JERUSALEM (JTA) — Netta Barzilai’s Eurovision-winning single “Toy” hit No. 1 on the Billboard dance club chart — the first time an Israeli artist has topped any of the music industry magazine’s popularity lists, according to the Israeli media.
It’s an impressive achievement for a singer who was practically unknown outside of her home country before this year.
“This is very exciting for me,” Barzilai said in a statement quoted Monday by The Times of Israel. “I just got off the plane and this is the first message I got when I turned on my phone. I am grateful for everything happening around me. This is an amazing year and the experience I’m having is just nuts.”
Barzilai is on tour in the United States. In May, she delivered Israel its fourth victory in the Eurovision song contest with “Toy, a song about female empowerment that features staccato vocals and a driving rhythm. She has said the song was inspired by the #MeToo movement.
Speaking last week to Billboard, Barzilai said it was “also an empowerment song for everybody.”
She went to say: “It’s for everybody who’s been told that they’re not good enough and they’re not smart enough. I decided to listen to my own voice and to be my own self, and when you do that, you inspire people. You make a difference because you feel good with yourself and you spread happiness outside.”
Ynet reported recently that Barzilai is close to a deal with the Universal Music Group, which has alleged that “Toy” stole from the White Stripe song “Seven Nation Army.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
