Some albums are created to entertain. Others emerge from experiences so painful that making music becomes a way to express what ordinary words cannot. On Requiem for NOVA, Tel Aviv-based artist Orshina transforms profound personal grief into a musical memorial, confronting loss while searching for comfort, hope and some measure of understanding in a world that can feel impossibly cruel.
Released on October 7, 2026, the album is Orshina’s response to a devastating event that claimed the life of their beloved sister and many close friends. Rather than attempting to make sense of the tragedy through a conventional narrative, Orshina allows the music to carry the weight of the experience. The result is a deeply personal project built around remembrance, collective pain and the determination to ensure that those who were lost are not forgotten.
At the heart of the album is a simple, unwavering message: “WE WILL NEVER FORGET.” It serves as both a declaration of remembrance and the emotional foundation of the project. For Orshina, the music is not simply an artistic response to tragedy; it is an attempt to find comfort, hope and meaning amid overwhelming grief. The repeated appeal, “Help me heal the world,” expresses an ambition that reaches beyond personal healing, inviting listeners to recognise the connections that remain possible even after devastating loss.
Musically, Requiem for NOVA draws on a wide-ranging palette of electronic and progressive influences, including Pink Floyd, Infected Mushroom, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Shpongle, Miktek and Entheogenic. These influences inform a sound that prioritises immersive textures and musical depth, bringing together electronic production and a broader range of instrumentation. Rather than confining the album to a single genre, Orshina allows its emotional subject matter to guide the musical direction.
The collaborative contributions are an important part of that approach. Violinist Maianne Tur, drummer Roey Brosh, and vocalists Idit Eshel and Shiran Tzfira help shape the album’s expansive musical world. Their involvement adds different dimensions to a project that seeks to communicate the complexity of grief through sound. The combination of electronic elements and live instrumentation reflects Orshina’s desire to create something musically rich enough to hold the weight of its message.
The circumstances surrounding the recording make the finished work particularly poignant. Most of the album was recorded in Orshina’s professional home studio, with the drums and mixing completed at Leon Sound Pro. The process was far from easy. Orshina describes it as a psychological journey involving tears, emotional breakdowns and days of exhaustion. Those experiences became inseparable from the music’s creation, giving the project an authenticity rooted in the reality of the artist’s grief rather than an attempt to present a polished account of recovery.
Importantly, Requiem for NOVA does not suggest that music can erase tragedy or provide simple answers to unbearable questions. Instead, it offers a space in which sorrow can be acknowledged and shared. Its purpose is to remember those who were lost while reaching towards the possibility of healing, even when the path forward remains unclear.
With Requiem for NOVA, Orshina has created a memorial shaped by both devastation and hope. It is an expression of personal loss that reaches towards collective remembrance, asking listeners to sit with difficult emotions rather than turn away from them. The album’s message is ultimately simple but profound: those who are gone deserve to be remembered, and even in the deepest darkness, the search for healing continues.
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