With eight contestants left in the race of ‘HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision‘, including Ido Malka, Valerie Hamaty, Amit Sade, and Daniel Wais. Nati Livian is eliminated. Recap of episode 28.
Nine contestants remain at this stage in “HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision 2025“, where the winner will represent Israel in Eurovision 2025 to be held in Basel on May 13, 15, and 17.
Tonight’s task continues the “Kokhav Nolad” (tanslated to: “A Star is Born”) challenge from the previous episode—a tribute to singers who emerged through “Kokhav Nolad” or “HaKokhav HaBa“, with contestants performing a song by one of the program’s alumni. Five contestants took the stage to perform their pieces, with the two lowest scorers facing elimination, leaving the decision to the judges. Unfortunately, by the end of the episode, Nati Livian was eliminated from the competition.
Ido Malka’s Performance
Ido opened the evening with the song “Emtza HaLayla BaKfar” (translated as: “Midnight in the Village”), originally by Harel Moyal, winner of the second season of “Kokhav Nolad”. The song seemed tailored to Ido, who appeared deeply connected to the lyrics. He began quietly and delicately, and as the song progressed, Ido’s performance soared, surprising us again with an exciting and broad vocal range, both in high and low tones. The additional verse that Ido wrote for the song integrates wonderfully, highlighting the deep emotional connection between the singer and the song. Ido gave the song a unique hue so distinctly associated with him and brought him this far. Such charisma, simply an excellent performance!
Shiri said, “This was your best performance, the most precise, the most moving. I started to tremble, I got goosebumps.” Keren said, “This was your best vocal performance and when you sang ‘This is our situation!’ I really felt it.” Assaf, who voted against, said, “I want to focus on the fact that you’ve progressed and connected more, this is your best and I really want to see your success.”
Everyone voted in favor. Ido received 93% and set a high standard for the following contestants.
Valerie Hamaty’s Performance
Valerie chose to sing “Shalchat,” (translated as: “Autumn Leaves”) originally performed by Izhar Cohen and covered by Harel Skaat, who finished second in the second season of “Kokhav Nolad” and represented Israel in Eurovision 2010. The song perfectly suited Valerie’s vocal range. She performed the song excellently, and there’s no doubt that her song choice was brilliant. Valerie managed to reach both the highs and lows in the song flawlessly. It must be said that the performance did not rise and stayed on the same level throughout, yet it was still a strong and beautiful performance by her. Well done!
Keren said, “A voice like Valerie Hamaty’s is unmatched. I knew the song would suit you and in my eyes, you must be in the finals and you have a very good chance to win the competition.” Itay, who voted against, said, “This is a song you need to see yourself in the mirror while singing. You have an amazing voice and you’re not using it, I’m going crazy about it. It wasn’t good.” Ran said, “I so love what you’re doing and I think you’re a top-notch singer.”
Eden and Itai voted against. Valerie received 64%, currently placing her second on the leaderboard.
Amit Sade’s Performance
Amit chose to sing “Now That You’re Gone” originally performed by Shiri Maimon, a judge on “HaKokhav HaBa“, who finished second in the first season of “Kokhav Nolad” and also represented Israel in Eurovision 2005. Amit surprises us anew in every episode with another performance that is both startling and thrilling, and once again Amit brought a spark that suits her very well. She managed to move and mesmerize us with a special performance and voice. Although the performance was not free from vocal inaccuracies, there is no doubt that we are witnessing the rise of an amazing singer in Israel. A brilliant performance!
Ran said, “You really snuck into my heart in a surprising, almost unexpected way. You brought a performance now! You’ve really grown on us, you left me confused in a good way.” Assaf said, “The theatrical aspect, something happened there. You found your scratch and it was indeed physically here. We can delve deeper into that place but it’s a really good direction.” Shiri said, “I think about your previous performance, and today’s performance is 180 degrees from there, and this is your place. I’m proud of you.”
Everyone voted in favor. Amit received 92%, placing second on the leaderboard and sending Ido Malka to take his place in the quarterfinals.
Nati Livian’s Performance
Nati chose to sing “Leylot Ve Klalot” (translated as: “Nights and Curses”) originally by Omer Adam, who participated in the auditions of the seventh season of “Kokhav Nolad”. Nati takes the song to his place like only he knows how, with a unique and moving voice, he manages to captivate the viewer. However, it seems something is missing, and Nati is not utilizing his full potential as we know he can. Despite this, this performance was one of the most intriguing of the evening, Nati deserves to move forward!
