Members of the Euromix editorial team convened to vote for the competing artists in HaKochav HaBa 2025. Who should represent Israel at Eurovision according to the editorial team?

The Israeli Eurovision national selection, “HaKochav HaBa 2025”, is set to take place tonight at 20:30 (CET), featuring 4 contestants. The winner of this local competition will represent Israel at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. In anticipation of this event, Euromix editorial team members gathered and voted to their favorites to win the national selection and represent Israel in Basel.

Editorial Picks: Who Should Represent Israel?

Avi Zaikaner: First Place – Yuval Raphael

Yuval Raphael is my representative for Eurovision. Throughout the season, the young singer has proven excellent vocal abilities alongside an incredible ability to move people and deliver the song in the best way. Behind Yuval is a painful and difficult story, which can make important advocacy for Israel. In these difficult days of war alongside a ceasefire, Yuval is the only singer in the competition who can unite all of Israel around her when she stands on the Eurovision stage. Yuval will be a consensus, and choosing her will not arouse disagreements and unnecessary tensions. Yuval is the worthy representative for Eurovision 2025.

Ofek Jerassi: First Place – Yuval Raphael

Yuval Raphael, who moved us throughout the season, is my winner in The Next Star finale. Yuval continues to consistently deliver her excellent style and amazing voice. She knows how to address the audience through singing, she performs professionally and confidently, and I’m certain she can handle the Eurovision task well.

Other contestants who proved themselves throughout the season and I see fit to mention as contestants who could have succeeded at Eurovision are Itay Paz, Yuval Gold, and Kler, who proved themselves time and time again throughout the show and were eliminated, in my opinion, too early.

I wouldn’t object to a win by Moran and Red Band or Valerie Hamaty, which holds other opportunities for Israel, but in my opinion, Yuval Raphael brings the whole package in the most professional and best way! Good luck Israel, and hopefully, good luck Yuval!

Ido Kizel: First Place – Valerie Hamaty

Among all the options in the finale, Valerie brings a complete package: experience in standing on stage, high vocal abilities, and a story that definitely has a place at Eurovision. After last year, when we told the story of the war and stood on our right to participate, we’ll send an Arab representative to Basel and tell the Israeli story that shatters anti-Semitic lies and stands on Israel’s ability to be diverse and open to all.

Roy Moreno: First Place – Valerie Hamaty

Valerie Hamaty should unequivocally be Israel’s representative for Eurovision 2025! She has a unique, deep, and rich voice that not many other singers at Eurovision have, so she will stand out positively, and she has several years of experience on stages, so there’s no doubt if she can handle the great pressure of Eurovision, especially in another difficult year. Valerie can bring an amazing performance that on one hand will recreate the success of “Hurricane” and on the other hand will maintain Valerie’s identity so that it won’t be an exact copy of Eden Golan. Valerie will be an excellent representative and I have complete faith in her that she will succeed in bringing a performance we can be proud of in Basel!

Tal Dahan: First Place – Yuval Raphael

Choosing Israel’s representative for Eurovision this year is a difficult task. There are many talented artists who didn’t make it to the finale, but among the finalists, my favorite to win is Yuval Raphael. The fact that the singer doesn’t have much stage experience is not noticeable at all, and in all aspects she will represent Israel with honor if chosen – an excellent vocalist, plucking at the heartstrings, with experience in advocacy (including a fluent English speech at the UN, so I have no doubt she will excel in interviews as well) and even a connection to the host country, Switzerland (where she lived for several years).

In the end, everything depends on the chosen song, and therefore there’s a good chance that with the right song, any chosen representative will represent Israel with honor. Good luck to the finalists!

Aviad Berger: First Place – Valerie Hamaty

The Next Star is finally ending a season, and despite the judges’ insistence that this is the strongest season ever, in my opinion, it’s a rather weak season overall. Nevertheless, there were some good moments and contestants worth keeping an eye on. Above all, there’s the one I hope will represent Israel, Valerie Hamaty. I’m not naive, I understand that choosing Valerie won’t pass quietly with everyone, and yet, I believe Valerie is the right choice, if only because of her unique voice that can mesmerize Europe, which in my eyes can bring Israel the best result among the quartet.

