“Michelle,” the song that will be performed by Noam Bettan, Israel’s 2026 Eurovision contestant, in the song contest in Vienna in May, was revealed in a festive broadcast on KAN 11 on Thursday night, and the lush, romantic tune was just what Israelis needed to forget the war with Iran. Even the Iranians seemed impressed, and they didn’t fire any missiles during Bettan’s performance.
Bettan, handsome and sweet in a tailored white shirt and leather jacket, looked like the typical Israeli boy-next-door as he sang “Michelle,” an impressive ballad that blended lyrical passages with a driving beat and was about a lost love. He was accompanied by a group of female dancers in fashionable street clothes as he crooned the story of an impossible love.
The song includes lyrics in Hebrew, French, and English. The lyrics were written by Nadav Aharoni, Tzlil Kalifi, and Yuval Raphael, who represented Israel at Eurovision last year. Aharoni and Kalifi composed the music, and Aharoni is its producer. The song was reviewed and approved by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body that organizes the contest.
The song was presented in a show hosted by Hila Korach, which began with Bettan singing a duet with Yuval Raphael, last year’s Eurovision contestant, on the song she sang in the contest, “New Day Will Rise.”
The song worked well as a duet, and the performance illustrated how confident and polished a performer Raphael has become in the 10 months since her triumphant second-place finish at Eurovision, as well as Bettan’s relaxed and generous stage presence. Raphael said in an interview with Korach that the past year had been the best in her life.
She had no comment on the new song, saying she would let Bettan do the honor of unveiling it to the public.
More Israeli performers on the broadcast
Eden Golan, Israel’s 2024 contestant, appeared on the special and performed a new song, “Phoenix.” She finished fifth in the contest, and like Raphael, endured harassment and threats when she took part.
Bettan, Raphael, and Golan performed the song, “The Quiet that Remains,” together. Shiri Maimon performed this song at Eurovision in 2005, and it became a big hit for her.
In an interview with Roni Kuban before singing “Michelle,” Bettan said that he lived alone and talked to himself to help calm his nerves as Eurovision draws closer.
This year, about 200 songs were submitted to the selection committee by Israeli artists. Following significant changes made by KAN to the selection process, any creator registered with ACUM, the Society of Authors, Composers, and Music Publishers in Israel, could submit a song for the committee to consider. The songs were submitted anonymously.
Bettan, the son of French immigrants, was the front-runner going into the final of the Next Star for Eurovision, the talent on Keshet 12 that chooses the Eurovision candidate. His win was widely predicted. The Ra’anana native was chosen over three other finalists, Gal De Paz, Shira Zloof, and Alona Erez. Looking slightly stunned after his win, Bettan said he would do his best to bring honor to Israel.
He closed a circle by winning the right to sing for Israel after he tried and failed to audition for the competition a decade earlier, when he was 17. In the years since, he has built a professional musical career, and his videos have millions of views on YouTube and Spotify.
In the Next Star for Eurovision final, Bettan impressed both the judges and the audience, whose combined votes are used to select the winner, by performing Amir Benayoun’s “Nitzachta Iti Hakol” (“You Won Everything With Me”) in Hebrew and “Derniere Danse,” a French song by Indila.
It was Bettan’s 28th birthday on Thursday night, and Korach joked that the trophy presented to all of Eurovision’s contestants could double as a birthday gift.
Eurovision 2026 will take place in Vienna in May, and Bettan is scheduled to perform in the first semi-final on May 12 and, if selected, return for the final on May 16.
Israel has won the Eurovision Song Contest four times: 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2018. The event is one of the most-watched television programs, drawing hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.