Eden Golan, the singer who represented Israel at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, performed the original version of her song ‘Hurricane' for the first time at the weekend.
‘October Rain', Golan's original entry for the contest, was rejected for being too political. The song was rewritten and finally accepted under the name of ‘Hurricane'. On Saturday night Golan performed ‘October Rain' for the first time at a rally in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square and you can watch it below:
Golan's performance coincided with the retrieval of the bodies of several Israeli hostages from Gaza. The world's spotlight has been on Israel and Gaza since war broke out between Israel and Hamas following Hamas' attack on Israel on 7th October 2023.
The war has resulted in divided opinion across the globe with pro-Palestinian rallies taking place in a number of countries. There were calls for Israel to be excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest, and Golan faced booing during her performances in Malmö, Sweden.
Golan's stunning performance in the final has seen her pick up a legion of fans and it persuaded the public to pick up the phone and vote during Eurovision. Despite muted points from the jury, Golan secured 323 points from the televote beaten only by Croatia.
It remains to be seen if Israel will be allowed to participate in Eurovision 2025, which will take place in Switzerland.
