It’s the national final that turned around Israel’s fortunes at Eurovision. The debut of The Next Star for Eurovision 2017 might be two months away, but things are really starting to heat up. The upcoming season of the show promises two new judges and some contestants that may be familiar from the Israeli national selection of 2013.
The Israeli website NRG is reporting that Meital De Razon will take part as a contestant on the show in the upcoming season.
Meital is a known dance music singer who released her debut album last year. She has collaborated with many dance artists and producers, and in 2013 she took part in the national final Kdam Eurovision 2013. Her entry with Asi Tal, “Toda La Noche”, placed third and was a fan favourite.
Earlier this year, Meital took part in the reality survival show The Mission: Amazonas, where she was crowned the runner-up. Maybe in 2017 she will finally come first and will represent Israel at Eurovision. Check out her YouTube channel for more of her music — Meital will make you dance!
Another comeback from Kdam 2013 is expected, as Lihi Griner will also try her luck this year. In 2013 she collaborated with the Israeli rapper-producer Omri “69” Segal with the song “Just Like Me” but didn’t make it past the semi-finals.
Lihi was a familiar face to Israeli audiences from her 2010 appearance on the Israeli version of Big Brother in 2010, where she placed second. She has also taken part in an almost endless list of reality TV shows, including shows about her wedding and her pregnancy. We would be very surprised to see her representing Israel at Eurovision 2017, but she will sure entertain us in the national selection!
The judging panel will also be getting some fresh new faces. Earlier this year, we learned that two judges have left the show, with both Mooki and Assaf Atedgi moving on to new projects. So who will join Harel Skaat and Keren Peles on the judging panel?
The pop duo Static & Ben El Tavori are reported to be the new judges of the show, with the final details of their appearance being negotiated.
This young duo (25 & 24) are newcomers who have taken Israel by storm this year. Their chart success has seen them named breakthrough of the year. They also have the record for the most-viewed YouTube video in Israel. Their appeal to young audiences might be what the show is looking for.
And here’s a little Eurovision trivia: Ben El Tavori is the son of Shimi Tavori, a former contestant of Kdam — though the last time he took part was in 1993 when Ben El was just a baby.
What do you think about The Next Star for Eurovision 2017? Who would you like to see on the show?
Mei Finegold needs to return and get revenge for her robbery in 2014! But I know this is not gonna happen… 🙁
I have never heard of her since her flop. 🙁
One thing for sure: If Doron ‘Medallion’ is once again the writer/composer/arranger of the 2017 entry, you bet your life “it’s a rigged system”. Besides, ‘Rising Star’ is a scripted fake-reality show that has hardly anything to do with Eurovision: it’s a segregated club of a chosen few who manipulate the outcome every step of the way and make sure that this lucrative ‘golden egg’ never cracks. It all about short term gains without looking at the big picture. It’s about finding the reality star of the moment who can actually sing and match him/her up with Doron Medalie or… Read more »
I agree with Maya, James and Robyn!
Hovi…OUCH! Awful guy, awful song….he and the song just summed up evetyhing EC shoudLD NOT be….but which gives the ontest silly sereotypes!
I think that they need to send Hovi Star again. They need to give him another chance 🙂
Nobody wants to see yet more generic boring divas aside from the uber-camp gay section of the Eurovision fanbase who call everyone “queen” and say they “SLAAAAY” because they’re walking stereotypes.
95% of Eurovision fans would prefer something interesting, original and different, instead of the same tired old formulaic power ballads.
@MoreMusicLessGlamourPlease – I completely agree. On the previous season of ‘Rising Star’ it seemed that the show had a very dated perception of what is “Eurovision Material”, which concluded in the selection of the diva-esque Hovi Star, which I think was a bad and boring choice. Hopefully Jamala’s victory helps them see how irrelevant their perceptions are. No chance Lihi Griner would even come close to winning, it’s obvious she’s there because she is a trash icon, a flamboyant caricature that is likely to boost ratings. As for Meital De Razon she’s in it to win it, and she probably… Read more »
divas + ESC = Bad combination!
Bring back some indie / rock Israel! “Time” from 2012….one of the best entries ever! One of the few great recent songs from Israel