“HaKokhav HaBa” – Episode 7: Five contestants passed to the next round. The advancing contestants are Mor Fadlon, Daniel Azar, Eliraz Zada, Aya Assaf and Saar Hadar.
Tonight, the seventh episode of the reality show “HaKokhav HaBa” aired, through which Israel’s representative for Eurovision 2026 will be chosen. So far, 30 contestants have secured their place in the competition, and during tonight’s episode, five additional contestants advanced to the next stage thanks to the votes of the judges and the studio audience – One of them might go on to represent Israel in Eurovision this coming May.
The panel once again included Assaf Amdursky, Keren Peles, Shiri Maimon, Eden Hasson, and Itay Levi. Joining them this time as guest judges were Dana International, the winner of Eurovision 1998, Yuval Raphael, who represented Israel last year, and Netta Barzilai, who won Eurovision 2018. Each contestant must receive at least 70% of the votes to advance, and every judge contributes 12% to the total voting score.
During the show, Udi Schneider, who competed last season, performed his song “HaYeled Im HaBoogie” (in English: “The Kid With the Boogie”).
Mor Fadlon
Mor Fadlon, 29 years old from Moshav Yasresh. She has been singing since the age of 7 and teaches children music and social skills. She served as a backup singer for Nasrin Kadri. She aspires to work in the music industry. For the audition, she chose to perform the song “Madame” (orginally by Noam Bettan), who is also competing this season. Mor opens the song performing it in a completely different way from the original, bringing the song closer to her world. She radiates and captivates the camera. She demonstrates precise and stable vocal runs. An excellent audition, and she is definitely worthy of advancing.
Itay told Mor:
“You sound good, your high notes are beautiful. You have a nice hoarseness. It was very nice and the song choice was perfect. I didn’t connect with the vocal runs”.
Shiri added:
“You struck a chord with me. I was looking at the screen, you are so small like a Bratz doll, and I loved your delivery more than anything. Your precise placement on the high notes made your audition”.
Four judges voted in her favor, Assaf voted against. Mor received 78% and advanced to the next round.
Daniel Azar
Daniel Azar, 17 years old from Rehovot. A high school student who is known among his friends as “Miguel”. He has been wearing a hearing aid since fourth grade due to hearing problems in his right ear. His father is a songwriter who writes for various artists, including Liran Danino. For the audition, he chose to sing the song “HaNisayon HaZe” (originally by Yishai Rivo). Wow. What a clear and pure voice that honors Daniel’s precise delivery. His vocal tone reminded me of Israel Bar-On, who won the sixth season of “Kochav Nolad” – does this hint that Daniel might also conquer this season? A charming performance.
Eden said:
“You are so talented. There are singers who come and hit high notes, do runs, go in and out, and you came and sang with such great simplicity. And you threw the words in such a special way that it is not trivial at all for your age. You have a very interesting maturity. You moved me”.
Itay thought otherwise:
“It was cute. Age is very important both in career and life. You need to grow up and mature. Time will do its work. In my opinion, it was a bit raw for Eurovision”.
Four judges voted in his favor, Itay voted against. Daniel received 80% and advanced to the next round.
Eliraz Zada
Eliraz Zada, 26 years old from Kfar Yona. A musician who composes music for series and films. He participated in The X Factor in 2018 and reached the semi-finals. For the audition, he chose to sing the song “Sign of the Times” (originally by Harry Styles). Eliraz prepared a stunning arrangement of the song. He has a unique and mesmerizing voice that cannot be forgotten. He demonstrates amazing control of the high notes. A powerful and full-of-energy performance – one of the best performances heard so far this season. You feel there is a musician you can rely on.
Keren said, referring to Dana International who was present as a guest judge:
“I think this is conclusive proof that being an odd bird is the real chance to win in this life. There’s a saying – be yourself because all the others are taken, and you do yourself very, very, very well. You brought something no one else brought”.
Shiri, who knew Eliraz from The X Factor, commented:
“I want to give constructive criticism. I felt this number was scattered, you were very busy with the show. I felt it was too much. Just be focused on the vocal performance, the microphone, and the dynamics”.
