In February she beat off some very stiff competition to win The Next Star for Eurovision — Israel’s artist selection show for Rotterdam. And on March 3 Eden Alene finally learned what song she’d be singing: the upbeat and uplifting number “Feker Libi”.
“Feker Libi”(Amharic for “My Love”) was co-written and produced by the prominent Israeli musician Idan Raichel and “Toy” hitmaker Doron Medalie. Described as “a colorful pop gem that fuses together African dance beats with the infectious Middle Eastern sound,” it melds lyrics in English, Hebrew, Amharic and Arabic. Both of Eden’s parents originally hail from Ethiopia.
Alene — the youngest Israeli act since 2015’s “Golden Boy” Nadav Guedj — caught up with us after her song selection to sound off on The Next Star for Eurovision and more.
Israel at Eurovision: Eden Alene Interview
Why did you decide to enter The Next Star? Who encouraged you to get out there and slay?
I really wanted to represent my country, Israel. Ever since I won the X Factor I’ve been surrounded by a group of people who really encourage me to push myself more and more. Together we decided it was the right time for me to be part of this journey.
You previously won X Factor. Did winning The Next Star feel different in any way?
I think that the big difference is the emotional experience and magnitude. While winning the X Factor was mainly for myself and my mom and was an incredible professional achievement, The Next Star was a different experience. You have not only yourself to take under consideration, but an entire country who’s behind you, their expectations and dreams.
You won The Next Star in a landslide. Were you surprised by that?
Actually, the big surprise is you guys thinking I won by a landslide. All the way through the competition I felt that it was super tight and that there were so many good competitors.
What would you say was your standout performance on the show?
I think that vocally, my best performance was definitely “Listen” — by Beyonce. But if you would ask the people who watched the show, they would probably say the “Ilu Yacholti” — by Riki Gal — was the most memorable, because I sang for and about my mom, who was sitting in the audience, crying her eyes out.
You’re the first solo artist with Ethiopian heritage in the history of Eurovision. Do you feel like you’re representing two nations?
I definitely feel that I’m representing one nation, my home country. But Israel was founded 70 years ago by refugees and immigrants. Our entire country is built on the mix between different people from different cultures and I feel that I represent this entirely. I think what you guys see, in the past few years in Eurovision, is the result of this really incredible and respectful mix.
You’re the first Israeli representative born in the new millennium to sing at Eurovision, and the youngest at the time of the contest since Nadav Guedj. Do you think your youth will give you an advantage?
I think that the biggest advantage of being young is the combination of having really high levels of energy and being curious and open to accept and learn new experiences. As a young person I have a hunger and a drive to achieve my goals.
What do you look forward to most about going to Rotterdam?
I think what I’m looking forward to the most is actually meeting other delegations and talking with people from other cultures and countries. I am really fascinated by other people and the places they come from.
Finally, you are the first person in history to win two primetime Israeli singing shows. Can you make it three-for-three at Eurovision?
Seriously, right now I’m actually just really focused on doing the best performance I can possibly give on the main stage.
Are you loving Eden’s Eurovision 2020 song as much as we are? Do you think she can win? Let us know down below!
Ah I dont like it, I dont know why. Sorry
I really admire her strong work ethics and composure. It’s almost insane to record 4 new songs in less than 2 weeks and then work around the clock to make them look and sound polished and presentable. No other past winner on The Next Star to Eurovision was put under that kind of pressure so it says a lot about her professionalism, stamina and perseverance. Now that I think about it there was no way the other high school finalists on The Next Star could have possibly handled a strenuous task like that and hopefully by next year the time… Read more »
Yes this is why I think the final product will be much better than what we saw.
You said she won in a landslide but at two different stages, had to be saved by the viewers.
She obviously deserved to win but I think her answer showed more awareness of the situation than your actual question did. 😉
I think nobody including Eden really understood what was going on with the score and how come the song selection committee had a total of 360 points to mark each song and the public only had 288 points. There was no transparency about how much power (in percentages) each component had. The 2 jury panels only accounted for 10|% of the final score, the committee 50% and the viewers 40%. The selection committee was almost equally split between Roots and Feker Libi , but the viewers overwhelmingly chose the latter which is why it is a landslide victory after all… Read more »
The only question is whether this will be top 5 or top 10?
Non qualifier.
top 10 for sure
In your dreams
Eden is so good makes me question why Roxen was internally selected.
She’s such a star
In a perfect world, I could see Lithuania opening SF1 and Israel closing.
Same thoughts
Israel will certainly qualify!
1. Eden has an amazing voice, stage presence and attitude.
2. The song is interesting and catchy.
3. African elements make it stand out.
4. Little competition in the uptempo category thus far.
Qualification is not a question.
this girl has more stage presence in her pinky finger than most others in their entire body…
So true
she belongs on the stage,out of all the performers she has the best stage presence from what i’ve seen so far
Yesss!! I love her so much! Feker Libi is my fave at the moment. There’s just something so fresh and nuanced to the song that gives it so much excitement. Some do not like it’s pace, but I think it is perfect for Eurovision when we’ve all heard three minutes of stale ballad or stale pop time and time again.
I don’t like this song. Too much was thrown into those three minutes. Nothing special to get my attention and listen to it once again.
Your taste is wrong then
if there is a big thing in this song is the uniqueness. not special? show me another song in the contest with africa/middle east/pop combination?
apperantly you didnt get the song yet, but it will grow on you big time once you will get it.
its gonna be big karnaval on the big stage
Same here. But we’d better not say it out loud or we’ll get DoWnVoTeD.
Yeah but saying its not special is just kind of not connected to this song…
A at last fun unique song after all the sleepy banal ballads
She’s got a great attitude. Ambitious but humble.
I hope she and Destiny become friends
Queens supporting Queens supporting black excellence <3
So now we think people should be friends based on their skin colour?
2020 everyone… We’re making progress…
They’re both X Factor winners, both teenagers, both extremely talented singers – they have more in common than just skin colour.
I know that, but look at Zona’s comment
Queens…. Supporting black