There are talented people in this business and then there are people who fake it. Hollywood is filled with wannabes and posers wearing masks. I can assure you that’s not the case with Meital Dohan. In preparation for this interview and shoot I was blown away with how many things she’s currently involved in or has worked on in the past. Her success is a testament to her hard work ethic and warm personality. In this brief interview we feel like we just scratched the surface. For an artist who hasn’t even officially released her full length record, her three singles are killing it across the globe. Her song “Give Us Back Love” is hit No.1 on the iTunes Dance Chart in Italy, No.7 on the Billboard Club Chart, 33 on the Billboard Electronic Dance Chart, and continues to gain momentum on several other charts in this genre. She has accomplished all of this on her own as an independent artist with the collaboration of some heavy hitters like DJ Reflex, Sean Kingston, Rami Afuni (LMFAO), and her album’s producer Che Pope (Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Lauryn Hill). A lot of you might remember her from her unforgettable role on the TV show ‘Weeds’ as Yael Hoffman, or the book she wrote titled ‘Love & Other Bad Habits’. Or maybe it’s her feature film ‘Monogamy’, co-starring Rashida Jones and Chris Messina? Or even her radio show ‘Loud Miracles’. If you don’t know her yet, I can assure you that you will hear of her soon in one way or another. In our interview with her we talk about these things, her pets, and her personal prayer for the world to return to the values of love.
Pastorale: So you seem to have a lot of talents and seem to be so multi-faceted, kind of like a diamond…. basically you do a lot of stuff! I don’t know how you do it, but you’re an actress, a singer, songwriter, author, comedian, radio host… what else am I missing? Meital Dohan: Fine artist (said with a big smile).
Pastorale: Yes! A fine artist (one of the first things I noticed and complimented her on when we first met). I love your fine art, definitely going to have to get some for the house! So in addition to all that, I read you were in the Israeli army too, right?
Pastorale: That’s creative. I can’t think of anyone that’s ever done that. Meital Dohan: So I’m very excited about it and the whole singing thing. I was an actor my whole life and I was an actor in Israel, and I was an actor here, and the singing thing really took me by surprise. It wasn’t something I was planning at all.
Pastorale: Yeah, I think I remember reading something about a friend just saying, “You should do it,” and it was kind of out of the blue? And you were like… ”yeah”? Meital Dohan: Yeah, I was working. I met this woman, she was like a spiritual guide to me. I don’t know, you could say like a mentor. She was pretty significant in my life in Israel, I met her probably as a teenager and she was influential - so I met her when I was 17 and then I haven’t seen her for years, and years later I was just kind of thinking back and I realized, “Oh, this woman was kind of interesting,” and everything she said was kind of happening as she said. So I went back to her, and then we got really close and she was the one who said to sing. I was doing ‘Dancing With the Stars’ in Israel, so I was spending some time over there after being here for a while doing ‘Weeds’ (TV show), and all the other movie projects and stuff, ‘Monogamy’ and ‘Foreclosure’ (feature films), so she just said, “I think now you just have to become a singer,” so I was just like, “What the hell are you talking about?” So I argued with her but then she says, “No no, it’s all going to happen really fast,” so it was a really nice new thing, it was almost like a door to the magic world, like when Harry Potter goes in and goes into the castle, because the music is really like magic energy, and the people in the music industry are so great. So I’m thankful that I only have three songs out. Which were the only songs I’ve ever put out in my life which was kind of cool, but now I really want to dive in more and kind of bring the whole music collection to what it can be, what I can really do in music.
“There’s not like a button you have to press to be nice. You can just be a
Meital Dohan: I know. That was a full time job.
nice person.”
Pastorale: Being super multi-faceted and doing so much at once, what are you working on right now? What’s currently got your attention?
Meital Dohan: Right now I’m working on a project that’s probably going to combine different things I like to do that I’m passionate about, which is basically a TV project. So I’m very, very excited. Then I’m also going to probably finally launch my first album with it.
Pastorale: Releasing the album and the show together? Meital Dohan: Yeah.
28 | PASTORALE | FEBRUARY 2015
Pastorale: So what’s so inspiring is that you did do this all yourself. This is kind of a new thing for you and it’s really hard for a lot of artists to come out and not only release something on their own, but to release something that’s got substance to it. With your music, lyrically speaking. There’s a substance to it, it’s not just like the next pop hit; there’s something that’s fun, that’s exciting and fresh, and I think the world is definitely grabbing onto that and gravitating towards that, which is really cool.
Meital Dohan: Thanks! I’ve never looked at a song as a song, although it’s of course music that you can listen to. That’s what music is. But I just see it more as a bigger project; it’s part of the video, it’s part of the art, it’s part of the message, and even though it looks sometimes kind of silly or stupid or funny or over the top, usually I’m just trying to make a point of something.
Pastorale: I think that’s another thing I’ve noticed and love about you too; you kind of have this irreverence, this joking, fun attitude towards a lot of things which I think is such a healthy way to take things, instead of taking something too serious. Meital Dohan: Yeah, because as I said, I was never really a singer. This whole thing happened so fast. I just put out the first video just to see what it is, it’s not like I spent
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