The winner of Israel’s “The Next Star” competition is bringing the country hope for another Eurovision win.
By United with Israel Staff
Eden Alene, 19, will represent Israel at the Eurovision 2020 Song Contest competition in May. The contest will take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The singer will reveal the song she will perform on March 3.
Alene, born and raised in Jerusalem, is the child of Ethiopian parents. Her powerful voice electrified audiences while competing on “The Next Star,” a competition hosted by Eurovision, that chooses the Israeli performer for the upcoming contest. She had previously been victorious on Israeli talent show “X Factor.”
Her winning final performance was Beyoncé’s mega-hit “Halo.”
“It is an insane honor to represent my country,” Alene said about her win, reported Times of Israel. “It is amazing that an Ethiopian is doing it for the first time.”
Over the coming weeks, the Israeli public broadcaster Kan‘s channels will feature four possible songs for Alene to use in the competition. A team of professional judges and viewers will vote on their favorite song for the young artist to sing at the competition.
Even Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got into the act. He tweeted on Tuesday, “Eden, you are a champion! We trust you to bring Eurovision back home. Good luck!”
“The months in ‘The Next Star’ turned me from a girl with a dream into a singer with experience,” Alene said after her victory. “I want to thank everyone who voted for me and promise to do everything possible to represent Israel in Eurovision with honor.”
Eurovision is Israel’s most-watched singing competition. Israel won the coveted contest in 2018 when Netta Barzelai shook the ramparts with her song, “Toy.”
The Eurovision winner’s country hosts the next year’s competition.