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
So different, but I like it! This man can sing everything
Each time I hear this guy voice, I get goosebumps ! Looooove it.
They really should have sent something like this.,,
NO ONE LIKE HIM ???
Has Kobi had any comments about his ESC experience? Was he at all upset of disappointed with his result?
I love it…it’s perfect!!!
I love this. He should do more ballad and songs like this. He can go far in making more music with different genres.
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
Just imagine Shefita won and she sang this……
Who cares about her?
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.
Shafita can’t sing, she has no voice
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’.
So good song! Actually much better then Home
I’m glad they picked Home. This may have done better, but Home was more fitting and made for a better TV moment.
nah…this could set the stadium on fire with all the fans
It would probably do much better than home… .very catchy