….well long, I do wish I have started earlier cause my skills would be so much elaborated now, but I learnt and grew a lot in my previous “non-artistic life”.
I am not even upset with my dad , who never understood my life changing decision (he passed away few years ago so I guess its too late now ).
I told him that HE was the real PROOF that I was born to be a performer : he tried to get me out of that path so hardly but eventually I went back to it and I don’t regret it at all. There is nothing else I could do in my life, playing music , singing and acting makes me feel like I am not wasting my time in the contrary .

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I play and sing music, mostly old style music like Jazz, Bossa nova, Tango, Flamenco , Gypsy , French, Italian, Russian…. I play acoustic guitar.

Often, after finishing my shows , where I interact a lot with the audience (I cant help it , I guess its coming from my old acting and improvising skills :-) People come and tell me how this or that song reminded them of their mother, of their childhood of the good old times…..and on that moment I feel that I have accomplished what I had to do. Make people fell good , make people smile , forget about their problems….appreciate being alive

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As explained earlier, I tried to have another lifestyle , career , path (well my dad made it) and I did it.

I was making a lot of money working in I.T (and I was very good at it), my husband was an amazing mad….but still I felt that something was missing, my soul was asking for more….back then I couldn’t even go see a play or a concert cause my heart was instantly filled with jealousy and envy ! it was terrible, I was thinking I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ON THAT SIDE STAGE , I have to be ON the stage.
When I changed my life. / Carrier , I t was even a hard decision, for me it was matter of life and death : Either i’m staying in that dull life and be miserable or I do a drastic change , take massive risks but full fill my dream.

Now don’t get me wrong: I don’t even really care “if make it” whatever that means. As for now, my dream came true : I am making a full living just with my music (I am not rich but I can live ok with the money I make), I have time to practice, I absolutely love being on stage playing and entertaining the audience and I have the chance to do pretty often.

Most importantly: the day I die I will look back on my life and think “Well, at least I tried” .
That is so precious and that was the biggest “reason” / “ally’ / “excuse” I have in my mind when I changed my life and was a little scared.
I basically couldn’t imagine myself in 70 years thinking “Oh why didn’t I try to change my life when I had time and could do it”

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Start as young as you can and Practice the most you can.

The most useful advice I ever had, it was from Gabriel Hermida, a genius musician :

“Work work work, Practice Practice Practice: when the opportunity comes YOU ARE READY and HAVE NO FEAR. Remember Discipline Set you free !!! “.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yaelandgabriel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yaelandgabriel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YaelAndGabriel/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yaelandgabriel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/YaelGabriel
• Other: Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MmzAZxnUeCoLVbcDDMAxb?si=M69JbO2eRd2TbxtVYf9EUw SoundCloud : https://soundcloud.com/yael-barel Apple Music : https://music.apple.com/us/artist/yael-and-gabriel/593288830

Image Credits
Donald Tempelton