Independent Pop Artist Kfir Gets Real About “Being Who I Am”

Independent Pop artist Kfir Danieli, aka Kfir, opens up about one of his most intimate songs, “Being Who I Am,” a melancholic composition born from teenage memories of a friendship that seemed like love but couldn’t become one.

Despite being a deeply personal tune, the New York City–based talent explores a theme that resonates across the gay community, with lyrics many will instantly connect with. Read the full interview below.

1. How would you describe your new single, “Being Who I Am,” in five words?

Love that could never be.

2. You wrote this the morning after watching Euphoria. What was going through your head?

I actually woke up from a deep sleep with all these emotions, kind of sad, a little melancholic, with this deep yearning I’ve felt before. The chorus melody just came to me, and I couldn’t stop singing it in my head.

The words ‘Being who I am’ kept repeating over and over. I even have a voice note from that early morning, me in the bathroom, half-asleep, humming that line again and again. That’s really how the song was born.

3. If I’m not mistaken, the song’s about a friendship that felt like love but couldn’t be. How personal is this?

It’s actually inspired by a real memory and emotions I’ve experienced from my teenage years, something very private and true. Growing up, I didn’t have many friends. I was often an outcast, and I got bullied a lot by both kids and adults for being a young boy who went to ballet school.

My cousins and music, both classical and Pop, became my best friends. I spent most of my free time escaping into imaginary worlds I created while listening to music that made me feel seen.

I had never really experienced what a close male friendship felt like until I left art school and went to a regular high school. For the first time, I felt accepted. I started building friendships without judgment, and that was such a new, beautiful feeling.

This track is actually about one of those people, someone who became one of my best friends growing up.

4. What did Anthoney Fonseca and Cardellino bring to the track?

Cardellino is such a genius. I’ve been working with him for a few years now, and he’s not only an incredibly emotional and phenomenal musician, but also a huge star performing all over South America. He’s stunning to watch and just insanely talented.

He took the chorus melody I had and helped me shape the verses. Antony brought this infectious Dance-Pop energy to the track, and with him painting the sonic landscape, the rest of the song, the bridge, and the melodies just flowed naturally.

He lets me drive him crazy in the studio, but at the same time, he gives me total freedom to express myself both artistically and personally. That kind of trust and creative chemistry is rare.

5. Madonna, George Michael, Lady Gaga. What do you draw from each of them?

Madonna is a genius, they all are! I’ve always loved the way she delivers her lyrics. They’re never overcomplicated, yet every song captures a pure feeling and stays with you. Her writing is timeless because it connects so effortlessly.

George Michael’s vocal delivery is another huge inspiration for me. The emotion, the phrasing, the way he tells a story through his voice is something I always try to emulate.

And then there’s Lady Gaga, the ultimate theatrical mistress. We share a deep love for art, theater, and, of course, New York City. It’s always about the show, the performance as a full expression of who you are.

Madonna, again, embodies that same energy. She’s a phenomenal showwoman. I remember watching The Girlie Show concert and realizing, right then, that performing was exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

6. You’ve done ballet, opera, and theatre. How do they collide in your music?

If you really listen to my music and break it down, a lot of the structure, actually, most of it can be traced back to classical music. Visually, that influence has always been something I try to weave into my sound as well.

Being a professional principal ballet dancer for many years really expanded my musical and visual vocabulary. It taught me discipline, storytelling through movement, and the power of emotion in performance. I think that’s what sets me apart from many of today’s male Pop artists who fuse classical artistry with modern Pop energy.

If you look through my discography on YouTube, you’ll notice that in almost every music video or visual, those artistic choices and influences are there, the movement, the composition, the emotion, it’s all connected.

7. Pop and liberation. Those two words together, what’s the connection for you?

In the Pop landscape, I feel I can be whoever I want to be. It’s the same freedom I’ve always found in stagecraft as an actor, dancer, singer, performer, I can express every part of myself: the happy, the sad, the confused, the in love, the angry, the sinner, the believer. Everything is possible.

But that kind of liberation doesn’t happen overnight. Beyond the hard work that goes into the craft itself, the most challenging work is the inner work of facing yourself. There are times I’ve felt like a prisoner of my own ambition, trapped by my own choices and my relentless drive to perfect my art. Yet, it’s that struggle, the pain, the sacrifice, the constant fight that makes the moment of liberation so powerful.

When the music finally comes to life, when I become everything I dreamt of being, that’s my freedom. That’s my personal liberation, breaking free from my own chains.

8. When “Being Who I Am” ends, what’s the feeling you want to leave listeners with?

A wish that died — those words feel like a dagger in my heart, and I’m certain millions of people have felt the same. A wish can be anything, but for me, it was a love that never came to be.

I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if we hadn’t been restricted by society, shaped into who others wanted us to be. If we’d had the chance to be together…

Maybe that was my true soulmate, a connection so powerful it feels like it was made in another world. Who knows?

That all-consuming question, that sense of longing and ‘what if’, that’s exactly what I want to leave the listener with. Not all Pop is always happy; it can have depth.

9. As an independent Pop artist, what’s next? More music? Shows? Taking over?

I’m getting ready to work on a brand-new club show, one that I hope to take all over and really connect with audiences. I’ll also be releasing my full EP in early 2026, and I’m already working on a fresh club banger that’s going to leave everyone completely drained on the dance floor.

I have a few possible collaborations with some very well-known DJs that I can’t wait to share with you. Beyond all that, my main focus is simple: I just want to keep making love to the sound and share it with you all!

10. You’re telling the world to be who they are. So who are you right now, at this moment?

Truly, I’m a person who’s learning how to accept what is, how to let go of disappointments, and just go with the flow. I’m done chasing approval or forcing my desires into existence.

If something doesn’t unfold the way I wish, then it simply isn’t time to move on, enjoy life the way it is.

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