Biography
Who is Yuval Raphael?
Early life and background
Yuval Raphael was born in Tel Aviv and spent her formative years residing in Pedaya. During her youth, she lived in Geneva, Switzerland, for three years. Her parents are Liat and Zvika Raphael, and she is the niece of the businesswoman Ronit Raphael. The family originated from Ra'anana in the Central District of Israel. Throughout her school years, she focused on theater and Arabic studies.
Before starting her professional singing career in 2024, she served in the Israel Defense Forces. She worked as a checkpoint combat soldier with the Military Police Corps in the Jerusalem area. Growing up, she listened to artists like Beyoncé and Céline Dion, as well as rock groups including the Scorpions and Led Zeppelin.
The Nova festival incident
On 7 October 2023, the singer attended the Supernova Sukkot Gathering held near Re'im. While at the festival, Hamas militants attacked the site. She sought refuge in a Death Shelter near Be'eri with fifty other individuals. During the attack, she sustained shrapnel wounds from grenades thrown into the structure.
She survived the incident by hiding under the bodies of those killed, eventually becoming one of the eleven people to make it out alive after hiding for eight hours. In March 2024, she gave a speech before the United Nations Human Rights Council in which she recounted the events she witnessed during the massacre.
HaKokhav HaBa and Eurovision
Her path to international recognition began on 19 November 2024 when her audition for the eleventh season of HaKokhav HaBa aired. She performed the song Anyone and advanced with a score of 98 percent. She reached the final on 22 January 2025, where she sang Dancing Queen and Writing's on the Wall. She dedicated her rendition of Dancing Queen to those killed at the Nova music festival.
Winning the competition, she earned the right to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. She performed the song New Day Will Rise, which was written by Keren Peles and produced by Tomer Biran. The entry was presented on 9 March 2025 and featured lyrics in English, French, and Hebrew. At the contest in Basel, Switzerland, she finished in second place overall with 357 points.
Post-contest career
Following the contest, she released her debut EP titled 22:22 on 19 October 2025. She described this project as a personal exploration of emotional recovery and inner peace. Earlier that month, she released the single Amber Skies for the soundtrack of the HBO Max series One Day in October.
On 12 June 2026, she performed at the Tel Aviv Pride festival, where she premiered her song Papa. She also performed at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Maccabiah Games on 1 July 2026.
Personal life and relationships
During her time on HaKokhav HaBa, she worked closely with fellow contestant Ido Malka. The two began a romantic relationship, which they publicly announced in March 2025. Malka later joined the singer as part of the official delegation from Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Birthday and age
Yuval Raphael was born on November 5, 2000, which makes Yuval 25 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Yuval shares the date with 33 other famous people.
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