All five judges voted in his favor. Eliraz received 88% and advanced to the next round.
Aya Assaf
Aya Assaf, 16.5 years old from Ramat Gan. She is homeschooled along with her younger siblings. Since she was young, she has watched Eurovision and “HaKokhav HaBa” and really wants to represent Israel in the contest. For the first audition, she chose to sing “Tell Me Where the Light Goes” (originally by Tamir Greenberg). Aya takes on a challenging song and handles it excellently for her age. She navigates between low and high notes with great success. She demonstrates a very mature delivery.
Yuval Raphael said about Aya:
“At first, I was shocked. You had depth. You’re only 16, and you gave me chills. There was intention there. It was beautiful to me”.
Assaf added:
“It wasn’t a perfect performance. For a first audition, I believe the nervousness will settle later and maybe you will bring better performances. Be a bit more precise in building things, but it was a wow performance”.
All five judges voted in her favor. Aya received 92% and advanced to the next round.
Lihi Sade
Lihi Sade, 18 years old from Yehud Monosson. Her dream is to sing but she does not have extensive musical experience. She is a dedicated viewer of “HaKokhav HaBa” and admires the work of Shiri Maimon. For the audition, she chose to sing “Love On the Brain” (originally by Rihanna). Lihi opens the performance with great confidence despite lacking experience on big stages. She starts the song showing mostly good and precise vocal abilities. As the song progresses, it lacked a climax and the energy gradually faded. A good audition worthy of passing, but it is uncertain if she would go far in the season.
Dana International said:
“I think you need to wait a few years. You are not mature enough. You have a beautiful voice but you have overconfidence”.
Shiri said on the other hand:
“I actually liked all this cheekiness of yours. You have a good voice. I agree with my friends who say you are too young. You have something to learn and somewhere to develop. I want to wish you lots of success”.
Assaf and Dana voted against. Lihi received 67% and did not advance to the next round.
Saar Hadar
Saar Hadar, is 25 years old from Tel Aviv. He is the son of the actor and television host Zvika Hadar, who led the legendary reality show “Kochav Nolad”. Saar is a musician, guitarist, graduate of a military band, songwriter, and music producer who released an independent EP. Saar chose to sing his original song – “HaLev HaShavur Hakhi Yaffe BaOlam” (in English: “The World’s Most Beautiful Broken Heart”). Saar stands center stage surrounded by a band. He delivers an excellent rock’n’roll performance. His vocal execution is precise and full of intention. The song is very catchy. Who’s in favor of sending rock to Eurovision?
Itay said:
“You have a color that almost doesn’t exist. It belongs to old rock, from the ‘90s. You are committed to going out and performing all over the country”.
Keren added:
“Whether you reach Eurovision or not, your place is in this show. You are the color of a generation. You create some color that this generation needs. Especially after what we’ve been through, where we were so compressed. Give it your all. I really liked it. I’m on fire for you”.
All five judges voted in his favor. Saar received 77% and advanced to the next round.
“HaKokhav HaBa” for Eurovision
Ahead of Eurovision 2026, the Israeli national broadcaster decided to continue its collaboration with Keshet 12 in selecting the next Israeli representative for the contest. This partnership between the broadcaster and Keshet has brought Israel seven consecutive qualifications to the Grand Final, highlighted by Netta Barzilai’s victory with the song “Toy”, which brought Eurovision to Israel.
We’ll be here throughout the entire season, reporting on all the latest news, updates, and predictions – stay tuned!
Follow us on Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter
Israel at Eurovision 2025
“New Day Will Rise” is the song performed by Yuval Raphael, who was chosen to represent Israel after winning the 11th season of “HaKokhav HaBa”. Israel advanced to the final after winning the second semi-final with 203 points and finished second overall with 357 points in the grand final. Israel ranked first in the public vote but only 14th with the jury. This marks the third consecutive year that Israel has reached the top five – an unprecedented achievement.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Israel’s 48th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has won four times. Its most recent victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy”, performed by singer Netta Barzilai.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-50-9441919
Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
