Israel went against the tradition this year and chose pop star Noa Kirel to represent the country at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
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Kirel has garnered immense popularity in Israel over the years and consistently surprises her fans with music and more. Most recently, she joined Reichman University's developmental psychology course.
Q: What made you want to take this course?
"I thought to myself what would challenge and enrich me as well as give me a normal experience in my crazy life? I contacted the university, and it turned out that there was such an option – to attend once a week in person and once a week online. It's amazing to have such an opportunity."
Q: And why psychology?
"Psychology often ties in with what I do, to understand processes better, the ups and downs, what I feel in my career, and in general the things that I go through in life. I also feel that I'm good at this. When my friends ask me for advice I know how to give them the right advice."
Nevertheless, what takes up most of Kirel's time is preparing for the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Britain in early May. Until 2023, Israel's representative in the competition was the winner of the Kokhav Nolad reality television show, the Israeli version of the American Idol. The fact that Kirel would represent Israel this year was announced in August 2023.
Interestingly, the pop star initially turned down the proposal, only to change her mind later.
My agent "Roberto Ben Shushan told me that for the 2023 competition, there was a committee that would choose Israel's representative and he asked me what I thought. And I first said no."
Q: Why?
"First of all, I didn't know whether I would be chosen or not, and even if they did, I didn't want it because I felt unsure. I never thought about this situation, because I'm used to the Israeli representative being chosen through reality TV. I got very nervous. I learned about the change on the news and had a lot of mixed feelings.
"For me, there are some major things here: I was chosen for Eurovision, I have to represent Israel with honor, and for the first time in my life, I am in a position where I need to compete. Everything happened so fast. A minute after the announcement, I started getting so many messages that I didn't even have a moment to digest it. Robert and my dad straight away thought that I should do it, but I was nervous. It's funny that I'm saying this, but it's really a confidence issue. This came out of the blue. I was too nervous and turned it down."
Q: And what made you change your mind?
"As an artist, I didn't want to feel like someone else was making the decision for me. I want to be a part of the decision, and this is quite the decision to make! I needed time to think. I weighed up the pros and the cons, what I would need to give up, how it could benefit me, and after I thought about this, we decided to go ahead with it."
Q: So how did that thought process go?
"A lot of things happened. First of all, the positive response from Europe to my being chosen. I'll admit that I did not understand the power of Eurovision fans, which turns out to be huge, and I also spoke with [songwriter] Doron Medalie and [singer and 2018 Eurovision winner] Netta Barzilai. As a singer, I want to achieve fame abroad as well, and here there is an opportunity to perform on the largest stage in the world and to represent Israel, and it's hard to say no. I know that I am taking a chance, but I am ready to take it, among other things to prove to myself."
Q: And what is the risk in performing at Eurovision?
"When you get to a high point in your career, you are more scared to take risks because you have so much more to lose. With every proposal I get I start off by thinking about what I would stand to lose. I'm not the Noa Kirel I was in the past when I was just starting out. Back then, I would shoot in many directions and see what worked. But now, I want to stay in the Noa that I am now."
Q: But the Noa you are today is different in many aspects – status, grandeur, success.
"Yes, and of course there's what to lose, but I also have a lot to gain. When I first began to perform at the Park Hayarkon in Tel Aviv, it was a great risk for me. I had never before held a concert with tickets being sold, and my first concert was there. And when the tickets were sold out, who could guarantee that I could give a concert for an hour and 40 minutes? We practiced and recorded the entire concert beforehand because we weren't sure that I would succeed."
Q: You mentioned before that you feel insecure. It really doesn't go with the image of the Noa Kirel that we know.
"I am confident, I know my worth and my capabilities, but of course, there are also insecurities. Certainly in a competition like Eurovision. It rests on my career and I am also representing an entire country and that is huge. There were people who told me it's nothing I cannot handle, but I wouldn't say that."
Q: Are you scared about disappointing others?
"Of course, especially when so much is expected of me. I know that there are these expectations and I cannot change that."
Q: Have you considered the possibility of not making it into the Grand Final?
"Anything can happen, but I hope that this will not occur. We've had talks about what would happen if I didn't advance, or if I did make it into the Grand Final but didn't rank high, or if I won. We've thought about everything, and at some point, we realized that such talks are never ending and also irrelevant. Two months ago, I spoke with my therapist and she asked me what would happen if I ranked 10th and was unhappy with the result. That is beyond my control, but if I do my utmost, then I've done all I could do.
"I am very goal-oriented, and oi va voi [Heaven forbid] if I don't win, but slowly slowly I understand that I need to let go because when it comes to Eurovision, what depends on me is to bring a good song and a good performance, and the rest is not up to me.
"If I stress all the time over something that is beyond my control, I will suffer. Artists from all over the world understand that Eurovision is a stage to promote their careers and that happens even if you don't win. The way I'm approaching this is that it doesn't matter where I rank, I am representing Israel with pride and getting worldwide exposure, that is my victory. If I do everything that I expect of myself, then I will have already won."
Q: Nevertheless, what place would you be content with?
"If I rank within the first five, I would be happy, but then again, the true victory is my performance on stage."
Q: How did you prevent your song from being leaked?
When working on it, "we all put our phones aside, including my parents, and suddenly I realized one of the employees in the studio was recording. When we asked him whether he was recording, he said no, and we checked and saw that he recorded everything and we asked him to delete it. After all that secrecy, I can work for the Shin Bet itself."
Q: Do you already have plans for after Eurovision?
