Israel is first to announce its 2023 participant, Noa Kirel travelling to the UK

Public broadcaster KAN has announced Israel’s 2023 entry, making Noa Kirel the first selected performer for the Eurovision Song Contest in May.

In a surprisingly early move, Israel’s broadcaster KAN revealed the news after a meeting of their Eurovision Selection Committee on Monday 11 July; some 8 months before the official deadline for entries.

A total of 78 artists were discussed, all with ‘rich and proven experience in standing in front of a large audience,’ according to a KAN spokesperson. No worries there; Kirel is a mainstay of the pop festival circuit, and has a clutch of hit singles to her name including Please Don’t Suck, I Have Love, and her debut track Talking. The rockstar from Ra’anana is well known domestically, winning two MTV EMA awards and performing last year at the 70th Miss Universe pageant when it came to town.

We look forward to hearing more about the song selection process, and are thrilled to welcome Noa as the first member of the Class of ‘23.:although Israel’s 2023 performer was announced a month ago, the artist confirmed her acceptance of the nomination and her invitation at KAN 2022’s press conference on 10 August.

Welcome Noa Kirl – Israel’s representative for @Eurovision 2023 pic.twitter.com/sTbvpjWRGU

— KAN Eurovision Israel (@kaneurovision) August 10, 2022

So it’s a foregone conclusion that Noa Kirel will represent Israel at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, but will Belgium be the first country to announce its song title this year in the opening of the next season, in September 2022? It’s only a matter of weeks away: in 3 weeks, the bidding period for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in the UK will officially open.

Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest

In 1973, the following season, Israel will mark exactly 50 years since it became the first non-European country to make its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest, hosted by Luxembourg, when it was already a member of the EBU, the public broadcasting organisation that approved the country’s entry. Israel has shown a strong interest in the contest since the beginning of the continental competition but had to wait 17 years for its first entry.

Their first competitor, Ilanit – born Hanna Dresner-Tzakh – finished fourth in the Ey Sham (אי שם), and had to wait only half a decade for their first victory. The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was won by Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta (“A-Ba-Ni-Bi”), and in 1979 by Milk & Honey (“Hallelujah” – the 2020 version of the song for Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light) won with a total of 9 points (second-placed Spain with 10 points), followed by Dana International’s seminal win (“Diva”) in 1998, and most recently in 2018, young talent Netta Barzilai turned her new wave beats into crystal microphones.

Despite four victories, Israel has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest three times – in 1979 and 1999 in Jerusalem and in 2019 in Tel Aviv; the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was rejected by both the Israeli and British broadcasters and was hosted by the Dutch broadcaster NOS after delays in preparation. Another piece of history is that Israel, the defending champion, did not take part in this 1980 contest, which was held by NOS on 19 April, which is Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel.

Illustration: Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images
Source: Eurovision.tv / OurVision International