Israel - Asher Stuhlman

Kirel's discography and style might remind a new listener of Ariana Grande or K-pop depending on the song, so expectations for her to deliver a catchy pop song as a Eurovision representative were high.

Unlike past Israeli Eurovision acts, Kirel was given artistic freedom to choose her song. She held a songwriting camp and invited Israeli artists, with the goal of submitting a song with Israeli and Mediterranean flavor.

Longtime Israeli Eurovision entrant songwriter Doron Medalie (Feker Libi in 2020, Toy in 2018, Made of Stars in 2016, Golden Boy in 2015) returns as head songwriter, with songwriting contributions from Yinon Yahel (who also has credits on Feker Libi and Golden Boy), May Sfadia, and Noa Kirel herself.

The song starts with a standard verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus structure for the first two minutes, with the last minute having a dance breakdown that never returns to the original verse or chorus. This is an unusual song format for pop and Eurovision - the last song I can think of in Eurovision that didn't end on its chorus or main hook is, well, Feker Libi.

In my editorial opinion, I think it's a weak song that does't live up to Kirel's strong discography. The lyrics are incoherent, the hooks are weak, and the ending doesn't connect to the rest of the song. Kirel's staging team might be able to put together a strong performance, and I will be eager to see it, but it's one of the weaker songs in this year's competition.

That said, it's promising to see Israel give its chosen artist creative control over their entry. Even if that resulted in a weaker song than usual this year, it's a good direction to see a country move in for Eurovision, because the best entrants at Eurovision have always been artists showing their particular style.