Six contestants remain in the race of ‘HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision 2025‘: Yuval Raphael, Moran Aharoni and Red Band, Valerie Hamaty, Dolav Mandelbaum, Yuval Gold, and Daniel Wais. Amit Sade and Ido Malka were eliminated. Recap of Episode 29.

Eight contestants were left at this stage in the competition for “HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision 2025,” with the winner representing Israel at Eurovision 2025 to be held in Basel on May 13, 15, and 17.

Tonight’s task was “Duel Challenge” – four duels took place this evening, and the judges were asked to eliminate two contestants. Eight contestants performed, and the four with the lowest scores were up for elimination, with the judges then deciding their fate. This episode featured a particularly dramatic double elimination: Amit Sade and Ido Malka were unfortunately eliminated from the competition.

Dolev Mandelbaum vs. Yuval Raphael

Dolav Mandelbaum opened the evening with Britney Spears‘ “Toxic”. The arrangement suited Dolav’s vocal range perfectly. He started softly and gently, and as the song progressed, so did his vocal abilities. Dolav once again surprised us with an exciting and broad vocal range, both in high and low registers. Dolav integrated well with the dancers on stage, and one could certainly begin to imagine Dolav standing on the big stage in Basel! What talent, a brilliant performance!

Ran said, “The stage was beautiful, but I want to put the spotlight on you. You just take it, you don’t treat it as if it’s happening around you – you are really that thing, and therefore I really see you going to Eurovision.” Assaf said, “I think the vocal performance wasn’t at its peak, you weren’t at your best. But you gave us a glimpse of what it might look like in Eurovision. Yes, you can see how you’re going to be in the midst of it.”

Everyone voted in favor. Dolav received 86% and set a high bar for Yuval who would appear after him.

Yuval Raphael chose to perform “Talking to the Moon,” originally by Bruno Mars. Yuval dedicated the song to the Israeli hostages in Hamas’ captivity, particularly her friend Matan Tzengauker who is still held hostage in Gaza. The song was simply tailored to Yuval’s vocal tone. She performed the song excellently and there is no doubt that the choice of song here was brilliant. Yuval managed to reach both the highs and lows in the song without any mistakes. This may have been Yuval’s best and most moving performance of this season. There is no doubt that the big stage in Basel awaits Yuval. Wow!!!

Shiri said, “One of the things I love most about you, besides the fact that you are very focused, is your vocal choices, it was chilling. This was your scream. I trust you so much and I think you need to be in Eurovision, you need to be there.” Assaf said, “Last time, I think you had a performance that I didn’t quite like, and I think now you’re back in your place, a place where you feel comfortable and also know how to activate others. Your voice sounded at its peak. I see you in the final.”

Everyone voted in favor. Yuval received 96%, and moves directly to the quarterfinals!

Moran Aharoni and Red Band vs. Yuval Gold

Moran and Red chose to sing “Hallelujah,” originally performed by Leonard Cohen. As usual, Moran and Red managed to surprise us with another distinct, precise, and surprising performance. Once again, Moran and Red demonstrated that their combination is relevant and correct. She succeeds in moving and enchanting us with her incredible voice, and he proves that beyond being a talented musician, he is especially a skilled singer. Although the performance was not the most fascinating they have had so far, there is no doubt that we are witnessing contestants who are absolutely worthy of reaching the final. A wonderful performance!

Keren said, “Moran, this was your best performance of the show. You came and simply took the stage, it was amazing. Red, you are an amazing singer and I even felt a kind of attraction towards you.” Shiri said, “As soon as you started to sing, I said, ‘Here Moran is back with us,’ and you sang amazingly as we are used to from you. Suddenly the picture seemed right for Eurovision.”

Ran voted against. Moran and Red received 82%, setting a high bar for Yuval who would appear after them.

Yuval Gold chose to sing “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day, dedicating it to his good friend Daniel Sheinkerman RIP who was murdered in the Nova Festival massacre. Yuval takes the song to his place as we have come to expect from him; he has a unique vocal tone, and it seems that the song choice worked in his favor. However, it seems that there was a lack of power in the performance and that Yuval did not utilize his full vocal potential. Despite this, this performance was one of the most moving of the evening, and Yuval deserves to move forward!

