Eurovision contestant Eden Golan is focusing on her music during the unprecedented tension surrounding Israel’s participation in this year’s competition, which will begin in Malmo, Sweden, on May 7.
Against a backdrop of calls from artists for the European Broadcast Union (EBU), the body that oversees the contest, to eject Israel from the competition because of its ongoing war against Hamas, and despite the danger that the Israeli delegation and Israeli fans face from antisemitic elements in the southern Swedish coastal city, Golan remained positive and energetic.
She and her entourage arrived in Malmo last week. Advised by Israeli security not to leave their hotel rooms except when absolutely necessary, the 20-year-old singer representing Israel and her backup dancers took part in two open rehearsals. She said in an interview on KAN 11 that she cried as she finished her second rehearsal on Friday – not out of grief but out of the emotions stirred by taking part in Eurovision.
“The truth is, the rehearsals are going really well. We’re enjoying ourselves and working and improving every aspect [of the performance] and we leave very satisfied. There is no doubt that the song makes me emotional again and again – and that’s amazing, because it’s a song I’ve sung so many times,” she said.
Asked whether she felt under more pressure as a representative of Israel at this moment than would be usual even in a high-profile contest like Eurovision, Golan admitted that she did.
“This isn’t just another Eurovision, this isn’t just another song,” she explained. “It’s something much more than that... It’s a mission, it’s to show that we’re here. It’s to show our voice, much more than to simply sing the song onstage.”
After the EBU rejected the first song submitted by Israel for the concert, “October Rain,” which made explicit references to the October 7 massacre, the Israeli team submitted a new song, “Hurricane.”
References to October 7 are more vague
Written by Avi Ohayon, Keren Peles and Stav Berger, "Hurricane" features references to the massacre that are more vague but still clear – which is especially clear in the official music video for the song, in which Golan sings in an open field that clearly resembles the Nova music festival, where nearly 400 people were killed. The music video has received over five million views on YouTube since it was released a month ago.
“Everyone can take this song to where they want to go with it,” Golan said, “and they can feel what we felt.”
A large part of the song is in English, and some of the most poignant lyrics leave no doubt that it expresses sorrow over the events of October 7: “Every day I’m losing my mind/ Holding on in this mysterious ride/ Dancing in the storm/ I got nothing to hide/ Take it all and leave the world behind/ Baby, promise me you’ll hold me again/ I’m still broken from this hurricane/... love will never die.”
At the end of the song, Golan sings in Hebrew, “We don’t need big words, just prayers/ Even if it’s hard to see/ You always leave one little light,” words that also seem to amplify the emotions of many Israelis who are coping with loss.
She is enjoying herself at the moment and concentrating on improving and fine-tuning her performance.“It’s so much fun to perform on such a big stage. I’m waiting for the audience... to see the lights. It’s emotional. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing that I’ll never forget.”
Golan will perform “Hurricane” on May 9 in the semi-finals and then again on May 11 in the grand final if she makes the cut, which she is predicted to do by the odds-makers, who have her in eighth place out of the 37 performers.The rehearsals also allowed audiences to get a glimpse of her costume – a dress made of soft, sand-colored fabric that looks like bandages wrapped around a wound – and the dancers’ costumes, which were made out of the same material, with just a hint of gold.
This is in contrast to the ordinarily glitzy, shiny, skin-tight attire generally worn by Eurovision contestants. The outfits were designed by Alon Livne, a designer who has created outfits for Eurovision contestants in the past, as well as for such stars as Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.
Golan and her dancers were styled by Itay Bezaleli, who told Ynet that “we wanted to create a natural garment with a very clean look that would express what we currently feel as a nation. That’s why we chose to create the dress from natural materials, and the overall look is very different from previous joint work by me and Alon. This time, there was no room for a shiny or plastic garment.”
While Golan and her dancers looked radiant and calm in the rehearsal clips that were released, Israeli security is bracing for protests and possibly even attacks.
Last week, Israel’s National Security Council issued a travel advisory for Malmo, saying there was a “well-founded concern that terrorist elements will exploit the protests and the anti-Israel mood to carry out attacks against Israelis attending Eurovision.”
The Home Front Command app that many Israelis use at home to warn of missile attacks will provide real-time notifications of threats and guidelines to follow for Israelis in Malmo, according to reports.
Eurovision is an arena where Israelis have had a great deal of success. Last year, Noa Kirel came in third with the song, “Unicorn.”
Israel began taking part in Eurovision in 1973 since it would not have been welcomed in regional, Middle Eastern song contests.
It took home the top prize in both 1978 and 1979 with wins for Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta for the song “A-Ba-Ni-Bi,” and Milk and Honey for “Hallelujah,” respectively, and again in 1998 with Dana International’s “Diva.” In 2018, Netta Barzilai won Eurovision with the song “Toy.”
Asked what would constitute success for her in the contest, Golan said, “Success for us is that we’re taking part and that our voice will be heard, and to stand on stage and to show that we’re here.”