"Do Not Judge Me": Rotem Shefy puts the Shefita character aside and sets out on a new path

There is almost no person in Israel who does not know Shefita - the uncompromising character, the exaggerated accent, the walking stick, and the covers that burned up the web and television. But behind the colorful shell and the media noise stands Rotem Shefy, a musician and creator who has lived on stage for years. Now she is taking her most exposed and courageous step to date, putting the masks aside for a moment and launching her debut album, "Do Not Judge Me" - a personal work written entirely by her, with musical production shared by her partner Dekel Dvir and Ofer Mair.

She arrives for the "7 Boom" column of Maariv Culture, where Rotem Shefy and Shefita meet for a direct and uninhibited conversation. A moment before she goes on stage with a new band and original material, Shefy talks eye-to-eye about the morning that starts only with silence and coffee, about the legendary Led Zeppelin performance that shaped her path, about alcohol habits and the line-up before going on set, and also about the criticism and the colleagues she is waiting for to call her.

1. What is the first thing or the first song you must have with you to start the day? "I need silence, especially in the morning, so I don't listen to anything. A classic girl - coffee and that's it."

2. What is the work that changed your life or finished you off with tears? "The Led Zeppelin performance in Morocco, I think from 1995. I've known this performance since I was in school, and to this day I am blown away by the arrangements and performances they did there, because of the perfect combination of rock and ethnic music."

3. One moment on the way where you realized: "That's it, it's happening, I did it"? "I had and still have many such moments - whether it's when people ask me for blessings, or when I received campaigns, or when I was invited as Shefita to all kinds of festivals abroad. In general, every time a performance comes in, I feel I succeeded. And even now, when I'm about to perform with a new band and my own material, I feel I succeeded, and that's even before I've even gone on stage. The very fact that I set a date makes me proud."

4. Which role, song, or project did you give up and then ate your heart out? "I don't remember if there was such a thing. If anything, the opposite happened - that I took something that seemed to me to have potential for fun or success, and in the end, it was mediocre and I was disappointed that I spent energy on it."

5. What is the habit you have just before going on stage? "First of all, a line-up meeting with the musicians, it makes a moment of order. I like to drink a little gin and tonic before to get into the atmosphere. Whatever happens, always take a moment and remind myself to enjoy and make the audience happy. It's very easy to forget to enjoy, especially if you go on stage under time pressure."

6. What is the most detached or annoying thing they wrote about you? "The list is long, because they really said so much nonsense about racism and blackface. But I remember that once someone came, supposedly a music critic, to my band performance, 2 sold-out shows, over 2000 people who were blown away. And then I see in her review that all the reference is to the connecting segments. I checked and saw that she is actually a failed stand-up comedian, and it connected for me to why she locked onto the connecting segments that are always very funny with me. When people are jealous, it's hard to laugh, and then I wasn't angry at her anymore."

7. If you could do a collaboration now with any person in Israel - who would you choose? "I can't choose one. Noga Erez is amazing, Dudu Tassa, Berry Sakharof, Peer Tasi, Alma Gov - you are invited to contact me privately, we will do beautiful things together."

Rotem Shefy's transition to the front of the stage under her original name is not just another musical project, but an artistic statement of intent by a creator who is not afraid to dismantle the partitions between her and the audience. After years of playing with characters, stormy covers, and a stage presence larger than life, the new album puts the exposed truth, the songs written from the gut, and her unique voice at the center. Shefy proves that it is possible to laugh at the noise around, sting the critics gracefully, and at the same time bring sensitivity and uncompromising professionalism that marks a new and fascinating chapter in her creative path.

Between the moments of absolute silence of the morning and the bursting energy on stage, Rotem Shefy continues to be one of the most interesting, direct, and colorful figures operating in the local music landscape - one that reminds us all that talent, authenticity, and the joy in music always speak louder than any headline or criticism.