Israel

🇮🇱 Israel: Kan makes a statement about withdrawal

Today, Israeli broadcaster Kan made a statement about withdrawal from the Eurovision Song Contest. While Eden Golan was chosen to represent the country, it might be the song that causes a withdrawal. The song, “October rain”, is on investigation by the EBU; one of the rules of the contest is that no politics are allowed in the lyrics. To the Huffington post, an EBU spokesperson said: The EBU is currently in the process of scrutinising the lyrics, a process which is confidential between the EBU and the broadcaster until a final decision has been taken. All broadcasters have until 11 March to formally submit their entries.If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, broadcasters are then given the opportunity to submit a new song or new lyrics, as per the rules of the Contest. This is the statement Kan published in response to “October rain” being investigated: It should be noted that as far as the Israel Broadcasting Corporation is concerned, there is no intention to replace the song. Meaning, if it is not approved by the European Broadcasting Union – Israel will not be able to participate in the competition that will be held in Sweden this coming May.

Eden Golan

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameEden Golan Born2003 Nationality🇮🇱 Israel National SelectionHaKokhav Haba In Eurovision2024 Malmö SongHurricane (2024) Biography Eden Golan is an Israeli singer. She was born in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, on October 5, 2003. Eden’s early years were transformative. At five and a half, she relocated with her family to Moscow, Russia—a move that proved to be a significant challenge. In Moscow, she faced social isolation, primarily because her Israeli identity was not warmly received. Eden recounts how her peers, unwilling to call her by her name, referred to her as “Natasha” instead. Eden’s musical career began to take shape with notable participations. In 2015, she competed in the Russian pre-selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest with “Schastye,” securing the fifth place. Her ambition led her to The Voice Kids Russia in 2018, where she chose Pelageya as her mentor and performed “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna. Despite a strong performance, she did not place in the top three. Returning to Israel in 2022, Eden released “Ghost Town,” a collaborative effort with Lithuanian producer Lucky Luke, achieving approximately 700,000 Spotify streams. She continued to release music, including “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” with TYMMA and singles “Taxi” and “DOPAMINE” in 2023. Her participation in the reality show “Seeing the Voice” showcased her talent, though she was eliminated early. 2024 marked a significant milestone in Eden’s career as she participated in “The Next Star for Eurovision” decade season. Her audition performance of “Rise Up” by Andra Day earned her an unprecedented 100% score, making her a favorite. She impressed both judges and audiences with renditions of “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, ultimately winning the competition. Eden Golan is now poised to represent Israel at Eurovision 2024. Her entry was controversial: the lyrics of the song, originally titled “October rain”, where rejected by the EBU. Another text was also rejected; after that Israeli broadcaster changed the lyrics of “October rain”, now titled “Hurricane”. It became the Israeli entry. Controversy kept on around the song; protests against the participation of Israel kept going on. The song was bood a lot in the hall, although the broadcasters tried to cover it with an applause tape. Israel won the televote in the semifinal. In the Grand Final Israel reached a 5th place. Entries Hurricane Country🇮🇱 Israel Year2024 LanguageEnglishHebrew LyricsKeren PelesStav Beger MusicAvi OhionKeren Peles DancersIrad AvniLia GissinMichal FitoussiReches ItzhakiTamir Golan Results Semi Points: 194Position: 1Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 375Position: 5Running order: 6 https://youtu.be/K60BWlEhtAA?si=GJBCpxUB5TBPvyeJ

Eden Golan wins HaKokhav HaBa (The Next Star)

After months of figthing for the victory, Eden Golan has won HaKokhav HaBa. She won over the jury, and the public vote aswell with 153 points! It was between her, Or Cohen who ended with 135 points, and Mika Moshe with 72 points. The show was used for searching the Isreali Eurovision entry, and now we have one. This song is not the Eurovision song for Malmö. In March the song will be released, with definite hebrew & possible english lyrics.

🇮🇱 Israel selects an artist for Eurovision

Tonight will be the night that Israel selects an artist for Eurovision. The final of HaKokhav Haba, the talent show that is also the Israeli preselection, will be held. The song that he or she will sing will be published later. The show starts at 20:15 CET and you can watch it here. Artist Dor Shimon Eden Golan Mika Moshe Or Cohen Note that there is a lot of opposition against the participation of Israel, due to the Israel-Hamas war. In a statement, the EBU said that they will not exclude Israel from Eurovision as this is a competition between broadcasters and not between governments. Israeli broadcaster Kan did not break any rules according to the EBU.