"I have a plan for the year ahead regardless of the results. Even if I fail in terms of the results, I am planning to persevere. It will be difficult, but it's part of the journey. The day after Eurovision I'm already giving a concert at a private bat mitzvah celebration."
Kirel will be representing Israel with the song "Unicorn," which was released after great anticipation last month. Just hours after its release it broke records by becoming one of the most listened-to songs in Israel. It was also lauded by Israel's representatives to Eurovision from previous years as well as critics and social media users.
Kirel recalled the process of creating the song, "I had complete artistic freedom. I didn't need to ask anyone to not get involved, rather from the very beginning I was given the freedom and the trust to do it.
"We made four songs, two of which were recorded abroad, and then another song, 'Unicorn.' They were put up for a vote and 'Unicorn' was chosen unanimously. I was very involved, both in terms of lyrics and the melody. It was also important to me that the song included some lyrics in Hebrew and that part I wrote myself. This is a song of empowerment to everyone – women, men, and all people. Everyone needs a unicorn in their life."
Q: And whose laughter can be heard in the middle of the song? It's quite unusual.
"It was completely unplanned. When I first recorded the song and I got to the 'You wanna see me dance' part, I burst into laughter, and we kept it. This song is cheeky. It has everything. It has a Eurovision-like chorus, but it's not boring. One would also expect a repeat of the chorus in the end, but we didn't do that because it was important for me to showcase my dancing abilities. It was crucial for me that since I was already performing, to bring something unique that was never before."
Q: And what will the performance look like?
"We are building it now. We're still thinking about whether it should be the same, or to add some oomph, but for me, it's important that it should be as wow as possible. Everyone already knows what the performances of other countries will look like, and I'm using that to my advantage because no one knows what mine will look like until rehearsals. For example, when I saw Sweden's performance, my jaw dropped, but we saw it two months before the competition, and at some point, you just get used to it."
Q: You are currently ranking fifth on the Eurovision forecast. How important do you think that is?
"In the beginning, I cared about it, but the moment you understand what it's all about and the idea, you let it go. These forecasts change every hour, and I have no control over it. Why should I be upset about something that might affect my energy and motivation? Of course, being higher up is great, but it will go up and down, that's how it is."
Q: A good performance can make all the difference.
"Which makes it even more stressful because the performance is very important and, like you said, could make all the difference. But I also keep reminding myself that this is what I've done my entire life, and I'll keep working to make sure that the performance is as impressive as possible. I approach it as a Super Bowl performance with the conditions of Eurovision. I cannot fly above the stage and bring 40 dancers, but I will bring the best that I can. I will work very hard on the dancing, and I will have five dancers with me on stage."
Q: Did you receive any criticism against "Unicorn"?
"Some said the song is not good enough to represent Israel, but as with every song that I release, some love it and some don't."
Q: Your song is under 3 minutes, which is unusual for Eurovision.
"It's currently 02:51 long. I believe there will be some changes and it will be 02:55 long. The song is full of elements and I don't want to overdo it, but there will also be a surprise in the middle, a pause. But we won't repeat another chorus. That's boring. I thought about what made me special, the fact that I dance, and that is how I will finish the performance. When you do something different, you have to take into account that not everybody will like or understand it."
Q: And what about the outfit?
"I was approached by all kinds of international designers, but we decided it was best to choose an Israeli one. When it comes to Eurovision, many think that the outfit has to be over the top, so we asked for a few sketches, and most performers have indeed chosen that kind of look, but that's not what I'm going for. My song is not a boring Eurovision song, and I want my outfit to not be boring either."
Q: Your boyfriend, Tomer Hacohen, will he be accompanying you?
"He's coming with me for two weeks for the preparations and the concert itself. He is very supportive, understanding, and happy for me, and it's great and important."
Q: When it comes to Eurovision, one cannot help but think about the internal crisis in Israel. Do you think that might affect how you do at the competition?
"Sure. I will even have briefings, as politicians do, on the matter. In general, I know that what I want to say is that I'm proud of my country, the most beautiful country in the world. And in any case, I am not representing Israel politically, but I represent it in music, and that is what I will do."
One of Kirel's main competitors is Sweden's Loreen, who won the competition in 2012 with her hit "Euphoria."
"Loreen is amazing and it's stressful, but statistically speaking, to win twice is very difficult and has only happened once so far. I think her song is amazing and her performance is great."
Q: Do you have any favorites?
"England. Although it's not your usual Eurovision performance, it looks super cool and the song is good. Finland too caught my attention."
In August 2020, Kirel announced her intentions to achieve fame in America and signed with the US music label Atlantic Records. She has since released several songs, although they did not lead to the coveted breakthrough, and her international career has yet to expand.
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"Eurovision came up and now the direction has changed a little and I'm flowing with it. Many artists achieved success in America through Europe, like Dua Lipa. You never know what could lead to what, so I'm open to the possibilities. Right now I'm focusing on Eurovision and am not releasing news songs in the US, but 'Unicorn' is in English and it's on all my platforms. Maybe through my Eurovision performance, I'll make it in the States as well. For now, I've changed the route a little and am focusing on Eurovision, but it's all happening at the same time. Atlantic Records were in favor from the very beginning. They loved the song and jumped on the idea."
Q: Is it possible that you'll change your focus to Europe altogether?
"Eurovision is a massive platform, and to first appear in Europe is a fantastic idea I think. Of course, the market is bigger in the States, but success in Europe is also international."
Q: What are your plans in the meantime?
"We don't want to overdo it, but to focus on the Eurovision performance. I will not be performing 'Unicorn' until then to keep it until the competition."
