Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The rumor that Mei Feingold has been internally selected for Israel has spread all over the internet the past 24 hours. She comes from the same reality talent show Kokhav Nolad aka Israeli Idol season 7 in 2009,  that already brought us Shiri Maimon , Boaz Mauda and Harel Skaat to the Eurovision stage.  Mei is 21 and about to release her second album this year. Her previous songs include Pictures , Break a leg , Come back ... Somehow she reminds me of certain Italian singers. With a good song could be an excellent choice me thinks... However, it seems she hasn't served her military service, a fact that might stop her from representing her country internationally.... I guess we just have to wait for IBA's official news. Apparently Maya Bushkila is waiting in the shadows to take the job finally, but it seems she has the same military problem.... UPDATE: It's official by IBA tonight. 

The guys of 3Js have apparently announced they are soon to record a duet with Raphael Gualazzi. The fate of the two acts couldn't have been more diverse in the Eurovision - 3Js last in their semifinal (very unfairly if you ask me as Never alone deserved much more!) and Gualazzi surprisingly runner up in the final with his Madness of love . Anyways, they hit it off on the boat trip and it seems the talks of collaboration are not mere talks but reality soon. Meanwhile 3Js have released their follow up single De stroom , also from the national selection. This isn't the first time the Eurovision acts of the same year find each other and collaborate after the contest. Like Boaz Mauda, Sirusho and Jelena Tomasevic in Time to pray .

Dana International goes ding dong and participates it the Israeli national final Kdam 2011. It's her third time as a singer as she came 2nd in 1995 with Layla tov Evropa and was chosen internally in 1998 with Diva and then won the whole thing for Israel. Besides that she co-wrote Boaz Mauda's Fire in your eyes in 2008. The Kdam will take place on March 8, 2011. KNOB - Ohev et ze (I'm loving that) Dana International - Ding dong Hatikva 6 - Hakol sababa (Everything is good) Vladi Blayberg - Lirkod (To dance) Chen Aharoni - Or (light) Michael Greylsummer - Tu du du Niki Goldstein - Amri itach (I'll take off with you) Sivan Bahnem - Kach oti (Take me) Adi Cohen - Al ahava (About love) Idit Halevi - It's my time

Sirusho has released her fourth album since her debut in 2000. Havatum em (I believe) is the title track and the first new single off the album but it also includes Erotas , her Greek single last year, her Eurovision 2008 song Qele qele (Yerevan remix) and Time to pray , the song she recorded together with fellow Eurovision stars Boaz Mauda and Jelena Tomasevic. The album moves from title track's ballad mood to Erotas's greek dance beat to Qele qele's etnopop and everything in between. She's at her strongest when not singing in English I must say. The album maybe lacks a bit of hit potential Qele qele being clearly the best offering but she's vocally fine and it's very fresh if compared to Safura's somewhat overproduced debut presented here a couple of days ago.

It's been a long wait but here it is finally: Boaz Mauda's self titled debut album. It includes obviously his ESC 2008 track Fire in your eyes , the collaboration with fellow Eurovision stars Jelena and Sirusho Time to pray and Journey of my life from the 2008 Israeli selection (but not the other 3 songs...). Eleven tracks in total and they all sound great if you like his voice. And I do! http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifln-GuXzNg , http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLxUk-M0tP8