Guy Solo:  First place – Yuval Raphael

From the very first audition performance, when Yuval chose to sing “Anyone,” a song about mental crisis that describes for her the nightmare she experienced at the Nova festival – it was clear that we were dealing with a unique natural phenomenon. Yuval fled from Nova to a shelter, into which Hamas terrorists threw grenades and fired bursts of shots. Many were murdered around her and she had to pretend to be dead in order to survive. Yuval had never sung professionally before the show, and only began singing in front of an audience in recent months.

From the moment she produces her first sound – and it’s so precise and soft – it was clear who we were dealing with. The delivery is perfect in every performance, she expresses every single word and after the story she experienced – every performance is simply moving to tears! Yuval always brings emotional, precise, and not overly “bombastic” performances to the stage. Her vocal dynamics are perfect.

Throughout the season, Yuval was wonderful and chilling. The arrangements, along with Yuval’s delivery, turn each of her performances into a mesmerizing Eurovision-worthy performance. With each new performance, she opens her voice with amazing abilities and proves time and time again that she can be relied upon! Yuval emphasizes her vocal abilities in her performances, which impress anew each time and shows that she needs nothing to deliver a wonderful performance besides herself. I don’t know if Yuval will be Israel’s representative, but she is certainly worthy and she would be excellent on the stage in Basel if she gets there. Amazing!!

Shahar Asido: First Place – Valerie Hamaty

Maayan Eli: First Place – Moran Aharoni & Red Band

For my first place, I chose Moran and Red Band, who besides the fact that they’re both wonderful singers, I want Israel to send something fun to Eurovision this time. Red is undoubtedly a funny personality and particularly consistent in his performances. There’s nothing to add about Moran, she’s a wonderful singer who can be relied upon and has experience on a stage the size of Eurovision. At the beginning of the season I was skeptical, but with each of their performances I connected more and more and came to the conclusion that even a fun gimmick can work. Israel is also allowed to diversify from time to time and not stick to seriousness.

Nitsan Eliraz: First Place – Yuval Raphael

From the first audition, it was clear to me that Yuval Raphael is my favorite to win “The Next Star.” I really connected with her voice, and you can’t separate her traumatic story from the emotion that’s fully expressed in her singing. In my eyes, she’s a girl who has everything and she will do a wonderful mission for Israel. A powerful song tailored to her combined with smart staging will bring Israel back to the top of the scoreboard in the final.

Noy Yehoyada: First Place – Yuval Raphael

In Euromix’s choice this time, it took me a very long time to decide and choose who I think would be more suitable to represent Israel this year, and since I couldn’t submit both Yuval and Valerie for first place, I had to decide. In the end, I chose purely based on the voice tone I love the most, and therefore I chose Yuval Rafael. She’s a singer with an amazing voice and phenomenal abilities that we’ve only just begun to know, and I believe that with her mental strength she will also succeed in representing Israel proudly on the Eurovision stage.

Ronnie Glik: First Place – Moran Aharoni and Red Band

I chose Moran and Red Bend, after much deliberation about who among the four is most worthy to represent us. In my opinion, all four of them cannot bring the best result for Israel, and although contestants who were eliminated in the early stage, like Udi Schneider, could have brought us a guaranteed victory. What’s good about Moran and Red, beyond the fact that Moran is a fantastic vocalist and has stage presence, is that they are very charismatic and seem to handle well the long journey to represent Israel. They are funny and interesting, and I think that’s what we need most this year, something original and unique even if we don’t finish in a high place. I believe choosing Moran and Red is the most original choice of all four, they will represent us with the utmost elegance.

Full Results

Our Winner: Yuval Raphael

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.