We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ran Loya. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ran below.

Ran, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

A Man Without a Land, released on May 8th, is the most personal and significant project I’ve ever created. It’s not just an album — it’s a reckoning. A way of facing the shame and shyness that have followed me all my life. As a teenager, I often felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. No one truly understood me. I carried a vast inner world I didn’t know how to express, let alone contain.

This album is a gift to that child — a gesture of recognition. Today, I choose to honor the emotions I once buried. To give space to feelings I wasn’t allowed to fully feel back then.

At first, the album was finished — without the title track. But then the war in Israel erupted, and the sense of being unanchored, of standing on crumbling ground, returned with force. That disconnection mirrored the very essence of the album. Suddenly, the personal and the political collided. That old, forgotten feeling of not belonging rose again — this time tied to something much larger than myself.

The song A Man Without a Land was born after one of the most harrowing days of my life — October 7th. I was caught in the heart of the attack on Israel, closer to death than I’ve ever been. I won’t go into detail, but I can say this: I fled down a highway that would become a battlefield, driving as fast as I could toward my family, as missiles fell and gunshots rang out around me. I made it home alive — but not unchanged. That day left a mark on me that I carry still. The song poured out of that wound.

There’s something hauntingly similar between the chaos of war and the feeling of being emotionally unmoored. You’re here — but you don’t really want to be. You’re connected to everyone — yet feel helpless about your own freedom. That contradiction lives at the core of this album.

I release this body of work with immense pride. Every song is a raw imprint of a moment, a thought, a sensation in my body. This is not just music — it’s a document of survival, of liberation, of joy, of learning to let every feeling have its place. My work in this life — as I understand it now — is to clear space within myself, until I’m fully anchored in the present, fully awake to reality, exactly as it is.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a singer, writer, and producer. My focus is on expressing what I feel, exactly as it is, through music. That’s the thread running through everything I make. I don’t write songs to impress. I write them to tell the truth, the kind that exists before it becomes language.

What makes my work different isn’t genre or production. It’s the tone. There’s a kind of emotional clarity I try to hold in both my lyrics and my voice. Even if someone doesn’t fully connect to the story, they often feel the honesty in it. That matters to me more than anything.

I’ve always been sensitive, and over time I’ve learned how to turn that sensitivity into sound. Not to perform it, but to offer it. My songs aren’t loud declarations. They’re quiet moments of recognition. They leave space for people to breathe and feel something of their own.

I’m not chasing perfection. I care about presence. I want the music to feel real and alive. Every word, every note, is a way of staying close to what’s true.

That’s what I try to give. Songs that feel human. Stories that invite, not push. Music that simply is.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part for me is the journey I go through with myself. I admit that I rarely think outwardly about creating my music. For me, the focus is on the healing and transformation that both my body and mind want to go through in the process of making music. The music I create is a form of self-correction — a way to face and process things within myself. It’s not about others’ reactions; it’s about what I’m learning and healing from while I make it.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Several individuals and their works have greatly influenced my thinking and philosophy, particularly when it comes to management and entrepreneurship. The first is Osho, whose books and teachings have deeply impacted me. In my early twenties, I would read his books and listen to his lectures nonstop, on a daily basis. Today, I still turn to Osho, as his words serve as a reminder of truth every time I venture back into the world of thoughts and mind.

Another significant influence has been the British philosopher Alan Watts, whose philosophy helped shape my perspective on life and business.

Additionally, Israeli artists who make music in English have had a profound impact on my music. Israel is a small country, but there are musicians here of the highest level that I’ve ever heard. Artists like O Mer and Egozi had a major influence on my music, and they helped me understand the importance of continuous improvement and a desire to learn more about musical production, writing, and authenticity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ranloyamusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iam_loya_music/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/notifications/?filter=all
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@loya2867

Image Credits

Shani Loya took all the photos