"As long as Hashem continues to give me koach, and as long as people keep listening to my music, I’m energized"

YEDIDYA MEIR, an Orthodox Israeli journalist, satirist, political commentator and popular morning radio show host invites AVRAHAM FRIED to his succah

Why?

Because for Avraham Fried, every performance is his best performance. He’s so full of a sense of shlichus, even after so many decades, and he’s always fresh and energetic while at the same time remaining faithful to the profound and original chassidic niggun. And he’s also humble. Everyone in the business who knows him knows how he puts kavod and ego on the side, and his audience feels it – they know he’s there for them, and not for himself. All of us feel his message.

Yedidya:

Avraham, how do you stay so humble and down to earth when you’re so famous?

Avraham:

I’m too humble to tell you the secret of how I stay humble.

Yedidya:

How do you keep things fresh after decades in the industry? How do you manage to keep reinventing yourself?

Avraham:

It’s very simple: Good songs, and a lot of praying, because good material isn’t always easy to find.

Yedidya:

Is there anything that the Lubavitcher Rebbe told you that you haven’t publicized but have kept secret all this time?

Avraham:

By now I think I’ve shared everything. But I’m not sure that I ever shared a dream I had about the Rebbe. It was Shabbos afternoon, and I was standing at my place in 770, waiting for the Rebbe to come in and start the farbrengen. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and… it was the Rebbe. With a smile he said to me, “This is how quickly Mashiach can come.”

Yedidya:

Jewish music, or some of it at least, has recently become very superficial and cheap. It almost sounds like an imitation of non-Jewish music. What, if anything, is there to do about it?

Avraham:

I can’t control what’s going on out there. All I can do is make sure that my own new CD is geshmak, and has a Yiddishe taam.

Yedidya:

What is the secret of the power of Chabad niggunim? And why don’t you bring out more of those, like the albums you released back in the day?

Avraham:

I would love to do another album of Chabad niggunim. It is on my musical to-do list, definitely. I think that when a person’s emotions are stirred by a deep understanding of chassidus, the music that comes from that connection is deeper, more inspiring , and more soul-stirring. And therein lies the power of a Chabad niggun.

Yedidya:

What’s the next musical project you are working on?

Avraham:

I’m currently working on a new album of my own. I don’t have a release date yet, but b’ezras Hashem, when it’s ready, the audience will be the first to know.

Yedidya:

How did Covid affect you? Did it change you? Has the world of music returned to where it was?

Avraham:

I would say the greatest effect was the sense of urgency it brought out. Music was always a blessing and an important tool for joy, but during these difficult times, it’s been a major obligation to keep the music and joy coming, and keep people’s spirits up.

Yedidya:

You’re over 60, but you’re still one of the most energetic singers on the stage. What’s the secret — where do you get all that energy from?

Avraham:

As the saying goes, “As long as the candle is burning...” As long as Hashem continues to give me koach, and as long as people keep listening to my music, I’m energized.

Yedidya:

In a sense, you’re the Chabad shaliach who reaches the most Jews. It’s like you have a roving Chabad house. Do you live with that awareness?

Avraham:

I’m actually very touched that you bestow that title on me. Because that’s really the motor and the engine that propels me to keep bringing simchah and light through my music. Everyone plays their part.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 878)