Tali

© EBU/Alma Bengtsson About Quick Facts NameTali Golergant Born2000 Nationality Luxembourgish National SelectionLuxembourg Song Contest 2024 In Eurovision2024 Malmö SongFighter (2024) Biography Tali Golergant is an Israeli born Luxembourgish singer, songwriter, film actor, and musical theater performer, now making waves in the NYC music and arts scene. Influenced by the likes of Lizzy McAlpine, Sara Bareilles, and Lady Gaga, Tali has crafted a unique blend of pop, indie, and R&B in her music. Her journey in music began impressively; her debut single, written at the age of 16, has already amassed over 70,000 streams on Spotify. In 2021, Tali released her debut EP titled “lose you,” co-written with the artist Francis of Delirium, showcasing her evolving artistry. After the pandemic, Tali began performing live gigs in New York City with her music group, gracing stages at renowned venues such as RockWood Music Hall, Mercury Lounge, Arlene’s Grocery, and The Delancey. Her performances have captivated audiences, highlighting her prowess as both a singer and a songwriter. Beyond her burgeoning career in pop music and songwriting, Tali has also made significant strides in the film and theater worlds. She starred in the indie short film “Agua,” which is currently in post-production. Her versatility as a performer is further exemplified in her theatrical roles, where she has portrayed characters like Tzeitel from “Fiddler on the Roof,” Susan Snell in “Carrie,” and Eponine in “Les Miserables.” Tali Golergant’s multifaceted talent continues to shine across different facets of the arts, marking her as a rising star in both the music and acting industries. On 27 January, 2024, Tali was chosen to represent Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Fighter”. Being the first Luxembourgish participant since 1993, she reached the Grand Final and reached a 13th place there. Entries Fighter Country🇱🇺 Luxembourg Year2024 LanguageEnglishFrench LyricsAna ZimmerManon RomitiSilvio Lisbonne MusicAna ZimmerDario FainiManon Romiti DancersLuana ManukaMathilde EggenRandy RochaSalaam ParachSimi Simoes Results Semi Points: 117Position: 5Running order: 15 Results Finals Points: 103Position: 13Running order: 4 https://youtu.be/TCWH3Nq5y9A?si=eBOGxo-vlqnY4B1F

🇮🇱 Six artists left in Israel

Israel comes closer to a decision. The artist representing the country will be chosen on 6 February. Meanwhile, the call for exclusion of Israel due to the Israel-Hamas war becomes louder. Iceland has put the biggest questionmark on participation in a contest with Israel this week. This is to be continued. Meanwhile, the Israeli selection process, HaKokhav Haba, continues. 21 january Or Cohen, 86% Shai Tamino, 83% Dor Shimon, 88% Mika Moshe, 94% Orel Ravid, 81% Eden Golan, 90% Jonathan Bitton, 62%, eliminated Lian Biran, 68% Arik Sinai, 66% 22 january This was a round with duels. One of each duel went directly to the next round, three others were saved by the jury. Mika Moshe (97%) vs Dor Shimon (81%) Lian Biran (82%) vs Orel Ravid (59%) Eden Golan (83%) vs Shai Tamino (73%) Or Cohen (94%) vs Arik Sinai (79%) Dor Shimon, Shai Tamino and Arik Sinai were saved. 25 January Or Cohen, 94% Mika Moshe, 86% Dor Shimon, 79% Eden Golan, 92% Shai Tamino, 72% Lian Biran, 56% Arik Sinai, 51%, eliminated Note that Arik Sinai took part in the national selection in 1985 and was 4th.

Participation of Iceland unsure

Participation of Iceland in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest remains unsure. Due to the Israel-Hamas war, Icelandic broadcaster RÚV will let the possibility of withdrawal open. In an earlier stage, the Icelandic Association of Composers and Lyricists (FTT) has asked RÚV to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest. Stefán Eiriksson, director-general of RÚV, made a statement today. The Icelandic national final, Söngvakeppnin, will be held as planned. After the winner is known, RÚV and the winning artist will make the decision together. “They apply with the goal of becoming Iceland’s representative at Eurovision. They are concerned about the situation just like we are. This has been our preparation for Eurovision and we have announced that we intend to participate in Eurovision without any changes, but we do not know what the future holds”, says Eiriksson.

