Interview with Israel’s “Golden boy” Nadav Guedj: “we are planning to rock the stage”

The Israeli entry will be performed by Nadav Guedj, who just won ‘Rising Star’ – Israel’s most watched singing competition. His entry “Golden Boy” has been chosen internally and was written by Israeli hitmaker Doron Medalie to fit the artistic capabilities of the 16 year old singer, who will be one of this year’s youngest participants.

Medalie describes the style of the song as a “Middle Eastern Pop anthem” which fuses together contemporary Pop and R&B with the famous Middle Eastern ethnic beat.The Music video for the song shows Nadav in the middle of the sunny city that never sleeps – Tel Aviv – and was shot in different locations such as the rooftop of the local city hall, in the middle of an urban rave that hosted 60,000 dancing participants and at Rabin’s square, a local well known landmark.

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Good Evening Europe talks to Nadav Guedj

Good Evening Europe:  First of all congratulations on winning “Hakochav Haba (Rising Star)” and the right to represent Israel in Eurovision Song Contest 2015! How did you react when you were named winner of the show?

Nadav: Winning “Hakochav Haba” was followed by a mix of emotions ranging from euphoria to disbelief and now I just really do feel proud that I’ll be representing Israel in the Eurovision song contest.

Good Evening Europe: The name of your entry is “Golden boy” – What is the message of the song and were you involved in the selection ?

Nadav: “Golden boy” is all about a broken hearted young guy who decides to get out of his bad mood by taking a break of three minutes and letting himself loose.

Good Evening Europe: In the song, you promise “to show us Tel Aviv”, before you leave 🙂 How did the city end up in the lyrics? And what would you show us in TelAviv, if Eurovision Song Contest brings us to your home town in 2016?

Nadav: Doron Medalie, The songwriter, decided to place Tel Aviv in the lyrics because it is the city that never sleeps and if you want to party and have fun in Israel, this is where you need to go. For me, Tel Aviv has a dynamic new culture with western as well as eastern influences. The perfect sunny weather and amazing golden beaches are just the cherry on top of it all.

Good Evening Europe: You are one of this year’s youngest artists. How do you prepare for the big show in Vienna and how are you handling the media exposure?

Nadav: I know I’m fortunate. Being only 16 years old I was given a chance of a lifetime to pursue music, visit new places and meet so many different interesting people. This is why I’m super focused on the contest and practically spend every hour I get to prepare for the stage performance.

 

Good Evening Europe: Can you reveal a little bit about your plans for the stage performance and song presentation in Vienna?

Nadav: Well, you’ll just have to wait and see for yourselves but I can assure you we are planning to rock the stage. I am working with an amazing team that includes the director of “Hakochav Haba” Yoav Tzafir, the Dj and producer Yinon Yahel, the choreographer Claude Dadia, the songwriter Doron Medalie and Creative director Elad Weissman.

Good Evening Europe: Who are your musical inspirations and which musical styles do you listen to?

Nadav: I love to get inspired by a wide range of genres and different kinds of music so I always listen to so many artists. I spend hours in front of my PC in search for new music. Pharell Williams, Timbaland, Jay-Z, Snoop dog and Usher. I listen to their music practically every day.

Good Evening Europe: Several media have compared you to Justin Timberlake – What do you think of that comparison?

Nadav: I think I still have a long way to go before I feel I could be compared to any big star.

Good Evening Europe: Have you been following the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years and do you have any favorites from the contest?

Nadav: I heard many of the songs and my top favorite, right now, is the Australian entry 🙂

Good Evening Europe: Do you have any special message for the readers of www.good-evening-europe.dk (Denmark)

Nadav: I feel that the Eurovision competition is all about celebrating diversity and culture through music. I Hope to Dance together in Vienna with all my Danish brothers and sisters.

Good Evening Europe: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions and good luck in Vienna! 🙂

Nadav: Thank you!!:)

To keep up-to-date with Nadav Guedj and the Israeli Eurovision team you can follow their Facebook Fan page – Eurovision Israel 2015