The hopes of a nation are a big enough weight to bear for anyone appearing in Saturday’s Eurovision final, let alone for a 20-year-old.
But the eyes of the world will be on Eden Golan for more than one reason when she takes to the stage in Malmo, Sweden.
As Israel’s entrant, Golan has attracted the ire of pro-Palestine protesters who believe the Jewish state should have been thrown out of this year’s competition – becoming a lightning rod for hate since the IDF invasion of Gaza after Hamas‘ sickening October 7 attacks.
Golan has even been told by Israel’s fearsome security service to stay in her hotel room, leaving only to perform, after receiving an avalanche of death threats and amid terror-attack fears.
She is not alone, though, and has received support from some of her nation’s previous famous entrants.
The eyes of the world will be on Eden Golan for more than one reason when she takes to the stage in Malmo, Sweden, in the Eurovision final on Saturday
Golan has been the target for pro-Palestine protesters who believe Israel should have been thrown out of this year’s competition
A Palestine flag is waved during Golan’s performance of her song ‘Hurricane’ during the semi-final of the competition last night
Israeli Dana International, who was Eurovision’s first transgender winner in 1998, told the LGBT community to condemn Hamas rather than Israel as she called to ‘Free Palestine – from Hamas!’.
‘Things are far more complex than reciting some trend that sounds right to you,’ she told her 114,000 followers on Instagram.
‘I ask you to open your eyes and hearts, and to see the truth, to see beyond any propaganda or a one-sided narrative as they shown on social media. Choose to see the side who sees you. Who shares the same values as you.’
Gali Atari, who was part of group Milk and Honey when Israel won in 1979, believes Golan would have a chance of winning if it was any other year.
‘And all the noise in the background makes it much more difficult,’ she told The Jerusalem Post.
‘All this year, with the boos, the violent protests – it’s all very frightening, but Eden handles it very well.’
Yet the tensions at this year’s event are palpable.
Heavily-armed police officers carrying machine guns are patrolling outside hotels, and drone-mounted cameras will monitor the crowds as they bid to keep the peace during the world’s biggest pop competition.
Most alarming of all, there are reports that terrorists are planning to bomb the arena.
Golan shared a New York Times article on her Instagram page in which she defiantly says she ‘won’t let anything break me’
Footage showed members of the crowd booing and shouting during Golan’s performance on Wednesday night
Golan pictured performing her song Hurricane during rehearsal at the Malmo Arena on Wednesday
Without question, Golan is Eurovision‘s most controversial entry this year and is said to be under constant bodyguard watch having faced death threats.
If there were any questions remaining about what kind of reception she will receive, those were resoundingly answered last night.
As she took to the stage dressed in a stone-coloured maxi dress that resembled bandages, boos filled the arena.
Golan was nearly drowned out by the demonstrators chanting ‘Free Palestine’ while she performed ‘Hurricane’ during the Eurovision Song Contest’s Jury Show.
Yet despite the threats on her life and fears of a terror attack, she has refused to be cowed and has remained steadfast in her response.
‘I won’t let anything break me,’ the Russian-Israeli defiantly says.
Before she flew out for this year’s competition the young singer showed a composure that belied her years.
‘I wouldn’t say I’m worried. I’m prepared,’ she insisted to MailOnline, after some deliberation.
But her entry has been mired in controversy from the start. Denmark, Finland, Norway and even host country Sweden have repeatedly called for Israel to be banned from the contest altogether. And in Belgium, two Ministers demanded that the Jewish state be treated the same as Russia, which has been barred since 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
That Eden’s song has fallen foul of Eurovision rules stating that all entries must be strictly non-political, hasn’t helped to ease the tension.
Swedish protesters hold a placard calling for a boycott of Israel at a demonstration outside Malmo’s City Hall against the country’s participation in the Eurovision song contest
A demonstrator displays a poster during a protest against Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, ahead of the second semi-final, in Malmo, Sweden
Protesters pull down a Eurovision flag during the ‘Stop Israel’ demonstration between Stortorget and Molleplatsen in Malmo
The original iteration of her piano-backed ballad Hurricane was called October Rain and was a barely disguised tribute to the victims of the Hamas terrorist attack last year. It included lyrics such as ‘There’s no air left to breathe’ and ‘They were all good children, each one of them’.
‘I was going through a roller-coaster of emotions,’ Golan says. ‘The song itself has a powerful story.
‘When you’re going through a lot within yourself and life in general…’
While her family was not directly affected by the October 7 massacre, she has many friends who lost loved ones.
One friend’s boyfriend was murdered at the Nova music festival, an event she finds too painful to discuss.
‘We can’t disconnect from what’s going on in our country,’ she continues. ‘The entire country is not going through an easy time. I feel like the horror of October 7 brought Jews closer, made us all united.’
But the original October Rain song was rejected by the contest’s organisers, the European Broadcasting Union, on political grounds.
After several revisions, October Rain was renamed as Hurricane and now tells the story of a woman emerging from a personal crisis.
Musically, it’s the same song but the lyrics are more generic, the references to the massacre replaced with phrases like ‘every day, I’m losing my mind’ and ‘I’m still broken from this hurricane’.
The original iteration of Golan’s piano-backed ballad Hurricane was called October Rain and was a barely disguised tribute to the victims of the Hamas terrorist attack last year
Golan has become a lightning rod for hate since the invasion of Gaza in response to the Hamas atrocities of Ocober 7
Golan has endured a barrage of death threats as Israel’s entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest
Golan is hoping the positive response to her music will outweigh any negativity.
‘People of all nationalities like the song,’ she says confidently. ‘They can disconnect from what they believe and just focus on the music.’
Both her parents hail from the former Soviet Union and while she was born in Kfar Saba, central Israel, they decided to move to Moscow when she was six.
Her father Eddie, 56, is a businessman, while her mother, Olga, 50, is her manager – or ‘momager’.
While living in Moscow, she was educated at a British international school, where she got A-levels in maths, psychology and business.
The singer – who arrived in the city last week sporting a yellow pin, symbolising support for the release of hostages held by Hamas – insists that she is safe in Malmo despite the threats against her.
‘I’m getting a lot of love and support from my family and from the professional team that has become like a family.’
She added: ‘Protests are of course not pleasant,but I can’t wait to be there on stage and try to make people feel something in the three minutes that I have. I’m very focused in my mission.’