Israel’s Eurovision singer Eden Golan upbeat despite scrutiny

Israel’s 20-year-old Eurovision contestant Eden Golan is in the eye of a storm.

Fierce controversy surrounds the country’s participation in the song competition this year as Israel continues its war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

The Swedish Eurovision host city Malmo has heightened security for the song contest, which faces protests over Israel’s participation.

Eurovision organizers rejected the singer’s original entry “October Rain” — widely seen to reference victims of the October 7 Hamas attack that triggered the war — finding it too politically charged.

AFP spoke to Golan at home in Tel Aviv before she headed to Sweden with her new version of the song, “Hurricane.”

Despite planned protests in the Swedish city of Malmo, where the contest begins on May 7, she appeared untroubled by the row.

“I’m super excited,” she told AFP, saying it was an honor to represent the country.

Sitting on a sofa and accompanied by a member of her PR team, Golan was at ease talking about rehearsals, rewrites and channeling the nation’s pain after October 7.

But when AFP asked about the war in Gaza, Golan did not respond.

Golan’s Eurovision entry is popular at home and her music videos are played round the clock on Israeli TV.

“I’ve been getting a lot of support and haven’t really seen any negative comments regarding the song,” she told AFP.

Even critics warm to the pop ballad when they give it a chance, she said.

“It’s the magic and beauty of music,” Golan said. “It speaks its own language, and that’s what we’re truly there for. It’s the unity in music.”

The Russian-Israeli star said she was surprised the organizers turned down “October Rain.”

“I was kind of shocked when the European Broadcasting Union didn’t approve the song,” Golan said. “I don’t think the first version was political.”

“The song is about a girl going through her own problems, her own emotions,” she said. “It wasn’t anything to do with October 7.”

Commentators thought some of the original lyrics, like “There is no air left to breathe” and “They were all good children, every one of them,” were about victims of the Hamas attack.

“Hurricane” is widely seen in Israel as still referencing the attacks, while lyrics like “I’m still broken from this hurricane” have done little to dispel speculation.

But Golan argued “Hurricane” works on multiple levels and was open to interpretation.

“Any person who listens to it can connect to the song on their level,” she said.

“Our people, our country, connects to it on a very different, deeper emotional level because of the tragedy we’ve been through.”

In Sweden, Golan is likely to face scrutiny over her song and her country’s conduct in Gaza, though the topic was strictly off the table during the interview.

Some musicians around the world have called for Israel to be banned from the competition, claiming it is violating international law in the war. Israel says it is making efforts to avoid harming civilians, while fighting a terror group entrenched within the population.

The EBU has rejected the calls to bar Israel from competing, saying that the competition is between public broadcasters, not governments, and that Israel’s Kan meets all the criteria to participate.

Authorities in Malmo have vowed “visible” measures including police with submachine guns and reinforcements from Denmark and Norway around the event, which is slated for May 7-11.

So does Golan expect to win?

“I believe anything can happen,” she said.