Biography
Netta (full name Netta Barzilai; Hebrew: נטע ברזילי; born January 22, 1993, in Hod HaSharon) is an Israeli singer, songwriter, and looping artist known for her bold, experimental pop style. She's of mixed Sephardi/Mizrahi (Moroccan and Libyan) and Ashkenazi (Polish) Jewish heritage, she lived in Nigeria for several years as a child and then moved back to Israel.
She rose to fame by winning the fifth season of HaKokhav HaBa (Rising Star) in 2018 with inventive looped mash-ups, earning the right to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest. In Lisbon she performed the empowering electropop anthem “Toy” (co-written by Doron Medalie and Stav Beger), winning the contest with 529 points—Israel’s fourth Eurovision victory. The song became a global hit, topping charts and Billboard’s Dance Club Songs.
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Post-Eurovision she signed with S-Curve Records, released follow-up singles such as “Bassa Sababa” and “Nana Banana,” the EP Goody Bag (2020), and other projects while continuing to perform internationally and appear as a television judge. Netta remains a distinctive, high-energy figure in Israeli and international pop.
Throughout the 2020s she's continued releasing music and expanding her presence. In 2020 she issued the EP Goody Bag (collecting “Toy,” “Bassa Sababa,” “Nana Banana,” “Ricki Lake,” and “Cuckoo”) and a covers project The Best of Netta’s Office, Vol. 1. She served as a judge on The X Factor Israel (season that selected the 2022 Eurovision entry) and released further singles including “CEO” and “Dum” (2021), “I Love My Nails,” and the collaboration “Playground Politica” with Mr Eazi (2022). Later tracks included “Everything,” “Wonderful & Great,” and a cover of “You Spin Me Round” (2023).
In 2024 she released her first full Hebrew album HaKol Alay (Everything Is On Me), the English single “Big Love” (reflecting post-October 7 emotions), competed on Rokdim Im Kokhavim (Dancing with the Stars), and performed at a Tel Aviv hostage-release rally. In 2025 she released additional singles such as “HaSiba She’Ein Bi Pachad” and “Detonate,” plus a new rendition of Ofra Haza’s “Chai” for Israel’s Independence Day.
In 2026 she released the Hebrew album/EP Saranda (or Serenada), performed a duet with Anna Zak at the opening of the Maccabiah Games, and continued live appearances while maintaining her distinctive, colorful, and experimental pop style.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.