Following an unofficial leak yesterday, Israel has released the official version of “Toy” by 25 year old Israeli singer Netta Barzilai. Netta was announced as the winner of Rising Star (the Israeli talent show) last month, hence becoming Israel’s participant for Eurovision in Lisbon.
The Oriental / Mizrachi sound takes centre stage here, providing a fantastic core around which Netta can improvise. The song is mainly in English, although you can hear plenty of words in Hebrew, such as: “Ani Lo Buba” (I’m not a puppet). This diva isn’t attached to strings — she’s pulling ’em!
As the #MeToo movement helps women find their voice, Netta is using hers to sing of empowerment with some in-your-face lyrics: “Wonder woman don’t you ever forget, you’re divine and he’s about to regret….I’m not your toy, you stupid boy”.
“Toy” was written by Doron Medalie and Stav Beger. In a recent interview on Israeli radio, Doron said that the song has a strong connection to the #MeToo movement. As he said: “Women are not toys”.
This is freestyle, Mediterranean women’s anthem that works well with Netta’s powerful image and voice. She’s in control of herself and her song — and we know this is going to be magical.
