Chayala Neuhaus — the composer behind some of today’s most iconic songs, such as “A Yid” and “Miracles” — shares the story behind her songs
“I was hungry for music,” she recalls. “I started formal training when I was five and when I got a tape recorder, that’s when it really took off for me.” The young musician spent hours tinkering at the piano as the small machine flashed “record.” She kept going until she liked what she heard — and her very first songs began to emerge.
“My family took me seriously long before they had to,” Chayala shared. That support was paramount. It boosted her confidence so that she felt comfortable exploring.
Most creatives start as children who are creative and inquisitive — and hopefully, also confident and uninhibited, Chayala believes. “I wrote a lot of songs from when I was 11 until my twenties. Some were great. Most were horrible. But I’m so grateful I had time to let the music exist before my inner critic started chiming in with opinions. If I didn’t have that stage, I don’t think I could have developed skills the same way.”
When adults ask Chayala for advice in nurturing their own creativity, she tells them to recreate the innocent childhood dynamic. “You need to let yourself just go and go without shutting anything down.”
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