For most people, hearing others say they can’t do something well kills their morale. That need for external validation has killed many dreams even before they begin. In Israeli musician Ifty’s case, those words had a different effect. They motivated him to prove everyone wrong and took him to the top of the country’s music charts. Today, he is hailed as one of the most significant songwriters in Israel.
Born Iftach Kerzner, Ifty is a versatile entrepreneur and entertainer. In the entertainment space, he is a well-known musician and TV host. In the business world, he currently serves as the president of Kissterra, a high-tech company he also co-founded. Ifty’s remarkable ability to wear these three hats successfully is a feat few can manage that well. In his case, it is also a testament to the grit, determination, and persistence that drive his life.
Ifty’s insatiable love for music took root early in life. However, nobody believed he could make anything out of it. He, therefore, grew up with no formal musical background or education. He was thrown out of literature class in high school because the instructors felt he could not write correctly. Even worse, they believed he didn’t have any talent with words.
Undeterred by those sentiments, Ifty continued nurturing his dream. He promised himself that one day, he’d have a number 1 song on the radio. That dream was laughable to many, and even his own mother couldn’t see how it would work. The fact that he could not sing or play an instrument at the time made his declaration look even more ridiculous.
Throughout the 11th and 12th grades, Ifty spent entire days at school writing and rewriting songs. He wrote hundreds of bad songs at first, but they got better with practice and time. Ifty taught himself everything he could about tempo, rhythm, and phonetics. With time, he learned how to construct elaborate metaphors that could be both deep and easy to understand at the same time. When he was not writing, he listened to his favorite singers and bands. As he honed his skills, his confidence level grew too.
When Ifty turned 18, he started to use professional studios to record his music. Three years later, at only 21, Ifty wrote “A Million Stars.” The song was a tribute to his friend who’d died in action, but soon, it became more than that. Thousands of people across the country had lost friends and loved ones in the war, and the lyrics resonated with many of them.
“A Million Stars” became the most played song related to that war. Over the years, it became a national treasure, sung on many important Israeli national days. Ifty’s other songs did just as well. One year later, Ifty went back to the studio. He released “The Night Will Pass,” another number 1 single. This made him one of the country’s youngest musicians to have composed, produced, and performed a number one single.
Ifty has since composed and produced more songs, some of which have been performed by other people. Besides gaining a lot of commercial success, his songs have also become pillars of national consciousness. Interestingly, Ifty still can’t play a musical instrument to date.
