People with a Good Name • And this week: Singer Yoni Shlomo recounts miracles and wonders

September 1, 2016   

""I always loved to sing, but I never thought I would become a singer someday," says Yoni Shlomo, who is now known as one of the top wedding singers.

Yoni Shlomo, born and raised in France, later studied in yeshiva in Israel. Like many others, he began his singing career gradually.

At a more advanced stage, during his singlehood and that of his friends – some of whom were musicians – suggested to him that they form a band together, and he would serve as the lead singer.

""Our ensemble was considered something new in France," he says. "Until then, there had been older-style orchestras. Our young ensemble was quite surprising, and it was a bit difficult to accept. In the period after that, I received an offer from another orchestra, with which I had worked for a longer period. The orchestra's director was Yosef Bar-Ami, and he was very professional to work with.".

At the beginning of his career, the similarity in Yoni Shlomo's voice to singer Avraham Fried was very noticeable. What is interesting is that both of their birthdays are on the same day - the 12th of Adar.

 The first record - "Shamil""

The thing a singer hopes for most at the beginning of his career is to find a 'businessman' who he likes and wants to invest in.

Yoni is one of those who have been blessed with this, and more than once.

""At one of the weddings where I performed," recalls Yoni, "a man named Yitzhak Kalfon approached me and was interested in producing a Chabad record with me. Yitzhak, a successful businessman, financed my first record, 'Shamil' - Chabad melodies.".

In the years that followed, Yoni formed a special bond with musician and arranger Moshe Laufer.

""I called him one day, Moshe Laufer," says Yoni, "and I was interested in producing my own record with his arrangement. From the conversation with him, I realized that at this point I would not be able to afford the high expenses of producing a record. 'In any case,' Moshe told me, 'I'm coming to France in two weeks, and we can meet.'".

Yoni meets Laufer and gives him a recording of himself singing with the prodigy Amit Listwand. A few months later, he receives a surprising message from the producer: "Hello, I have an investor for you, get back to me urgently!""

""I call him back," says Yoni, "and it turns out that one of his friends, a successful businessman named Yehuda Rosenberg, decided he wanted to establish a special format in the Hasidic music industry. And his demand was, in the first stage, to find a new singer with good potential, who had not been heard of yet - and he is interested in investing in him, to be his 'house singer.'.

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""Laufer, along with several other consultants, went through hundreds of recordings in an attempt to find the right singer. Then they listened to the recording I sent to Laufer at the time, and they liked it, and I was chosen to be the singer on whom the first campaign would be based.

""As part of the campaign, four singles were produced for me, composed and arranged by Moshe Laufer.".

In the years that followed, Moshe Laufer himself invested in Yoni Shlomo, producing a full-length album for him with the hit "Tana Debi Eliyahu." Yoni is currently working on another album, which is already in the vocal recording stage.

An experimental wedding: The voice returned

Every singer has 'that wedding' they will never forget.

June also has one.

The wedding celebration was in Antwerp, Belgium. Two weeks before, Yoni began to feel that his voice was becoming hoarse. A visit to a doctor, a speech fast, and other attempts were of no avail. And the wedding day was approaching.

A few hours before the wedding, Yoni tried to perform a "Blanc" with the orchestra, but his voice still couldn't be heard.

""When I saw that I had no solution," says Yoni, "I decided to write about it to the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l. I wrote a letter and sent it directly to the Holy Tent. I asked for a blessing 'if not for me,' then for the bride and groom and the hundreds of guests.

""I returned to the orchestra and the stage, took the microphone, and my voice just came back to me! I sang and rejoiced the whole evening!""

Wait, it's not over yet. "I woke up this morning, and it was all back. I'm hoarse again!""

 The most exciting event: The Shluchim gathering

""A few years ago, I was called by the Chabad Center for Educational Affairs, the body responsible for Chabad's mission work, with an offer for me to come sing at the 'Kinus Hashluchim'," Yoni recalls. "They asked if I was coming to the New York area during the convention. Since they understand the size of the gathering, they didn't even intend to pay for a ticket. For me, it's a great privilege, and I would have come even without funding.".

""I told them I would get back to them in a few days. A few days later, I received a surprising phone call. 'Hello June, do you remember that you bought a lottery ticket for a flight to the Rebbe's Zion? You won!' I immediately called Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky and told him: I'm coming!

""And, blessed be God, I was privileged to sing there, and for me, this is the most moving event I have ever been privileged to participate in. Each one of the thousands of emissaries is a whole world, and that is how I addressed it in my singing.".

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After several years of living in France, Yoni Shlomo immigrated to Israel about a year ago, and he now lives in the Nahalat Har Chabad neighborhood in Kiryat Malachi.

He said he greatly enjoyed the community atmosphere, and the Torah and Hasidic classes that take place there every day.

And yes, you can definitely invite him to make you happy at your wedding, or at any other celebration.