Israel: The songs for the Eurovision 2022 national selection determined

Israel: The songs for the Eurovision 2022 national selection determined
Thursday, 09 December 2021

  • The songs that will compete in the Israeli national selection for Eurovision 2022 have been determined. 

    X-factor show which premiered on Israeli television in 2013 and continued for several seasons up to 2018, this year has returned on  screen to select the Irael's Eurovision 2022 hopeful.

    Once the semi final is held and the four finalists are determined on  Channel 13, a second semi final will take place in order to determine the songs the four finalists will perform in the X-factor final show. Each of the four candidates will have to perform two songs selected out of the songs sent in during the submission period. In  this parallel semifinal show one of the two candidate songs will be chosen for each of the four finalists. 

    After the open call to Israeli composers to submit  songs as potential entries for Eurovision 2022,  a professional committee has selected the songs that will compete in the side semi final round which will determine which of the two songs the finalists will be performing in the final decisive show of X-factor. 

     

    Israel in Eurovision 

    Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 42 times since making its debut in 1973. Israel’s first appearance at the contest in 1973 was successful, with Ilanit finishing fourth. Israel has achieved 4  victories, in 1978 and 1979, with first two wins for Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta, with the song “A-Ba-Ni-Bi” and Gali Atari and Milk and Honey, with “Hallelujah” .

    Its third victory came in 1998, with Dana International and “Diva”  and its fourth in ESC 2018 with Netta’s song Toy. The country’s best results apart from  its victories  were the second-place finishes for Avi Toledano in 1982 and Ofra Haza in 1983. Former winner Izhar Cohen returned to place fifth in 1985. Duo Datz finished third in 1991, before Israel achieved . Eden then finished fifth in 1999. Israel has hosted the contest three times, in 1979 and 1999, both in Jerusalem and in 2019 in Tel Aviv. 

    After the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Israel has failed to reach the final six times. In 2014, the country failed to qualify for the fourth consecutive year, when Mei Feingold finished 14th (out of 15) in the second semi final, despite being one of the favorites to qualify. In 2015, Israel reached the final for the first time in five years, with Nadav Guedj finishing ninth. The only Israeli entrant to achieve a better result in the 21st century before their 2018 win was Shiri Maimon in 2005, who gave the country its tenth top five result in the contest, finishing fourth. In 2019 Kobi Marimi winner of the Rising Star, rerpesented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest on home soil  with his entry Home.

    Last year Eden Alene  won the talent show “The next Star” and the ticket to Rotterdam where she was going to perform the nationally selected song Feker Libi. Due to the covid-19 pandemic the contest was cancelled interrupting Eden's Eurovision journey. 

    Nevertheless, Eden Alene had the chance to complete this year her Eurovision journey  performing "Set Me Free" in the 12 position of the first semi final and after qualifying to the Grand final she finished 17th with a total of 93 points. 

    News Source: Euromix  

    Image: EBU / ANDRES PUTTING