🇮🇱 In memoriam: Shmulik Bilu

Shmulik Bilu sadly passed away at 31 December 2023, at the age of 71 following a lengthy illness. He was a member of ‘Milk and Honey’, the group that famously represented Israel in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with their winning song ‘Hallelujah’. In his early years, Bilu was part of the Armored Corps band and took part in the 1969 show ‘Just a Tanker’. He joined ‘Milk and Honey’ in 1979, a band formed specifically for the Song and Chorus Festival, where their rendition of ‘Hallelujah’, penned by Shimrit Orr and Kobi Oshrat, earned them first place. This victory came a year after Izhar Cohen’s success, ensuring their participation in the subsequent European competition. The group also included Yehuda Tamir, Reuven Gvirtz, and lead singer Gali Atari. Bilu later shifted his focus to working in various productions.

🇦🇱 🇮🇱 🇨🇭 Update on what happens in and around Europe

Albania has chosen, Israel continues and Switzerland teases. That is what happens in Europe on the field of Eurovision. Albania Albania has chosen. Not Mal Retkonceri, who won Festivali i Këngës goes to Eurovision. The favourite of the televote, Besa Kokëdhima, will do so. It is not known whether her song “Zemrën n’dorë” will be in Eurovision in the way it was presented last week. We will keep you updated. Note that you can find her biography, and all the others of the chosen artists so far, can be found on our website. Israel Israel continues to have auditions. Still, when a candidate gets 70% of the votes (50% of the audience, 50% of an expert jury) they are through to the next round. 17 december Noah Aharon, 94%Zohar Zacharov, 81%Or Giny, 55%Libi Natfali, 82% 18 december Mika Kertis, 87%Israel Levi, 70%Frida Uziel, 57%Eitan Jomo, 90%Romi Netz, 78% Note that Frida Uziel also took part in 2019. She was rejected, but saved by the hosts. This time, a saviour by the hosts is not possible. Frida didn’t make it to the next round 20 december Or Cohen, 83%Gal Kafri, 86%Shoval Mualem, 62%Tahel Perry, 79%Tamar Ben-Zvi, 77% Switzerland Swiss TV announced that they will not be represented by a man with a ballad. Still, everything is possible. A man, with an uptempo song? A woman, with a ballad? Or a woman, but uptempo? Or a group? We don’t know yet, but thanks for the teaser Switzerland!

🇨🇿 🇬🇧 🇮🇱 🇳🇱 🇸🇮 🇸🇪 Update after a turbulent week

It has been a turbulent week in the world of Eurovision. No less than four countries presented their participant, one of which also included a song. And as if that was not enough, the EBU also presented the theme art. Israel Let’s all start were it started. The 10th of december was the day of the next round in Israel. This was the result: Malki Lipsker, 95% Raz Levi, 53% Dor Shimon, 93% Yehuda Saado, 73% None of them took part before in Kokhav Nolad when it was the national final for Eurovision. However, Yehuda Saado won the contest in 2005, way before it became the Eurovision national final. The Netherlands Last Monday, it was announced that the Netherlands will be represented by Joost Klein. Joost is especially known for his international hit “Frieschenjung”. You can read everything about Joost here. The song will be presented in March. Slovenia Tuesday was the day of Slovenia. Rumour had it already, but now it was confirmed that Raiven will be the Slovenian representative. Raiven took part in the national selection EMA more than once. Read all about it here. Czechia Wednesday, the result of the Czech final was announced. Aiko is the happy one, her song “Pedestal” will be the Czech entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. You can also find out who Aiko is at her page on our site. Theme Art Thursday, the theme art was published. The theme art makes it possible to have a consistent experience regardless of platform or screen size. Also good to know: the allocation draw, in which it will be decided which country will perform in which semifinal, will be held on January 30. United Kingdom Surprise, surprise, Saturday evening Olly Alexander suddenly announced that he will be the 2024 UK representant. The song will be announced later, in 2024. But until then, you can find all the information about Olly here.