Ran said, “You sing so beautifully, without flaw. But at times you caught me, and at times it felt a bit generic. It was a beautiful performance.” Shiri, who voted against, said, “I think you sing very beautifully, but you didn’t bring anything of yourself into this thing, maybe except for the end where you gave some sort of shout. You’re just an amazing singer, but it was very ordinary.” Assaf, who voted in favor, said, “Excellent song choice and he sang it differently, he sang it like Nati, he sang it very clean. Didn’t do too much to impress anyone here, right. But this cleanliness is his color.”
Ran and Shiri voted against. Nati received 71%, placing him third on the leaderboard. Amit Sadeh continues to the quarterfinals.
Daniel Wais’s Performance
Daniel chose to sing “Rak ShLo Tipol HaRuach” (translated at: “Just Don’t Let the Spirit Fall”), originally performed by Ninet Tayeb, winner of the first season of “Kokhav Nolad”. Daniel brings himself in such a moving way, tearing the soul into pieces with his well-known thrilling vocal tone. From the first moment of the performance, Daniel takes the song to his unique place, although I am not sure that this is what should represent us on the big stage in Basel. Nevertheless, this was a genius and fascinating performance!
Eden said, “I’ve never heard you like this before. The first time I was moved by you as a singer, I think you’re an amazing singer. This was your best performance on the program and the best this evening.” Shiri said, “Your best performance, the best performance of the evening. I missed a beat. So precise and focused in your emotions and how it came out, it was a final performance.”
Everyone voted in favor. Daniel receives 92% and advances to the quarterfinals. Valerie Hamaty and Nati Livian are candidates for elimination, the decision passes to the judges.
The judges decided that Nati Livian is the one eliminated from the competition at this stage.
Hosts and Judges
Assi Azar and Rotem Sela will host the 11th season. As most of you probably remember, Assi Azar hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019, which took place in Tel Aviv. The judging panel includes Assaf Amdursky, Ran Danker, Shiri Maimon, Keren Peles, Itay Levi, and Eden Hasson – all returning from last season, which crowned Eden Golan as the winner. The season expected to conclude in early February.
Collaboration Between ‘Kan’ and ‘Keshet’
On July 23rd, we revealed that the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) and the commercial TV Broadcaster ‘Keshet’ agreed to continue their collaboration for Eurovision 2025. The agreement allows for the continuation of the popular program “HaKokhav HaBa“, which will select Israel’s representative for the competition to be held in Switzerland. This will be the eighth time the two channels collaborate in selecting the Israeli representative for Eurovision.
Impressive Ratings and Past Success
The success of the program is also evident in its impressive viewing figures. The last season of “HaKokhav HaBa” was the most watched since 2019, with exposure to 3.3 million viewers on television alone. The broadcast of the Eurovision 2024 grand final also achieved impressive viewing figures, with 1.129 million television viewers – 36.8% viewing rate, and a 62.9% viewing share. At the peak of viewing, during Eden Golan‘s performance, 1.709 million viewers watched the broadcast, representing 53.6% of households in Israel.
Challenges and Expectations
Despite the success, the last Eurovision was not without challenges. The political and security tension following the war in the Gaza Strip was strongly felt behind the scenes of the competition. However, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation hopes that next year will pass more peacefully.
The decision to continue the collaboration with Keshet also stems from economic considerations, allowing the KAN to save on the heavy costs involved in preparing for the competition.
The continued collaboration between Kan and Keshet promises the continuation of a successful tradition of selecting Israel’s representatives for Eurovision. We can only hope that the chosen representative will continue Israel’s tradition of success at Eurovision.
Israel in Eurovision 2024
“Hurricane” is the name of the song performed by singer Eden Golan, who was chosen to represent Israel after winning the tenth season of “HaKokhav Haba“. Israel advanced to the final after winning the second semi-final with 194 points, and in the grand final reached fifth place with 375 points. In the public vote, Israel came in second place, just 14 points behind the first place.
This is the second consecutive time that Israel has reached the top five, an achievement it had not attained since its streak of successes in 1998-1999.
Eurovision 2024: This was Israel’s 46th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the competition in 1973 and has won it four times over the years. Israel’s last victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy” performed by singer Netta Barzilai.