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We spoke with Charel Zeitoune, 20 years old and an upcoming producer from New York. We talked about how he got into music, his first single Feelings Never Die and what is next for him.
Can you introduce yourself?
I am Charel Zeitoune - 20 year old from Brooklyn, New York, native. I am originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, I remain an International Manager for LIGHT TLV, the number 1 nightclub there. Not only this, but my roles include managing the international team, hiring performers and DJ’s, and being the weekend DJ whenever I am out there. Additionally, I have been DJing worldwide since the age of 15, and this year, I began launching my career as a producer and songwriter. I am so excited to exercise my musical talents and share it with the world every step of my way.
What makes you unique?
I work as an open format artist, working in all different realms of music. Being a producer allows me to explore and flourish in not just one, but all genres of music. Doing so has allowed me to become acoustically deliverance to vocalists. Not only this, but because I am from Israel, there is definitely a native Israeli tongue portrayed within my music; I hope to inspire other talented DJ’s out there to start producing music too!
What drew you to the music industry?
I have been a DJ since the age of 15, and I have been mixing since I was 13 years old. Exercising these talents over the years has led me to grow extremely passionate about producing music and songwriting. Ultimately, I felt that I had a creative outlet, and in order to push myself to the fullest, I decided to challenge myself by creating music and launching my artistry career. So far, so good!
Who inspired you to make music?
I was inspired by the people around me - family, friends, and colleagues always enjoyed my mixes and music. But what ultimately drew me to pursue this career was in great memory of Avicii. My inspiration in life, to this day, remains Avicii - his energy and passion for the music he produced amazed me beyond words. I truly believe that he has brought me to my career path.
What is your top five favorite songs of all time? Why those songs?
After Hours by The Weekend, Come Thru by Drake, Caribbean Rave by W&W, SOS by Avicii, and Colors (ft Sterling Fox) by Tritonal and Paris Blohm.
The Weekend is my favorite artist - their ability to traditionalize modern music with their 80s tone is something I wish to show up in my music eventually; I’m a die hard fan.
Drake is another incredibly gifted rapper, and being from New York, I take rap seriously and I am picky! Despite the fact that Drake is from Florida, I think he is the most gifted and inspiring rapper, singer, creative, the world has yet to see.
W&W is ultimately the duo that first inspired me to work with someone and create music.
Last year, a fellow friend and I launched our artistry career as a duo, 2UO. I loved every second of it, but at the end of the day, we both had our own goals for the industry.
Avicii, the one who truly made me wake up every morning motivated to curate the most unique, upbeat, and undeniably uplifting music.
Lastly, Colors is just a banger that I could listen to hours on repeat. That song takes me to cloud 9.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I work in the electronic house realm, specializing in big room house, progressive house, and future bounce across all genres of music.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
When I write my music, the lyrics come from my complete heart. A lot of my songs have a romantic energy to them, always including incredible passion. I think it is important to remember that love is nothing short of a rollercoaster, and I truly emphasize that through my lyrics. Going to the studio, blasting music in my headphones, listening to the beat, mumbling to the melody, I feel my heart going nuts as I curate. Each story I tell through my music has been a personal experience, journey, adventure, or just utter feeling about my place, or the people I am with, in this world.
Can you explain your creative process for making this single?
When first producing “Feelings Never Die (ft. Tamara)”, I knew I wanted to create a song that resided with the popular obstacle of falling in love. Being in love always includes some sort of heartache, and I really wanted to get that message across in this single. Not only heartache, but the hardest part can be forgiving. For all you go through, for all you do, for all you’ve done, it’s hard to admit to mistakes, and it is hard to say ‘im sorry’. But when you close your eyes, the feelings will never die, so at the end of the day, you have to trust your gut and go with your instincts. Ultimately, I emphasized the rollercoaster of forgiveness within this single. As for the actual production, I produce on ableton, this song used over 10 plugins to perfect I have inserted in 5 completely different sets of lyrics on this track, and it took great amounts of trial and error. It took almost half a year to perfect!! I am incredibly proud of this track, though, and I hope fans can relate to my experiences with love and forgiveness.
How would you describe your Single?
Feelings Never Die, a hot, romanticised, and journey of a song. Heartache, depression, and forgiveness are all covered within this single. Tamara, the talented vocalist and also great friend of mine, helped make my vision of the rollercoaster of forgiveness come to life. This song sets a tone that represents romanticism.
What is the message you want to give to your fans?
I hope my fans are inspired and relate to my music. Feelings Never Die ft. Tamara is a heated, romanticised and promising single that is meant to sink into our hearts to promote the rollercoaster of forgiveness. In whatever you may choose to reside with this statement, there is always a point of frustration that must be surpassed to reach melancholy. Especially with forgiveness, in relationships, in the world, etc., achieving to say sorry is nothing short of anxiety-ridden But when you reach that point of forgiveness… man, does it feel like cloud 9.
What is next for you?
I am currently working on a series of singles that represent my native tongue, and promote the feelings of love and rollercoasters through life that we overcome. I have been working hard alongside my manager and also good friend, Chelsea Cook, who is studying at Syracuse University with me. Together we are putting together a bunch of exciting projects. I hope to release a new single every 6 weeks from here on out.
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