HaKokhav HaBa — Israel’s national selection for Eurovision 2024 — will start airing on the network Keshet 12 on Tuesday, 31 October.
Known to us abroad as “Rising Star” or “The Next Star for Eurovision 2024,” the show was originally set to be filmed three weeks ago. But when Hamas launched its attacks on Israel on 7 October, everything came to a pause — and updates are only now forthcoming.
As Euromix reports, filming started last week and the programme will start airing on 31 October — but only if the security situation allows for it.
The show has been tweaked in several ways. Rather than having an audience present in the auditions, hitting buttons when they like an act, a focus group was used to determine 40% of the score.
This year’s judging panel consists of: Asaf Amdursky, Itay Levy, Keren Peles, Shiri Maimon, Ran Danker and Eden Hason.
Staging a show during the current war has raised eyebrows at home and abroad. Some people say now is not the time to be celebrating anything. Yet others point out that Eurovision was founded to bring countries together.
Keshet 12 has billed the show as a way to give the public a chance to focus on something else, if only for a moment. As Euromix explains, the hosts Assi Azzar and Rotem Sela appeared in an advert saying the following.
“After many weeks…we feel that the time has come to take a breath and take solace in something a little different. There is no doubt that of all the things in the world, music is the simplest and deepest way to connect and cheer us up, which is why we decided to progress the opening of the season of The Next Star for Eurovision.”
“This will not be a normal season opener. It will be adapted to the situation, but we are sure that a little music can only help. The Next Star for Eurovision begins the journey with small steps, at the end of which we will have an Israeli representative who will show the whole world who we are.”