He achieved massive local success representing the host nation at Eurovision 2019. And now Israel’s Kobi Marimi has given fans the follow-up they’ve been craving with “Yalla Bye” — his first single as a solo artist. It marks a surprising and drastic change of style — from the traditional power ballad to an upbeat Mizrahi bop. Our hips don’t lie: We love it!

The design of the cover art features different versions of the Middle Eastern “hamsa” amulet. That hint of a strong Middle Eastern flavour becomes evident from the very first note. Oozing mystery and an intoxicating near Eastern sound, Kobi leads us through tantalising verses filled with regional instrumentation. As your head bobs and your toes tap, Kobi’s deep voice takes us higher.It’s a fresh Mizrahi pop track reminiscent of the Israeli entries from 2008 and 2015.

The Hebrew-language lyrics present the notion of being free to do whatever, and simply not giving a damn. In the catchy refrain, Marimi says: “…and I don’t know if there’s anyone listening, if there’s someone watching over me. I’m not going crazy, I’m going out of here. If you’re looking for me, yalla bye, bye, bye”.

Positive reviews have been pouring in. Part of the joy stems from the element of surprise: This is not at all what the average Kobi Marimi fan would expect. This track erases whatever box was built around Marino owing to his earlier focus on powerful operatic rock.

Because the song is around 3 minutes long, we can’t help but ask the good old question: Did Israel consider this for ESC 2019? Kobi’s poignant, heartwarming “Home” did strike a chord with us, but the Israeli public wasn’t as approving. “Home” only finished in 23rd with no jury points. So naturally we’re all wondering whether this upbeat track would’ve been the jurors’ cup of tea. The only thing we know is that we’ll never know.

What do you think of “Yalla Bye”? Is this change of style good for Kobi? Sound off in the comments below!

?????Yalla Bye

Posted by ????? ????? – Kobi Marimi? on Tuesday, September 10, 2019

 

17 Comments
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Saney
Saney
4 years ago

So different, but I like it! This man can sing everything

Oranie Abbes
Editor
4 years ago

Each time I hear this guy voice, I get goosebumps ! Looooove it.

Sal
Sal
4 years ago

They really should have sent something like this.,,

dorit
dorit
4 years ago

NO ONE LIKE HIM ???

HarpyDarper
HarpyDarper
4 years ago

Has Kobi had any comments about his ESC experience? Was he at all upset of disappointed with his result?

Thunder and lightning it's getting exciting
Thunder and lightning it's getting exciting
4 years ago

I love it…it’s perfect!!!

Trash KAN
Trash KAN
4 years ago

I love this. He should do more ballad and songs like this. He can go far in making more music with different genres.

diksmdjsjskd
diksmdjsjskd
4 years ago

i really adore this song, it’s been on repeat for a day for me now!! that being said, i do think home was the better choice for eurovision

SHIJIE YU
SHIJIE YU
4 years ago

Just imagine Shefita won and she sang this……

Olla
Olla
4 years ago
Reply to  SHIJIE YU

Who cares about her?

Idan Cohen
Idan Cohen
4 years ago
Reply to  Olla

Shefita can win Eurovision without many problems.
watch her finale performance of “Broken” which she had written and composed herself – this alone can win Eurovision.

Today, it is clear that Shefita should have won more than the other 3. she is the only one that stands out.

Olla
Olla
4 years ago
Reply to  SHIJIE YU

Shafita can’t sing, she has no voice

KESC
KESC
4 years ago

When I first heard this song 2 days ago, I was soo surprised, but in a good way 😀
The song is really good, catchy and has that Middle Eastern vibe.
It’s not even only Middle Eastern, it’s almost Turkish/Kurdish lol!
I know that Israel and Turkey share similarities in their music, but I could play this in Turkey and everyone would dance to it and think that it’s a Turkish song, if it didn’t contain Hebrew lines.

Anyway, I really like this song and think that he would have done much better with this than with ‘Home’.

Zheng
Zheng
4 years ago

So good song! Actually much better then Home

Jonas
Jonas
4 years ago

I’m glad they picked Home. This may have done better, but Home was more fitting and made for a better TV moment.

gil
gil
4 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

nah…this could set the stadium on fire with all the fans

Gil Dadia
Gil Dadia
4 years ago

It would probably do much better than home… .very catchy