How Music Helped Gili Portal Fight Her Disease

When Gili Portal was only 26, doctors said she wouldn’t have been able to pursue a music career or perform for the rest of her life. But her passion for music never left and has since been a way to overcome her struggles.

Gili, now 32, is an indie pop singer and songwriter based in London with a great story to share with her music. Throughout her childhood, Gili has always been fascinated by music and she started writing and composing songs when she was only six.

‘Music chose me. I didn’t really choose it,’ she says. ‘I had songs in my head and I asked my parents if I could start studying piano because I wanted to get those songs out of my head.’

For over nine years, she was classically trained to play the piano - but Gili didn’t stop there. She started exploring and experimenting with instruments from different ethnic backgrounds - such as the ukulele, the harmonium, the sitar and percussions - although these days she mostly sticks with the guitar, the piano and her vocals.

Being half Moroccan and half Polish, Gili grew up between was drawn towards a more ethnic sound which she focused on throughout the process of creating her debut album ‘Stills’.

Her father, David Portal, was one of her inspirations and she wanted to make something special with him, collaborating on the official cover of the album. The artwork shows a small white

clothespin floating in the dark.

That same clothespin was painted by her father 40 years ago, and the painting has been hanging up in her room since she was a little girl. But for Gili it is more than a simple clothespin - it’s a connection to her dad.

‘It’s been amazing to work with him. It’s the first time we’re doing something together and we did have a lot of talks about what this album means to me. It really connected us, even more,’ says Gili.

‘This drawing represents an illusion to me. It’s a clip but it’s also a tower with stairs. Where’s the entrance and how do you get inside or out?’ she says.

In 2015, Gili was diagnosed with a rare disease called ‘Adult-Onset Stills Disease’ (AOSD), a type of inflammatory arthritis that features fevers, rash and joint pain. While there is no cure for AOSD, remission is possible, and Gili healed from it.

‘I was young and everything was all right. Suddenly, I was hospitalised in the heart emergency room, near death experience. BOOM! All your life changes in one second,’ says Gili. ‘I really dedicated my life to healing and a big part of it was the music. I feel like music is a medicine. For me it’s always been,’ she adds.

‘Stills’ is her first self-written album and it contains very personal and meaningful songs that reflect her evolution since recovering from the event. Tracks like ‘The Observer’ and ‘Forest’ showcase the introspective journey that Gili went through, passing to the listeners the message of enjoying life in every aspect and give attention to what really is important.

‘This album is actually a side effect of me putting my heart and me transforming those difficult situations and emotions into those songs. It’s an album full of hope but you can also feel the pain in it,’ she says.

‘I'm really connected to Gili's lyrics. It is not so common to find an artist you can really connect to, I really appreciate it when I feel connected to her stories even though I never lived them with her,’ says Tom Goldstein, artist and musician from Haifa.

Now, after a long and painful period, Gili is working on new projects and singles from the comfort of her house. She’s been working throughout the various lockdowns and has used the time to focus on her music, documenting those experiences and emotions that she had during the healing process.

‘There is a real connection between the sense you get from the music, aesthetically and textually, and the person she is. There is a lot of compassion and sincerity, and also joy and fun, and that’s the vibe I got from her from the first time we met and through all the years of friendship,' says Stav Lipitz, drummer and close friend of Gili.

Before the pandemic, she had the opportunity to tour all over the US, Barcelona, Thailand and Israel. She performed in festivals like Anti-folk festival in NY, Mardi Gras Festival in New Orleans, Yearot Menashe Festival in Israel and more.

‘I miss the connection, the interaction with people. I miss sharing my stories with the audience and I feel like this is the same for most artists right now,’ says Gili.