Kobi Marimi is an Israeli singer and actor who won the sixth season of HaKokhav HaBa. This earned him the right to represent his country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 on home soil. Marimi is a professional acting graduate and won the award for the most promising actor in Israel’s Musical Theatre Festival.

He was born and raised in Ramat Gan, Israel, to a Mizrahi Jewish family of Iraqi-Jewish descent.He served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces at the Adjutant Corps. He studied in the acting studio Nissan Nativ, during his studies he appeared in the plays The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Comic Illusion and Prayer. Since graduating he performed in Every Living Thing Needs, Chambaloo’s Treasure and performed the role of Natan in Messiah Now for which he won the Promising Actor Award at the 2017 Musical Celebrations in Bat Yam. This was his Israeli Opera debut.

“Home” is his debut single and has also been issued as a remix single by DJ and producer Tomer G who has worked with the likes of Madonna, Kylie and Britney Spears.

VIDEO

LIVE PERFORMANCE

OPINIONS

Steve

He has a good voice and a nice song and it’s a polar opposite from the winning entry last year. This is a ‘toilet break’ song for me!

Chris

The Israeli entry is a piano ballad, very different, very naked and stripped, with Kobi’s strong and confident vocal. It’s only forty seconds towards the end of the song that it ‘catches fire’ with some drums but that doesn’t last. Very mature and irrefutably classy non the less.

PREDICTIONS

Steve

It will do okay as it’s the home country and as far as ballads go it’s not so bad. It will hover between the left and right hand side of the leader board.

Chris

It’s difficult to say how well this will do. For one it’s the home entry so it should perform well, but as a piano ballad to the wider Eurovision jury it’s hard to say. Possibly a little too classy to be a winner…

LYRICS