Should you attend services at Temple Israel in Memphis, there may soon come a day when you recognize the cantorial soloist’s voice as the same voice in the latest indie pop internet hit. It may seem unlikely, but in Memphis all things are possible. Of course that part about the latest hit is pure speculation, but it’s not far-fetched, given that the leading musical voice of Temple Israel is Happie Hoffman, a singer with uncanny pop instincts.
Yet, while the artist known as Happie is already turning heads, with two performances at this week’s Austin City Limits Festival, don’t think that her work at Temple Israel is an afterthought. Indeed, the singer’s love of music was born in the synagogue, and her ongoing work there remains at the core of her being. “I hold space for people spiritually in Memphis, and they see me as a spiritual comfort and leader. I’m a fully integrated part of the clergy team at Temple Israel. My aim is to move people spiritually, and my mode of doing that is music.”
It all started half a lifetime ago, when the singer, now 30, was still in high school. “I’ve been singing at Temple since I was a teenager,” Hoffman says. “That’s where I really learned to sing in front of people, and learned to sing Jewish music. One of my mentors in the Jewish music world told me, ‘Happie, your voice is beautiful. Why don’t you try learning guitar? You could do so much.’ That person was Rick Recht, a prominent Jewish musician based in St. Louis, who would often travel to Memphis to mentor young musicians. And at that point, I bought a guitar off of Craigslist and started watching YouTube videos on how to play.”
It was a pivotal moment in the singer’s life, and following music’s call has already taken her around the world, often singing Jewish spiritual music at significant historical, political, and religious sites. That came about through the BBYO (formerly the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, Inc., now known only by the acronym) and a musical partner Hoffman met there named Eric Hunker. “BBYO is very big in Memphis. It’s the world’s largest Jewish teen movement. Eric and I met through that organization, inspiring teens around the world,” Hoffman says. “We worked — and still do some work together — in Jewish spiritual communities around the world. We played in Auschwitz, at the United Nations, in Russia, in Moldova, and all over Eastern Europe. We both feel incredibly lucky to do this work, and inspire and connect with people musically. I’m very grateful that we’re able to still work together.”
The two also worked in more secular forms, as with their 2016 album, It’s Yours, a largely acoustic work in the Americana vein, featuring their stellar harmonies. Two years after that, they released Hamavdil, an EP of their Jewish spiritual music. Then, in 2020, she was named cantorial soloist at the synagogue where it all started. “Taking this position a few years ago was a return to home,” she says.
That was only a year after the end of Eric and Happie’s collaborative first chapter, though, the singer stresses, “We still work together.” Lately, known simply as Happie, she’s pursuing a more individual path. And her appearance at the Austin City Limits Festival in Texas this week is “definitely a milestone,” she says. “I’ve been playing around New York with my band since February. This is our first big festival, and it coincides with the new music and album in the coming weeks.”
The new album, Heartbreak Season, due November 11th, chronicles Happie’s quest for a deep romantic relationship, mixing acoustic instrumentation with sleek, radio-friendly electro-ambience. “My Jewish music was vulnerable, and letting people know they are not alone,” Hoffman says of her new direction. “In some ways this new music is no different — it’s about being open — but I am writing about my heart, so these songs are personal in a different way. My hope is to help people connect to their emotions through music. Whether I’m singing Jewish spiritual music or indie pop. I want to try to help people tap into that space, where they can access emotion.”