Israeli Music Today: Transcript

Today in Israeli Music, Eurovision 2019 is now underway in Tel Aviv, and we have a lot to talk about! Netta Barzilai kicked off the contest with last year’s winner, Toy…Kobi Marimi makes a few minor tweaks to this year’s entry, “Home”…and a controversial Israeli video welcomes Eurovision tourists to Israel. This is MyIsraeliMusic.com, where we’re building a stronger Israel, one song at a time. I’m Josh Shron, and here’s your Israeli music news for Tuesday, May 14, 2019.

Netta Barzilai kicks off Eurovision 2019!

We’ve been waiting, preparing, discussing, and planning for this for what seems like an eternity, and now it’s here: Eurovision 2019 has officially begun in Tel Aviv. This year’s contest picked up exactly where last year’s left off, with Netta Barzilai opening the night with her 2018 Eurovision winning song, “Toy”.

(PLEASE NOTE: The YouTube clip below cannot be viewed in the US, but you can watch the beginning of the Swedish broadcast to see the same thing. Thanks for the tip, Richard!)

Netta will be back at the grand finale on Saturday night, performing her brand new song, Nana Banana.

The first set of 10 finalists has already been announced: Cypress, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Belarus, Serbia, Australia, Iceland, Estonia, Greece and San Marino…good luck to all.

Kobi Marimi tweaks Israel’s 2019 Eurovision Entry

Good luck also to our very own Kobi Marimi, who is excused from this year’s semi finals because of Israel’s win last year. Just before the contest began, Israel made some very slight changes to Kobi’s song “Home”, looking for a slightly more contemporary sound. They released the new tweaked version along with a new video, documenting Kobi’s journey over the past few months.

You can watch the entire video at myisraelimusic.com. Do you think it will help Kobi’s chances? Let us know in the comments below.

“Eurovision: The Musical”…Funny or offensive?

And finally, Israel is expecting to welcome thousands of tourists for the Eurovision, and felt the need to introduce them to the country before they arrived. So Eurovision producers Kan Broadcasting released “Eurovision: The Musical” on YouTube, and it’s chock full of negative stereotypes about Jews and Israel. Some say it’s hilarious, and that it’s great that Israel doesn’t take itself too seriously. Others say it’s disgusting, even anti-Semitic. Here’s a sample…judge for yourself.

Hilarious, or disgraceful? Funny or offensive? You decide – and then let us know your take in the comments.

---

That’s your Israeli music news for today! Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss an episode of our show. Check out our latest podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And finally, this show is now available as an Alexa skill! More details at our web site. Until next time, I’m Josh Shron…Al Tafsiku Lashir.