Itay, who voted against, said, “You’ve made an amazing journey behind the scenes, from being a producer, and I think your next journey is to come out of yourself. You sing into yourself, you are very inwardly focused.” Shiri, who voted in favor, said, “I really love you and I love what you do. I ignored the Eurovision for a moment because I miss the singers who stand with a guitar and simply make music. You do it so well, you are a fantastic artist.”

Itai and Eden voted against. Yuval received 71%, sending Moran and Red to take their place in the quarterfinals!

Amit Sade vs. Daniel Wais

Amit chose to sing “Skyfall,” originally performed by Adele. Amit presents herself in such an exciting way and touches the soul with her unique and poignant vocal tone. From the first moment of the performance, Amit takes the song to her unique place, along with a precise stage presence that suits her so well. Amit deserves to reach the final, talking about a genius and fascinating performance!

Keren, who voted against, said, “We’ve reached the moment where we need to see the big picture, and that’s Eurovision. You are a tremendous singer, and I have no criticism to give you, other than that I can’t imagine it in Eurovision.” Shiri said, “I think you are a great singer, you were precise today in a different way. It’s not easy to sing this song.”

Itai, Ran, and Keren voted against. Amit received 60% and set the bar for Daniel who would appear after her.

Daniel chose to sing “Rise Up,” originally performed by Andra Day, along with artists from the “Shoofuni” project, a project that gives new artists from the Western Negev the opportunity to perform new materials. Daniel opened the performance with a chilling, precise, and moving voice. The voice breaks that Daniel chose to perform are particularly chilling and moving. He fires up and hits each note accurately, but I can’t see it on the big stage in Basel. Nonetheless, a very moving and heart-capturing performance!

Eden, who voted against, said, “The standard you’ve set so far forces me to put this red. You are an excellent singer with great performances, and you must maintain the level you’ve presented so far.” On the other hand, Keren said, “I see you on stage, and I see it on the Eurovision stage. I trust you 100% and in my eyes, you are one of the prominent representatives to represent Israel in Eurovision.”

Eden and Asaf voted against. Daniel received 65% and moves directly to the quarterfinals!

Ido Malka vs. Valerie Hamaty

Ido chose to perform “The Story of My Life,” originally by One Direction. The song fits him perfectly! Ido sounded great in the song, as if it was written for him. He sounded the best we’ve heard so far, and the choice to sing in English proved itself. We see that Ido is much more daring vocally on stage, more unrestrained and captivating. Vocally – perfect, stage-wise – Ido has already proven that he can do more. Ido deserves to reach the final – absolutely a stunning performance!

Ran said, “I really like you. I think you are one of the most mature contestants there is. Regarding Eurovision, that’s a question, but the blue is for this beautiful performance.” Keren, who voted against, said, “You sing excellently and it was a very smart choice. I’m trying to see you in Eurovision and I think less that it fits, but it does not mean that you didn’t bring an amazing performance and that you are a singer with a great future.”

Keren and Asaf voted against. Ido received 75% and set the bar for Valerie who would appear after him.

Valerie chose to sing “Rise Like a Phoenix,” originally performed by Conchita Wurst, winner of Eurovision 2014. Her voice is unique; she is full of confidence, managing to sweep us into the song with her wonderful presentation. The vocal depth, the changes in the song’s melody, everything is perfect. Valerie is undoubtedly one of the great talents of the season. Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!

Keren said, “You took out the earpiece, and you brought a crazy performance without hearing anything. You are simply an amazing singer, professional, deep, smart, coming to work and you always move me.” Ran said, “That’s professionalism. The only thing I can say that depends also on the arrangement a bit, something was not built enough. Because the end was so impressive, it should start a bit softer and grow from there. You need to be in the final, period.”

Everyone voted in favor. Valerie received 83%, and moves directly to the quarterfinals! Dolav Mandelbaum, Yuval Gold, Amit Sade, and Ido Malka were nominated for elimination, the decision passes to the judges.

The judges decided that Amit Sade and Ido Malka are the contestants eliminated from the competition just before the quarterfinals!

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.