Israeli broadcaster IPBC have launched a call for entries for their national final to select Eden’s entry for Eurovision 2021. This year, sixteen songs will compete in a multi-round national selection.
Submissions for the song selection will close on 5 October and all submissions must follow the usual rules of the Eurovision Song Contest. All entries submitted must be sent in with music and lyrics, and not lyrics only. Songwriters must also hold an Israeli ID card.
Only eight will compete in live shows
As always with Israel, they haven’t got the most simple national final format and eight songs will be eliminated even before the live shows. Out of the song submissions, a committee will choose 16 entries to continue to the next stage. These 16 songs will be made available online with the public’s four favourites making it through to the live shows. Along with the top 4 of the public, the committee will choose a further four songs to join them.
The next stage is the live semi-finals which will each have four entries. The top two from each semi-final will make it through to the final, with the winning entry in the final being sent to Eurovision 2021.
According to reports, the live shows will presented by Lucy Ayoub and will take place in February.
Entries can be submitted now via IPBC’s online platform, and submissions will close on 5 October at 11:00 Israeli time.
Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest
Israel has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 41 times since making its debut in 1973. The country has won the contest four times. (1978, 1979, 1998, 2018), and has hosted the contest three times (1979, 1999 and 2019).
Since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Israel has failed to reach the final six times. In 2005, Shiri Maimon gave the country its tenth top five result with “HaSheket SheNish’ar”, finishing fourth. Having failed to qualify for the final for four consecutive years (2011–2014), Israel reached the final with Nadav Guedj’s “Golden Boy” in 2015. Since Nadav’s ninth-place finish, Israel has qualified for every Grand Final.
In 2020, Eden Alene was selected to represent Israel at Rotterdam. Another national final took place, which saw ‘Feker Libi’ chosen as their entry. Despite the cancellation of the 2020 contest, it’s been confirmed that Eden will represent Israel at the 2021 contest.
Will you submit a song to compete for Israel this year? Who would you like to see write Eden’s song?
Let us know in the comments below or on social media @ESCXTRA.
