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

Yonatan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Growing up in a central city in the middle east, I had developed a strong taste for American-Popular music coming from the west coast. The music scene in my home city has been somewhat behind on trends, and as I was gaining some recognition in my community, I decided to create the first ever Hip-Hop/RnB jam session in my city. The vibe there was pure and genuine. Our audience kept on coming back and growing into a beautiful new wave and community. The Pocket Jam, later on, came to be the main hub for artists of the genre, nurturing artists that as of today have the biggest following in my home country. Pocket Jam – VOL. 1 is a homage album to the jam nights, and is available on all music streaming platforms.

Yonatan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Being a musician today requires much more than just skill. I moved to LA a year ago to further develop my brand. I have had stage experience since age 8 playing piano concerts, and as I was growing up, my love for music made me hone more skills. Today, I have professional experience in many fields related to music such as leading bands, production, sound design, mix, songwriting and beat-making, all of which I’m currently using to work on various productions. But all these are not enough. Today’s musician has to have a statement, a personal style and a message. That’s why I decided to create my solo project “Meltz” which lets me explore myself as an Indie Soul/RnB artist, and use my skills to convey my message rather than just make income. I know what music has done for me; it made me see beauty and have hope for people. That is what I want to pass on through my art.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I was already an established musician in my home country, but due to the smaller scene there, I felt like I had reached the limit of my potential for growth in that environment. Moving to LA and starting from scratch is very challenging. It means going from being surrounded by family and friends, getting calls for gig work and productions daily to having to struggle to get work. My application for permanent residence got denied at first, and I had to get extremely creative just to be able to pay rent. A year in, I’m starting to feel like myself again. I have met some incredible people and colleagues who have helped shape my life here. I find it amazing that anywhere you go in the world, you can find genuine people and true friends.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is to see my vision coming to life. An idea that popped in my mind one day becoming reality , making other people happy, and in a way changing reality.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @meltzerkeez
• Facebook: Yonatan Meltzer
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/yonatan-meltzer-627721206
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/LdmHep5dtiUWrGW87

Image Credits

Johnny Blanford, Eirad Netzer