Singer & Musician Riff Cohen on the Life, Deconstructed Podcast - Life, Deconstructed

Episode 10

Singer & Musician Riff Cohen on Creation, Fear, and Femininity

Published on: 28th September, 2021

She's a globally successful singer-songwriter, musician and composer who sings in Hebrew, Arabic and French. Riff Cohen's music doesn't fit neatly into any one category - it's been described as modern Middle Eastern  Rock or Algerian folk,  but it's also the kind of sound that blends influences so vividly, it's better to just listen instead of label. She was born to parents of Tunisian and French-Algerian origins, raised in Israel, and took an artistic scholarship in Paris, where her appropriately titled hit debut album, 'A Paris,' was born. She's since toured the world and released two more albums. Amid work on her fourth, Riff spoke candidly about the all-consuming process of creation and the fear of releasing it into the world, on discovering her femininity, and on learning to live peacefully with her fierce inner critic - and to own her success. 

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About the Podcast

Life, Deconstructed
Candid conversations with inspiring women on doubts, decisions, and success
What's the right path for me? How can I discover and fulfill my own potential? Where's my tribe? Many of us spend years asking ourselves those questions, and don't have easy answers. And that's ok, because the truth is life isn't linear. Think of it like a heart monitor: the sign of life isn't a flat, straight line - it's a constantly fluctuating, vibrant zigzag. But that doesn't mean we have to figure it out alone. From CEOs to tech founders, designers, and journalists, join me for candid conversations with incredible women on how they got to where they are and the debates, decisions, and doubts along the way.

About your hosts

Nurit Ben

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For over 12 years, I've worked in news and broadcasting as an anchor, senior producer, and reporter. I started out behind the scenes at the CBS Evening News, did some stints in print at GQ Magazine and the New York Times Magazine, and for the last 7 years was a managing editor and anchor of global evening news programs. In that space I've interviewed thousands of people, from government officials and political candidates to actors and musicians. But I've always been most drawn to how people actually got to where they are; how they figured it out, and how their paths formed behind the scenes, you know, in real life - not just the shiny final packages we see. Those are the conversations we're having here.

Talia Golijov

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Producer
For the past seven years I have worked as a television producer, first at a production company housing the Middle East bureau of several international news channels, and then as a senior producer of the main evening broadcast on an international network. My background is in cultural anthropology and I have a master's degree in conflict resolution and mediation. I’ve been a news junkie and avid podcast listener since the form emerged in the mid-2000s. Throughout the many nights of breaking news about war, political turmoil, and on the rare occasion, peace, what I show on screen often seems at odds with the stories I most want to hear myself - about shared experiences and personal triumphs.