| Harel Skaat | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 8, 1981 Kfar Sava, Israel |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | singer, recording artist, performer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2004 – present |
| Labels | Hed Arzi Music, Aroma Music |
| Website | www.harelskaat.com |
Harel Skaat (Hebrew: הראל סקעת) is an Israeli singer. He was the runner-up of the second season of Kokhav Nolad ("A Star is Born") in 2004.
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Harel Skaat was born on August 8, 1981, in Kfar Sava, Israel to a family of Yemenite, and Iraqi[1] Jews. Skaat's singing talents garnered attention from an early age. When he was 6 he won a children's singing competition and also appeared in an episode of a popular Israeli television show called "Parpar Nechmad".[2] After serving a mandatory stint in the army, he attended Beit Zvi, a college specializing in the performing arts.[2]In 2009, he was selected as the Israeli representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.
In 2004, Skaat entered Kokhav Nolad, a singing competition on Israel television that is comparable to "American Idol". With his impressive singing ability and good looks, Skaat quickly emerged as a favorite, consistently receiving praise for his performances from the show’s judges. He easily won his semi-final round against the competition, which included eventual winner, Harel Moyal, and went into the finals as the heavy favorite.[3] Moyal's surprise win over Skaat in the finals spurred accusations of voter manipulation by some of Skaat's fans. The allegations, which were denied by the producers of the television program, arose in part from perceived problems inherent in the voting system, which allowed for block voting and from online betting taking place before the finals.[4] An article reported that a Moyal supporter claimed to have voted for Moyal approximately 50,000 times during the finals [5] (On a side note, the increased use of block voting on reality tv shows, and the secrecy with which the producers of "American Idol" have guarded the voting numbers for the 2009 final vote have been the subjects of an article by the New York Times.[6] )
Skaat emerged from Kokhav Nolad with a large fan base. He was especially popular with Israel's young females. In 2005, Skaat was chosen to sing the Israeli National Anthem, “Hatikvah” (The Hope) in a soccer game between Israel and France. Also in 2005, he performed in a musical play ("He Who Dreamed") based on the last 10 years in the life of Yitzhak Rabin,[7] the former Israeli Prime Minister assassinated in 1995. The cast included Gila Almagor, Oded Teomi, and Shuli Natan, who sang “Yerusahalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold) during the play.[8]
Skaat has also taken part in three different Festigal children programs, which have been held annually during the Hanukkah season.[9] Skaat released his debut album, Harel Skaat (הראל סקעת), in the Summer of 2006. The album produced a string of hits, including Kama Od Efshar, Mashehu Mimeni, Im Hu Y'lech and the romantic ballad, Ve At. Initial reviews of the album were mixed. For instance, a review in the Jerusalem Post criticized the lack of spontaneity of the album, and the inclusion of dance-tracks which the critic claimed undercut the singer’s talents, but praised Skaat’s soothing vocals and his ability to move listeners.[10] The album was certified gold less than one month after its release,[11] eventually achieving platinum status [12]. (It should be noted that because of its small market size, the Israeli music industry certifies an album to be gold when it sells 20,000 copies.)[13]
Skaat won numerous awards for his work on the self-titled album. He was named "The Man of 2006 in Israeli Music" by "Keshet" and "The Male Singer of 2006" in the "Hebrew Song Contest." He also won "Singer of the Year" and "Song of the Year" for Ve At (written by Israeli singer-songwriter, Keren Peles) in the Music 24 Channel's Israel Music Awards (AMI).[14] In winning Song of the Year at the AMI, Skaat beat out songs by Hadag Nahash, Din Din Aviv, The Giraffe, and Idan Yaniv and Lior Datoker; the winner being chosen by a live vote from viewers over SMS.[15] All nominees for song of the year performed during the show; Hadag Nahash performed "Here I Come," Din Din Aviv played "I Know You From Once Upon A Time"; Idan Yaniv and Lior Datoker sang "I Think Of You"; and The Giraffe presented "Roof". [1] In addition, the Israeli Music Channel named "If He Goes" (Im Hu Y'lech) as the best music video of the year. [16] During the same year, Israeli mobile phone operator, Cellcom attempted to capitalize upon Skaat's popularity among the country's youth by developing a reality-based video series featuring the singer. The series was one of the earliest efforts by a mobile phone operator to provide exclusive video content via its users' cell phones.[17]
In the Spring of 2008, as Skaat was rumored to be working on his second album, he was sued by his record company, Hed Artzi, for breach of contract.[18] As a result of the legal dispute, Skaat was unable to record material for the new album for the rest of the year. A resolution seemed possible in December when the Israel Broadcasting Authority chose Skaat to be the country’s representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, but the inability of Skaat and Hed Artzi to reach a compromise led to Skaat being forced to drop out of the competition. In February 2009, a court granted Skaat permission to return to the studio.[19] Skaat eventually resolved his problems with his old record company, and entered into a new relationship with Aroma Music and Partner Communications [20] [21] In May 2009, Skaat released the single, Now I Understand (Hebrew: מובן לי עכשיו.) The CD of the song, the first single of his seond album, "Figures" (Hebrew: דמויות), was sold exclusively through Aroma's chain of coffee shops. [22] The album was released on September 1, 2009 and has reached gold status. [23] Among the other songs to have been released as singles from the album include: Come Today, (Hebrew: בואי היום), End, (Hebrew: סוף.) and Shine on Me (Od Yair Alay).
In 2009, in an Israeli music poll for the best singer and song of the past decade, Skaat came in second, after Eyal Golan, for the title of male singer of the decade. His single "Ve At" (And You) won fourth place for song of the decade. [24] Five hundred songs (50 for each year) contended for the honor.[25] Results were revealed live on Israeli television at a special, all-star show at Jerusalem's Sultan's Pool.[26]
In December 2009, the Israel Broadcasting Authority selected Skaat to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The announcement was made at the Knesset, Israel's legislative body. The selection was preceded by several days of speculation and confusion, and followed by criticism of the IBA and calls for an investigation from the Knesset's Education, Culture, and Sports Committee over the selection process despite the fact that the vote in favor of Skaat was unanimous. [27] Skaat will perform the song, "Milim" (Words) at the 2010 Eurovision competition. "Milim", written by Noam Horev and composed by Tomer Hadadi, won the pre-Eurovision contest broadcast on Israel's Channel 2 on March 15, 2010. [28] The winning song defeated three other finalists: "Le'An" (Where to?) by Sahar Hagay and Eyal Shahar,"Le'hitkarev" (To get closer) by Sahar Hagay and Nitzan Keikov, and "Ela'yich" (To You) by Noam Horev and Ohad Chitman. [29] "Milim" received a maximum score of 240 points from both the public and juries composed of, among others, musicians, IBA representatives, and Skaat's fans. [30] [31] A special CD containing the four songs sung during the pre-Eurovision contest, including "Milim", was released by the Aroma label to coincide with the pre-Eurovision contest [32] Israel is currently listed as one of the favorites to win Eurovision on several online betting sites [33] [34]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Noa & Mira Awad with "There Must Be Another Way" |
Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 |
Succeeded by unknown |
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