Michael Ben David (, ; born 26 July 1996) is an

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

singer who represented in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ...

. He performed the song "

I.M Im Chang-kyun (; born January 26, 1996), known by the stage name I.M or mononymously as Changkyun, is a South Korean rapper, singer, and songwriter. In 2015, he debuted in the South Korean boy group Monsta X, through the Mnet's survival show ' ...

" in the second semifinal. Israel placed 13th in the semi final failing to qualify to the grand Final.

Life and career

Ben David was born in 1996 as the second of six siblings, to a Georgian Jewish father and mother who immigrated to Israel from

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. He started taking voice lessons and studying dance under Israeli choreographer Oz Morag at a young age. He also worked as a singing waiter at a

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

bar. After completing his

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

he attended the Beit Zvi School of Performing Arts, which has produced a number of former Israeli Eurovision artists like

Rita Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) * Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984) * Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962) * Rita (Japanese singer) * Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita Places * Djarrit, also known as Rita, ...

Shiri Maimon Shiri Maimon (or Maymon, he, שירי מימון ; born ) is an Israeli pop/ R&B singer, TV show host and actress, who rose to fame as the runner-up in the TV show ''Kokhav Nolad''. She represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, ...

, and

Harel Skaat Harel Skaat ( he, הראל סקעת, born 8 August 1981) sometimes known by the mononym Harel is an Israeli singer and songwriter. He represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song " Milim" ("מילים", "Words"). Skaat ...

, graduating in 2020. During his time at the school, he acted in plays and musicals.

''The X Factor Israel'' and Eurovision 2022

In October of 2021, Michael Ben David auditioned for the fourth season of '' The X Factor Israel'', which would be used to select Israel's representative for the

. Following a successful audition, he was paired up with Eurovision winner and Israeli popstar

Netta ''Netta'' is a genus of diving ducks. The name is derived from Greek ''Netta'' "duck". Unlike other diving ducks, the ''Netta'' species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks. These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fres ...

. During the show he performed a number of songs, including

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...

's "

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" is a song by Swedish band ABBA. It was recorded in August 1979 in order to help promote their North American and European tour of that year, and was released on ABBA's '' Greatest Hits Vol. 2'' album ...

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom ...

's " Idontwannabeyouanymore" and Pet Shop Boy's "

It's a Sin "It's a Sin" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, ''Actually'' (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's ...

". Ben David went on to win the final with his song "

" and represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

Personal life

As of 2022, Michael Ben David has been in a relationship with Roi Ram, whom he met while studying at Beit Zvi, for three years. The pair starred in a number of musicals together such as ''A Thousand and One Nights'' and ''King Solomon and Shlomo the Shoemaker'', and the farce ''

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was foun ...

'' as well. Ram is still working in the musical theater world, working on a 2022 tour of an adaptation of '' The Wizard of Oz'' by

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

. On the 11th of May 2022, the day before his

semi-final, Ben David announced on Instagram that he had proposed to Ram in

Turin, Italy Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

, and that they were now engaged.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ben David, Michael 1996 births Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Israel Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2022 Living people LGBT singers from Israel Gay musicians Israeli people of Georgian-Jewish descent Israeli people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent