Yuval Raphael has unveiled her Eurovision entry ‘New Day Will Rise', which she will sing when representing Israel this May.
Raphael was selected to represent Israel after winning the latest series of ‘The Rising Star' (‘HaKokhav HaBa'). ‘New Day Will Rise' is written by Karen Peles and will be performed in the Second Half of the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 15th May.
Raphael is from Ra'anana, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. She began her professional singing career just last year, when she took part in TV talent show ‘HaKokhav HaBa' and captivated viewers with her vocals all the way through to the final of the competition, which she won.
A survivor of the Nova Massacre, which saw Hamas slaughter innocent music lovers and take hostages, Raphael hid under dead bodies for eight hours. She has since spoken of her traumatic experience, which saw her sustain injuries from shrapnel during the attack.
‘New Day Will Rise' sees Raphael singing in English, French and Hebrew, and it's a powerful song about overcoming adversity. You can watch the video at the top of this article.
Raphael picks up the baton from Eden Golan, who represented Israel with her song ‘Hurricane' in 2024. Golan's participation in the contest led to controversy and she was booed during her performances at the contest by some sections of the audience. Regardless, she finished in fifth place after receiving overwhelming support in the public vote.
