Israeli media have reported that 130 songs are in contention to represent the country in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Turin. This figure is lower than the number of entries last year, where KAN received upwards of 220 songs.
A creative challenge
Israel’s selection method for Eurovision 2022 has diverged from previous years, with the scrapping of Hakakhov HaBa. Instead, KAN is selecting their representative through X Factor Israel, before selecting the song the artist will sing in Turin.
Speaking to Israeli Eurovision site EuroMix.il, many songwriters said it was a challenge to write a song for the Contest, as the inability to determine the singer could lead to a mismatch between the performer and the song representing Israel.
To counteract this, songwriters were invited to studios to get to know the artists better. However, only 10 songwriters actually attended the session. As a result, KAN resorted to inviting other creators to watch the semi-finals of the competition at their headquarters.
New format, no interest?
The number of songs submitted to KAN for Eurovision is noticeably lower compared to other years, largely due to the creative issues and “predictiveness” of the X Factor format.
In 2021, Eden Alene had the choice of 220 songs for her entry to Rotterdam. Eden also received over 250 songs in the run-up to the 2020 Contest, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kobi Marimi had 200 songs to choose from to represent Israel on home soil, while Netta had over 150 potential entries to decide from.
For now, the submitted entries are being assessed by producers to determine what would be the best fits for the artist. The four final acts will sing two songs; one of which will represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.
Israel’s Eurovision Journey
Israel has a long and wealthy history in the Eurovision Song Contest, making their debut in 1973 with Ilanit and “Ey Sham”. Their first entry scored 97 points, placing 4th. Israel has since gone on to win the Contest on four separate occasions – in 1978, 1979, 1998 and 2018.
Eden Alene returned to represent Israel in 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic meant that she was not able to perform in Rotterdam the previous year. Alene scored 93 points and finished in 17th place with her song “Set Me Free”.
What do you think of the news coming from Israel? Who do you want to see represent the country in Turin? As always, let us know what you think in the comments below or on social media. Don’t forget to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ over at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
News Source: Euromix.il
Picture Credit: EBU / Andres Putting
One thought on “🇮🇱 130 songs submitted to represent Israel in Eurovision 2022”