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Los Angeles-based Israeli singer-songwriter Mergui has debuted “3 Tears,” his first release with Universal Records and REPUBLIC Collective in partnership with Saban Music Partners. After rising to fame as a teenager through an Israeli television talent competition, Mergui decided to start over in LA, redefining his artist vision and love for songwriting. Curious as ever to hear how his journey is going, we sat down with the extraordinaire himself to get all the scoop:

OnesToWatch: So, who are you? 


Mergui: My name is Mergui. Mergui is actually my last name. 

Okay, so you're not hiding? 

I'm not hiding. But yeah, it's also my artist name. Everybody called me Mergui ever since I remember myself. I'm from Israel. I'm an artist. I became famous over there when I was 17 on a TV show kind of like American Idol, called “The Next Star” in translation. We call it Gohaba. There's been a few big Israeli artists coming off it. It's the most popular show over there. My life has changed ever since the first audition and I was 17, I'm 26 now. So it's been quite a ride. I've done so many different things, thousands of interviews and podcasts just like this, but this is one of the first ones in English for me. Around a few years ago, I decided to risk everything I had over there, all the shows, everything and move here and follow my dream. I started from scratch here in LA, a place where nobody knows me, trying to make music for the rest of the world. In English, because all the music back then was in Hebrew. 

What's it like to be famous and then become unfamous? 

I found out a lot of things… I'm enjoying it. I'm learning a lot about myself, which is a good thing. I'll go to touristy places and spontaneously buy a ticket to a movie and just watch a movie by myself and enjoy being in an area with a lot of people where no one recognizes me. I'm not that type of person to be bothered by people saying hi or wanting pictures. I'm super honored whenever somebody's reaching out and saying that my music touched them, you know? But I've realized, moving here, that there's so many other things I like to do that I didn't even know I do. 

So that's one thing. And I’ve also learned to approach everything in a different way. Everything I'm thinking about, from making a song to every decision that gets on my table, I have to decide to go right or left. In Israel, I'm an established artist. But here, I got to flip the switch and think about it from a different angle, which was challenging at first, but now I find it just another color in the rainbow for me. It helped me appreciate both sides and be more humble. And on the other hand, it helped me be more eager here, you know? 


What made you want to be an artist originally? 

So my mom's a singer. And my dad also used to do music. He's a branding expert now. I remember us singing songs on the couch – music was always a part of my life. So every time I get asked this question, it’s hard to remember one point where I decided to do music or discovered it. It was always there, saturating my life in such a good way. But I do remember, a bit before I went on the show in Israel, we built a little bedroom studio for me. That's when I started experimenting with producing my own stuff, doing covers, playing the piano, I just immersed myself into the musical world of endless possibilities. So I think that really started everything that I am today, how I sing, how I make the music I make, everything started then. 


So it's obviously worked for you in Hebrew. But what do you think the biggest difference is between writing in Hebrew and English? 

There are a lot of differences. The music I grew up listening to was always in English. So it’s the most natural for me to sing in English. What I will say is it was easy for me to be relatively unique over there. When I was writing in Hebrew, I was still writing in the genres I was influenced by, which not a lot of people were doing. I grew up on a lot of R&B and pop vocals, so it was very different. Then when I came here, I was like, okay, wait. Now I have to figure out how to stand out in this huge ocean, and there's some amazing fish in this ocean. I just need to the find a way to still be who I am and not change parts of myself, but at the same time be a fucking glowing shark, you know? Like, how do you do that? 
But I think that's the biggest difference, that the music I make is in the industry already. The music I make was just starting to reach Israel, but here it’s everywhere. 

Are there more people in LA than there are in all of Israel? 

Not quite, but it’s close. LA is a huge city. I think about LA as the pipeline to the rest of the world. That's why I moved here, to fulfill dreams that I didn't even know I had. Thinking of the possibilities for me here, I'm just excited to figure it out.

It's got to be fun. You've already done something very difficult and now you are embarking on a whole other journey. 

I love it. Challenging. 

I need to talk to you more. 
Most people have three wishes. Why do you have three tears? 

I don't have three tears. She did. 


Say no more then. 

This was one of the more fun processes I've had writing a song. I wrote it with Amy Allen and Andrew Wells, which was, in itself, a dream for me. The writing was so smooth and easy and it all fell into place. It felt like it was all meant to be. We finished the song in one day, which usually doesn't happen for me. I'm such a perfectionist. I take every little word seriously or every little instrument, but this was just so natural. What we were writing about was loving and caring for someone so deeply that, without knowing, you give parts of yourself to them. And, whether intentional or not, they manipulate you into staying, keeping you close. That's what the song is about. It's about the realization that you can take power back and take care of yourself the way you’ve been taking care of this other person. 

The song is obviously already doing well, but if your dreams were to come true all over again with this single, where does it take you? What are you doing? Is Bruno Mars's opening for you, or Bieber? 

Maybe doing a collab with them would be great. But yeah, the goal is just doing everything. I’d love to play shows and have people come and share a moment every time. Whether it’s a small venue, a big venue, there’s magic in all of it. Making music with friends and people that I love is also really important for me. Just having the freedom to choose what I do and writing the best albums I can… I want to keep making music that inspires me, and I'm sure that if it does that for me, then it will do it for others. That's my dream. 


That's perfect. 

There's so many other things that I would love to achieve, I'm into fashion, I used to dance, there’s so much I can’t wait to do. 

Amazing. Pivoting to some fun questions… if all of us showed up at your place hungry, could you whip up some food? What would you make?

I would tell you to wait like 30 minutes and I'll order something for you. 

Where would you order from? Do you have a favorite place yet? 

But it's not about me. It's about you. 

True, but it's you ordering for us. You're going to surprise us and feed us. 

I like sushi. I like Italian. Any pizza, pasta. I don't eat a lot of vegetables, though. Maybe I should. 


It's good for you. If you could perform with anyone dead or alive, is there a dream concert you would be able to create? 

I’d love to do a duet with Harry Styles. Noga Erez. She's from Israel, too. 

If you're stressed out and you need to relax, what do you do? Where do you go? 

Maybe talk to some people that I love. I'm so grateful to have my family, friends, and my girlfriend, but they’re all in Israel, and it’s a 10 hour difference, so it’s hard. So I either put my mind somewhere else, have a bit of a laugh, or meditate. 

Is there a certain place you've never been before that you are very excited to go to? 

I want to go to Vietnam. Good coffee, great beaches. 

Last three questions. First, I’d love a non-music recommendation – a book, movie, place to go, etc.

It's Harry Potter, for sure. I'm actually listening to the books all over again right now. I'm a fan of that story. When I was young, it really helped me – I know it sounds dramatic – but it really helped me shape my personality in a way because there are so many different metaphors in there… 

Now I need a music recommendation. 

I've been listening lately to this amazing artist, Sienna Spiro. I would like to recommend her. 

And then lastly, we would love to just end on anything you want to say. You can give some advice, some affirmation, say hi to people back home, whatever you want to do. 


I would like to say thank you to everybody who’s been part of the journey, listening to the music, supporting, following, and to everybody who's doing everything with me. I'm not doing anything alone, you know? It's a big team and they're all so talented. It's beautiful. 

Thank you. So much for chatting with us. 

Thank you!