The two, who remain anonymous, cited dissatisfaction with the songs chosen for them by the Rising Star for Eurovision production team. New writers are being reached out to in order to find alternative songs for the final show which will air on March 3rd. This was confirmed today on Mako, the official website of the show.
The Rising Star for Eurovision talent show is pre-recorded, so the 4 finalists have already been chosen, and their identities are kept secret. The Grand Final of the Rising Star will be the only show in which the audience at home get to vote for their favourite act. It has recently been revealed that the final will feature original songs by all four finalists, and the winning song and artist will represent Israel in May.
The latest show aired last Saturday and saw the return of Gil Hadash, who had been eliminated the week before. The top nine who are still currently in the running are:
Ophir Haim – a young male singer who is currently serving in the Israeli Military
Ella Daniel – a female singer who was born in Azerbaijan and immigrated to Israel as a child
Gil Hadash – a young female singer who is currently serving in the Israeli Military
Hovi Star – a former contestant of A Star is Born who has preformed in some European countries
Shtar – a boy-band whose members are American and British orthodox Jewish students
Velma – an indie rock duo which tried to audition in 2015 and failed
Nofar Salman – a female teenager singing mostly oriental music
Oder Shar’abi – a middle-aged singer who has recently returned to the stage after a 20 year absence
Kiara Duple – a moderately famous Israeli drag queen whose real name is Lior Cohen
This is the second year in a row that the Rising Star reality show is being used to select the Israeli representative to the Eurovision Song Contest. The winner last year was Nadav Guedj who went on to sing Golden Boy and reached a 9th place in the Grand Final.
