He will be missed
Mergui Says Goodbye As He Releases New Song: "A Huge Sacrifice" | LISTEN
As he continues building his international career in the United States, Mergui releases a new single called "Farewell Party" from an upcoming album. The song deals with the difficulty of repeated separations from family and his girlfriend Anna Zak in Israel.
Yehonatan Mergui burst into public consciousness in 2017 on the reality show "The Next Star" and became one of Israel's most prominent pop stars. Since then, he's grown up, and his music has become more authentic and personal. His new song, "Farewell Party," describes the challenge of living far from home in pursuit of a dream, the difficulty of saying goodbye again and again, and the longing that follows.
Behind the Song: A Session with an Old Friend
The chorus features the striking lyrics: "Once again a farewell party for Mergui, I had no one to tell me, that fulfilling my dream, could also be my nightmare." The song touches on the pain of frequent separation from his beloved and family.
Mergui shares that the song was born almost by accident, during a session with Ben Bar, a close friend from high school. "He's insanely talented, but I was always hesitant to mix friends with work," Mergui explains. He emphasizes that his high school friends are "my last refuge when I'm in Israel. The people who knew me before everything, before the fame. To them, 'Mergui' is just a nickname, and the fact that my life changed overnight in 2017 doesn't interest them, thank God."
According to him, working with Ben Bar allowed for deeply personal writing: "And it's funny, after working with truly the biggest producers and writers in the world, I feel I can say there's no substitute for someone who really knows you, and the chemistry and openness between us allowed us to dive deep and write a song about my actual life."
The song describes the challenge of short visits home: "About how when I come to visit it's always not enough... and without blinking two weeks pass, and suddenly I have to pack again. Return to the United States. Tel Aviv-Hollywood. It sounds glittery. It looks glittery. But inside it's mainly a challenge. A huge sacrifice. And the understanding that there are dreams that demand you pay a price."
Margi adds that "my price, among other things, is living far from home. Living far from the people I love most, from my country. And that moment, which repeats itself every time, when I have to say goodbye again, it never gets easier. I think it's actually the opposite."
He explains that the song is a way to cope with longing: "This song is my way of coping. My way of reminding myself how happy I am with what I have. How much I love the people around me. And even when I'm far away, I know I'm home. Because they're in my life. This is me and I'm not willing to give up on the dream. Even if it means risking a lot. And even if it means missing them. Very much."
In closing, Mergui dedicates the song "to anyone who chooses to follow their dream."
Photogenic Romance and Repeated Goodbyes
Mergui has been in a relationship with singer Anna Zak for over two years now. The two are known for their photogenic coupling that appears occasionally on social media. In the past, Margi dedicated the song "Angel" to Anna Zak, in which he sang: "I went through hell until I found you."
Looks like even pop stars can't escape the old "long-distance relationship" struggle, though admittedly, most of us aren't dealing with the Tel Aviv-Hollywood commute. At least he's got good material for his songs.