In her interview with the Israeli weekend magazine Mako, Noa Kirel gave more details of what her journey to Eurovision 2023 will be like.
Noa said that she found out about being chosen for Eurovision from the local media, and not from a direct call from the broadcaster Kan
“There was no phone call, I saw it published in the media along with everyone else. I was excited, surprised and also a little stressed, because I did not expect it and immediately entered into a kind of journey with myself, whether I was going to do it or not. It took me a relatively long time to decide because I had to see harm versus benefit, but in the end I chose to see the opportunity. It’s an honor to represent the country.”
What helped her make the final decision about going to Eurovision was a phone conversation with Netta, who won Eurovision 2018, representing Israel as well.
Noa considered Netta a good friend of hers, so accepting her advice was quite natural.
Noa related to the fact that sometimes Eurovision can also be a risk:
“It’s a really crazy platform to promote myself, it’s worth taking this risk and earning an audience that doesn’t know me yet.”
As we all know, the budget given by the national broadcaster is limited, especially in a tiny country like lovely Israel.
Noa Kirel’s team plans to allocate an additional budget on top of the budget given by Kan
Roberto Ben Shushan, Noa Kirel’s agent, reacted:
“Whatever KAN gives, we will give, and if Noa wants a bigger production, she will add, and that’s fine Noa will give back to the state of Israel a little of what the state of Israel gives her, and God willing she has this opportunity. She participates in Eurovision voluntarily, she does not earn money for it, and not only does she not earn, but she also invests herself“
Noa stated that financial issues aren’t her biggest concern. Her main aim is to give honor to Israel at Eurovision, whatever it takes:
“For me it’s worth it. It’s no secret that the financial side is less interesting to me, maybe because I’m very young and these are still things I’m less concerned with, but when it comes to Eurovision, I’m coming to give my million percent, and if it means losing money and adding from myself, I’ll do it. I will do what is best for my country and for me.”
Noa revealed that she met Doron Medalie, who composed and wrote Israeli entries at Eurovision 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020.
He taught her everything about Eurovision, from the format to the press conferences and rehearsals.
Finally, Noa revealed more details about how her song for Eurovision will be selected.
Doron Medalie, Ron Beaton, Jordi, Nitzan Kaykov, Itay Shimoni, and Eitan Peled are rumored to take part in creating the winning formula for Israel at Eurovision 2023.
Noa also plans to take an active part in the song’s writing.
In contrast to the last few years, the national broadcaster Kan will let Noa have the desired artistic freedom. The selection of the final song will be under the responsibility of Noa Kirel and her team.
However, it will be aligned with Eurovision’s regulations (for example, the allowed number of people on stage, the maximum duration of 3 minutes or more).
From the second I entered the first meeting with them, they told me, ‘You have the artistic freedom, and one of the reasons we chose you is that you bring the songs you bring and the language you bring and the work you bring, and we want you to go with it, so I immediately felt behind me. This is the thing that decided my choice whether to do it or not. Obviously they will be involved, it’s together. But if in recent years they told the artist ‘this is the song you are going to perform, then the situation here is a little different. I will create the song together with my creative team. Of course, I don’t come and dictate only my rules, I’m not like that. This is a joint decision with the corporation, they are responsible for everything”
Noa said that Atlantic Records suggested some of the biggest names in the worldwide industry as writers for her Eurovision entry.
However, she prefers to focus on the local team.
She also added that we will have an Israeli flavor in the final song. It is still not certain whether it will be expressed in the lyrics, production, music elements, etc.
What are your expectations for Israel at Eurovision 2023?
Will Noa Kirel bring Israel another top achievement on the scoreboard?
