Getting to Know… Roy Niv | Interview 🎤

For the 218^th Q&A on The Musical Hype, we get the inside scoop from actor/musician Roy Niv, who fills us in on current & future musical endeavors.

“W

e bring new ideas combined with some classic rock and that’s what defines the fresh sound we make.” Cool 🎙 Roy Niv – cool!  The actor/musician describes his musical beginnings as time spent in the attic with a computer and his dad’s guitar trying to develop songs he’d written.  Since those humble beginnings, he has a band, with goals to “give as many people as possible the opportunity to check us out and see if they like what we do.” Sensible by all means – the goal of many musicians! Ultimately, the 218^th interview on The Musical Hype is captivating, introducing the world to an intriguing new rock act.  So, without further ado, turn your undivided attention to 🎤 Getting to Know… Roy Niv: Interview No. 218!

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Starting things off, for those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes you distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

🎤 For those who don’t know me yet, I would definitely suggest that you check out my new music video of 🎵 “Stay Up” as it shows that I make rock music in a different, acoustic and melodic way. The twist in my music probably comes from my diverse inspirations from Pixies to Coldplay and especially my awesome band members who make the crowd go insane every time we go live. We bring new ideas combined with some classic rock and that’s what defines the fresh sound we make.

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Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did your career begin/band start, and what were some of the goals or visions you had early on?

🎤 Well, actually, I started alone in my attic with a computer and my dad’s guitar trying to work something out with the songs that I wrote. When I actually had the song produced with producer 🎛 THE ANIMAL FARM, I started grouping the best players I knew from the scene and together we formed an awesome band made just for these songs! It was awesome that everybody just linked with the songs right away and was ready to play them as many times as necessary for us to be ready for a show. I never imagined I’d have a band of my own which I could lead and have so much fun with.

Our first goal, of course, was to bring the songs to the best level we can and create the best show we can possibly arrange. After we did that, our goals were mainly to play and tour with our favorite bands from the scene. We started performing live this year which is so exciting for me, and the band, and we can’t wait to rock the socks off our amazing crowd.

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Let’s talk more about goals. Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

🎤 Surely, the goals changed and shaped as we went on… I believe that you must have a clear goal as you start the process. Along the way, I think it’s totally natural to adapt to the things that are going on and adjust your goals and aims accordingly. For example, when I just started, I wanted to release a full album. I created the album which sounds amazing by the way 😉 and then I understood that I want to release it single by single. That way I could feel the crowd as I move forward and be more accurate in the process of each single that is coming out.

Now, the main goal is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to check us out and see if they like what we do. I certainly don’t expect everyone to love us, but I would like to bring my new single 🎵 “Stay Up” to their attention because I truly believe this is one of our finest works.

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Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

🎤 The first song I ever danced to (when I was 3-years-old) was Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly Away”! From there on, there was no escape from falling in love with The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, Muse, and more. Some new music like The Lumineers, Coldplay, James Bay, Greta Van Fleet, Sam Fender, and Machine Gun Kelly hit me later on in life and gave me the inspiration to make music on my own.

💿 Nevermind, Nirvana’s second and most famous album changed my life completely. I know some people would say I’m way too young to say this, but the truth is I was introduced to this album by my dad when I was 11 and it led to a huge change in my perception of music. Until then, I only knew some Beatles songs and other music that sounded very nice and pretty. But when I first heard Kurt Cobain shouting and screaming, I felt something like never before. I finally realized what passion can be injected into music in such a simple way. I used to cover a lot of Nirvana songs from that album and it eventually inspired many of my current music.

I can also find inspiration in unusual places, Van Gogh for example, can break my heart with every painting. Although he is not a musician, his paintings pierce through my soul the exact same way as a beautiful melody.

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Ah, the fun stuff. What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance? Feel free to be creative.

🎤 Our craziest performance was definitely one I will never forget. It was last winter in this shady club in Tel Aviv, Israel. Whether you know it or not, Israel is a sunny country and it’s mainly summer around here so we are not so well prepared for serious rain or any wintery phenomena for that matter. 30 minutes into the show, the rain started licking down from the ceiling into the club! At first, it was very cool when there was water on the floor, and everybody was dancing and splashing everywhere. But soon enough, the water went into our gear and the whole show went to the ground. My only hope was that no damage was done to my guitar but luckily, she was just fine and all we had left from that night was just a funny story to tell to our grandchildren.

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Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

🎤 The favorite song I’ve ever created is definitely 🎵 “Stay Up” which I recently released. This song was so fun to record because it just came out of me naturally without much effort. When I wrote it, I immediately rushed to my home studio and recorded the guitar and vocals. I wasn’t sure it’s a good song until I sent a demo to some friends, and they all agreed this is a catchy, beautiful song and I should definitely work on it. So, I got to work with the producer 🎛 THE ANIMAL FARM and together we made this piece of music which I am very proud of. What makes this song special to me is that he doesn’t tell an ordinary story about a boy who loves a girl (no disrespect, I got many love songs as well) but “Stay Up” tells the story of a real struggle and the power and emotional strength necessary to overcome it and build a better life for yourself by staying up and not giving in to frustration and negativity.

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Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

🎤 If you didn’t know this, I began my career as an actor, and played a lead role in a TV show called 📺 Spell Keepers. It’s actually pretty funny that my character on that show was also a guitar player, which was great for me as I got to play a large amount of time through the photoshoots. With the money I earned from that show, I built my home studio, made my music, and even produced the “Stay Up” music video, in which I’m also playing a fun and challenging role. Now both of those fields are my passions, and I can’t wait to create all kinds of things with both my music and my acting.

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Closing things out, what are you currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.

🎤 I can’t tell you much. But what I can say is that we are currently working on the full album and a brand-new music video that is going to blow you away. If you haven’t seen the latest music video, 🎵 “Stay Up”, be sure to check it out and get ready for a surprising acoustic version and some new single coming out in the coming year. There is a lot to wait for so be sure you’re not missing anything by following me on IG @roy_niv where all the latest updates are published.

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Getting to Know… Roy Niv: Interview No. 218 🎤 [📷: Roy Niv, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype]

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