Nadav Guedj ( he, נדב גדג'; born 2 November 1998) is an Israeli singer and actor who represented

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2015 The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Broa ...

. He is the winner of season two of ''

HaKokhav HaBa ''HaKokhav HaBa'' ( he, הַכּוֹכָב הַבָּא, translated as "The Next Star"; formerly ''HaKokhav HaBa LaErovizion'', ''Rising Star to the Eurovision'') is an Israeli interactive reality singing competition, which was first broadcast ...

'' (Israel's '' Rising Star''). Guedj was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Personal life

He was born to an Algerian Jewish family in Paris, then moved to Israel. Guedj lives in

Netanya Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate I ...

. In 2016, he enlisted in the Israeli Army.

Musical career

2014: ''HaKokhav HaBa''

Nadav entered the second season ''

'', the Israeli national selections for

where he became one of the sixteen finalists. He is the youngest participant of the contest's second season, just turning sixteen when turned up for the first audition day. He sang " Russian Roulette" by Rihanna for his first audition and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

's " Lately" for the second audition. In the second round of the contest proper, Nadav performed "

Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

" by Beyoncé. He advanced to the semi-finals of the contest along with six other contestants where he performed "

Mirrors A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the ima ...

" by

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

. He then reached the finals of the contest with four other contestants after performing "

Locked Out of Heaven "Locked Out of Heaven" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars from his second studio album, ''Unorthodox Jukebox'' (2012). It was released as the lead single from the album on October 1, 2012. The song was written by Mars, Phil ...

" by

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

in a duets battle against fellow contestant Orit Biansay. Nadav then won ''

'' with his performance of Beyoncé's "Halo" on 17 February 2015.

2015–16: Eurovision Song Contest and debut album

With his title win ''HaKokhav HaBa'', Guedj qualified to become Israel's entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. On 26 February 2015, it was announced that he would be singing Golden Boy at the Eurovision. On 12 March 2015, Golden Boy was released and is Israel's first entry to the contest that's entirely sung in English. On 21 May 2015, Nadav performed in the Eurovision song contest's second semi-final in Vienna and he has successfully made Israel reach the final for the first time in five years. At the final on 23 May, he finished 9th overall with 97 points. The ''

postcards A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

'' – short video clips introducing the participants – of this year's contest witness the slogan "Building Bridges". Each of the clips start with every contestant receiving an invitation to Austria in their home country. The story continues with the contestants making their way to one of Austria's nine states where they have an individual task to fulfill. Nadav's postcard was filmed on location in

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 G ...

and the renowned skiing resort

Lech am Arlberg Lech am Arlberg is a mountain village and an exclusive ski resort in the Bludenz district in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, on the banks of the river Lech. In terms of both geography and history, Lech belongs to the Tannberg dis ...

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...

, where Guedj is seen

spray painting Spray painting is a painting technique in which a device sprays coating material (paint, ink, varnish, etc.) through the air onto a surface. The most common types employ compressed gas—usually air—to atomize and direct the paint particles. ...

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate sup ...

with the Austrian cartoon artist and musician Bernd Püribauer. After the contest, Nadav's music video for his

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

-endorsed Song "Summer Together", Again written by Medalie, for the "Coca Cola Summer Love" events in Israel, has been released on 8 August. On 19 August 2015, he released the single " Good Vibes", he wrote the song with Ruby Feier. On 1 December 2015, he released the single "

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

". On 2 March 2016 he released the single "Make You Mine". On 15 May 2016 he released the single "Hold the City". He released his debut self-studio album on 25 May 2016.

2017–present: Upcoming second album

On 26 December 2017, he released the single "Ulay Nedaber", his first song in Hebrew. On 19 August 2018, he released the single "Ma At Omeret", second single from his second album. On 28 July 2019, he released the third single from his second album, "38 Ma'alot", which serves as the theme song for the Israeli movie ''Full Gas'', which includes Guedj as an actor.

Acting career

In 2018, Guedj began his acting career when he acted in the third season of the Israeli teen drama ''Cadabra''. In 2019, he acted in the Israeli movie ''Full Gas''. In 2021, he acted in the Israeli TV series "HaYoreshet", on channel 12.

Artistry

Musical influences

Nadav frequently listens to music of the R&B, pop,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and hip hop genres and cites Pharrell Williams, Usher, Beyoncé, Chris Brown,

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

, Snoop Dogg,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

and others as his favorite artists. He is hailed in his home country as the "Israeli Justin Timberlake" because of the similarity of his musical style, but he describes himself as "simple and regular Nadav".

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guedj, Nadav 1998 births Living people Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2015 21st-century French Jews French pop singers English-language singers from Israel Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Israel 21st-century Israeli male singers French emigrants to Israel Israeli pop singers 21st-century French male singers