The frenzy surrounding Noa Kirel becomes real when she arrives a few moments before the final rehearsal of the judges, during which half of the amount of points she will receive, is determined, to the press room located on the other side of the Eurovision complex. Kirel arrives accompanied by her PR man Shir Pinto, and the Israeli and international journalists flock to the young singer, trying to get some last words out of her.
Noa Kirel at Eurovision in Liverpool (Photo: Sarah Louise BennettEBU)
In the moments between the transition between the interviews with the foreign media, which are more important than the ones she gives us, since the Israeli viewers cannot vote for Kirel, and the interviews with the local journalists, Kirel no longer knows what language to answer and declares, “My brain is crushed.” It certainly seems like Kiral is going through stressful days, but she gets through them with the strength of a unicorn.
For the last time in front of the journalists: watch the return of Noa Kirel as she looks in Liverpool
are you ready for tonight You know it’s as important as tomorrow
“I’m ready for tonight, I know it’s important. And I’m very excited.”
What goes through your mind seconds before you go on stage?
“So many things, great excitement. Just to bring pride and fun to my country, make my parents proud, make myself proud, and think about the fact that I’m going to perform in front of the whole world. It’s a very powerful moment. Take a breath and do it.”
Are you satisfied with the 23rd position in the order of performances?
“Very, I think it’s a great place to be. It’s close to voting that it’s good, it’s a good number, it’s Michael Jordan’s number.”
Yesterday you went live with your fans, what did you tell them about the situation in Israel?
“Many times I feel support and energy from Israel and I want to return their support. Specifically with what is happening now, to give them love, hug them, and give them love more than any other day. Send them love.”
Did you get anything from them that made you feel stronger?
“Yes, I added fans to the broadcast. We talked about a lot of things, I received so much love and support.”
Besides your song, what is your favorite song in the competition?
“There are so many good songs in the competition. I like the British song, the Swedish song, the Norwegian song, the Finnish song. We see a lot of female empowerment this year, a lot of young female artists.”
Do you think Eurovision is the peak of your musical career?
“Yes absolutely, to perform in front of millions of people, from all over the world. On one of the biggest stages in the world. Absolutely.”
“We do everything,” Kirel explains about the preparations before the show. “I warm up before, take care of myself. Warm up, it’s important.”
Have you met Neta Barzilai yet?
“Yes, and also on the street two days ago. We are good friends, it’s fun to meet a familiar face that I like. We don’t talk too much about the competition. It’s just how the feelings are. She’s always there for me, and it’s fun to see her face, it feels great.”
Did the pressure drop a bit from the first semi-final?
“On the one hand the pressure has decreased, on the other hand the final is even more than the semi-final, so of course there is pressure, and today it is in front of judges, it is a final for all intents and purposes. There is always pressure, you have to breathe. We do a lot of energy circles. We just sang ‘Shalom Aleichem’ The whole delegation, to calm down.”
