Israel chooses Eurovision song contest rep
In 1999 he did it with musical group "Eden." This time, Eddie Butler made it on his own with the song "This is the time"
Eddie Butler has been chosen to represent Israel at the annual Eurovision song contest to be held in Athens, Greece, on May 20th.
Butler, whose song "This is the time," earned 99 points, surpassing his main challengers – the "Gameboys" and the "Diamonds," an all-girl band. Butler has already been to the Eurovision final, in 1999 as a member of the musical group "Eden", which finished in fifth place.
"I've always known that God loves those that love him," Butler said in response. "I did not serve in the IDF and now I have the opportunity to pay back the country which I love so much.
"You can feel that this song came from the heart. It is real. I knew that people would identify with it. I can't wait to get to Athens, and do it all over again," the 34-year-old Butler said.
Butler wrote the lyrics together with Orly Burg and Osnat Zvag, and composed the music himself. He was registered into the competition without his knowledge by his agent, Yoav Gross.
Congratulations
Other artists at the pre-Eurovision final included Shlomo Gronich, Lubna Salame and Michal Adler; Aviva and Maya Avidan; Stalos and Oren Hen; Guy Harari; Tzipi Mash'hid; Svika Pic; and Michael Kirkilan.
"We are happy for Eddie. There was tremendous pressure, but that’s the way it is in a competition. Nothing bad happened," the Gameboys summarized the event, after finishing in third place. Meanwhile, the "Diamonds" said: "We are pleased and eager for more. We expected to reach the top, but we're thrilled with second place."
Butler was born in Israel to American parents that came for a visit from Chicago but decided to stay in Dimona. At age 19, Butler decided to leave Dimona for Tel Aviv and began performing in different spots. Eventually he and brother Gabriel formed "Eden", with two other friends. The band broke up in 2001, and a year ago, Butler embarked on a solo career.
Budget woes
The pre-Eurovision final suffered severe budgetary problems this year, much like the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, and had a meager list of participants. First, there was Avi Greinek, whose name was included into the list of competitors by mistake, and singer Tzipi Mash'hid entered in his place.
Later, the trio made up of Gaby Shoshan, Sheri and Uzi Fox pulled out of the competition, as did Rama Messinger. Their places were filled by Tzvika Pic and Hadar Ozeri, but Ozeri also declined at the last minute and was replaced by singer Avi Peretz. A month before the competition, Maya Buskila also cancelled her participation.
