Where are you currently based?
Well, Israel
How did you first start playing music and singing?
My big brother was very popular amongst his friends because he was beatboxing and drumming. I envied him a lot, So I started imitating animals And beatboxing myself , One thing led to another I found Aretha Franklin and I want to be here ever sense. for real now music was always there, And, it saved me from depression so many times.
In 2018 you won the Eurovision Song Contest, how did you come to be involved with Eurovision and what how have things changed for you since winning?
It actually started really different with me. It started when I was performing in Late night jams, I was paid with some beer because I could improvise in a very entertaining way. When money came short i figured out I can’t pay my rent anymore doing small gigs , I went to a reality show in Israel just to make a living. I ended up winning it, And The grand prize was to go to Eurovision song contest and surprisingly to me,I wan that too. It seems like since that moment there has been a lot of water under the bridge. Eurovision has opened me to an international world, and it will forever be a part of my heart – like a mythological ex that keeps haunting you. Sometimes I call Eurovision when I’m drunk.
Your new single Cuckoo was showcased on Saturday the 16th of May to over 45 countries, what influenced the sound and songwriting for cuckoo?
Cuckoo is like a heartbreaking lullaby for a dying relationship. I was in a moment of doubt, I doubted absolutely everything in my life. While people expected me to be happy – having a relationship and a peaking career, I felt lost and caged in their perception of what they want me to be, and what I really want to become.
How did you go about writing Cuckoo?
I was on a writing trip In LA and I got a lot of dates with writers and producers But everything that we achieved was very mediocre. And one of the mornings I we We’re waiting for a songwriter to show up and in Came a girl with a kimono and gave a really loud burp. And I was thinking ‘that’s it, we found her! her name is Krista Young’s and it took us three bad songs in very expensive rooms to figure out we need to go to her apartment with her roommate Burt Elliott to sit on a beer spent 10 minutes writing and then we had cuckoo
There are two versions of Cuckoo, please tell us how the music box concept came about:
The song speaks about a cage and I thought about cages in general I remember me as a little girl asking my mom: “Does the ballerina inside my music box ever get out the box”The loop of the music box Channels really well the tragedy of being stuck inside a comfortable fancy cage. We spent three whole months building a custom music box which is an instrument from the 16th century for it to be in a loop and play our arrangement .
Where and when did you record/produce and master?
After this song came out so beautiful I knew I wanted someone special to produce it. JR Rotem Was a perfect fit to me for this track and he did such a magnificent work on it.
You also have a new EP on the way, what can we expect?
My new EP name is Goody bag . When you get a goody bag, you actually get leftovers from the party, So you can savor the experience a little bit longer. I had an amazing two years, and this is what’s left of them. I decided to gather them up in a bundle and move on.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
little big koffee , bby motha Doja Cat.
What’s planned for 2020?
hahaha
Favourite food and place to hangout?
I miss Thailand so bad right now ,so I have to say coconut pancakes.
