Shiri Maimon
Shiri Maimon is an Israeli singer, television personality and actress, who rose to fame as the runner-up in the inaugural season of singing reality competition Kokhav Nolad. She represented her native Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, where she came fourth.
In 2008, Maimon won Best Israeli Act and performed in the MTV Europe Music Awards, where she was also nominated for Europe's Favorite Act. In June 2013, Maimon became one of the judges for the first season of The X Factor Israel. She continued her role for the second and third seasons. In 2018, it was revealed that Maimon would leave the show in favor of the rival network show, Rising Star Israel.
In 2018, Maimon made a starring replacement in the role of Roxie Hart in the Broadway show Chicago. In February 2024, she recorded a live album of greatest hits accompanied by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Early life and career
1981–2002: Early life
Maimon was born in the city of Haifa, Israel; and raised in the neighborhood of Kiryat Haim. Maimon family is of both Mizrahi Jewish and Sephardi Jewish descent, both of her parents were born in Israel, in a podcast interview it was revealed that her family roots are from Syria and Algeria. Her parents are Mazal and Natan Maimon, and she has an older brother named Rami, an older sister named Livnat, and a younger brother named Asaf. In Hebrew, her first name could mean either "sing" or "my song".Maimon made her debut at the age of ten, when she performed at the Festigal as one of the Festival's children, and sang the song "BeChol Matzav" by Si Heiman. At the age of 12, she joined a children's music band called "Tehila". Maimon was also a presenter on the community channel for several times. In high school, she was a member of the band of one of the national youth organizations in her hometown.
After graduating high school, Maimon was enlisted as a soldier into the Israel Defense Forces, where she sang with the Israeli Air Force Band.
In 2001, she was featured on a music video by the band Teapacks called "Ilu Hait". Later, she worked a year and a half as a singer, dancer, and bartender, at a nightclub in the southmost Israeli city of Eilat. She enrolled in Beit Zvi school of the Performing Arts, but left a short time after when she found out that she passed the auditions to the reality show Kokhav Nolad.
2003–2004: Breakthrough on ''Kokhav Nolad''
In 2003 Maimon signed up for the auditions of the first season of the then-new singing talent show Kokhav Nolad. She passed the auditions and made it to the show team. In the head-to-head stage of the show, Maimon sang "Atuf BeRahamim" by Rita, and passed to the semi-finals. Maimon participated in the first semi-final, where she sang "Kshe’at Atzuva" by Amir Benayoun, and won the first place, which secured her participation in the final. In the big final, that took place at the music festival at the Nitzanim Beach, Maimon sang "Don Quixote" from the Maganuna album by Dana International and finished in the second place, receiving more than 400,000 votes.The show gained much popularity among the Israeli audience, and many of the performances of the show, including Maimon's, were played intensively on the radio. The three finalists, Maimon included, gained publicity and a massive coverage in the press, which resulted in their breakthrough the mainstream Israeli music industry.
In December 2003, while working on her debut album, Maimon joined one of the most popular daily youth TV program in Israel, EXIT as a host. She was one of the main presenters cast, until her resigning from the show in October 2005.
In 2004, Maimon recorded a duet with Ran Danker, "Kama Koakh Yesh LeLev Shavur" – the Hebrew version of "La fuerza corazón" – as part of the soundtrack of the Hebrew version of the movie El Cid: The Legend.
In the same year, Maimon collaborated with Shlomi Shabat, when they performed together on one of his shows in Caesarea, singing one of his songs as a duet, "Bechol Makom". The live performance was played on the radio, and was released on several of Shabat's CDs and DVDs.
In November 2004 Maimon released her first single, "Ad SheTavin Oti", while working on her debut album. The single gained average success in the radio charts.
In December 2004 she participated in the original Israeli children's musical theatre Mamma Mia.
2005–2007: Eurovision and ''Shiri Maimon''
In 2005, Maimon was offered to take part in the Kdam Eurovision, Israel's Eurovision selection show. Maimon chose to enter the competition with her second single, "HaSheket SheNish’ar", which was released to the radio on 15 February, together with the rest of the competing songs. On 2 March Maimon won the first place in the competition with an overwhelming victory, winning 116 points out of 120 possible, and became Israel's representative at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. Maimon produced a music video to the song, inspired by the movie The Bodyguard. Initially, the Israeli music channel was prevented from broadcasting the music video due to its many hidden advertisements. Maimon's managers explained the reason for the many hidden advertisements with funding difficulties, as the IBA network refused to participate in funding of the music video. The music video eventually received a special permission to be broadcast on the channel. Another controversy occurred when an anonymous artist claimed copyrights over the composition of the song. The artist petitioned the court for injunction, in order to prevent the song from being sent to the Eurovision. The court rejected the artist's petition, and the conflict was later settled in an agreement whose details are unknown to the public. While preparing for the Eurovision, Maimon recorded an English version of the song, called "Time To Say Goodbye". Maimon eventually decided to perform the song half in Hebrew and half in English on the Eurovision stage. Despite low betting odds, Maimon was placed seventh in the semi-final, which was held on 19 May, and qualified for the final. In the final, which was held on 21 May, she was placed fourth in the contest, winning 154 points. The winner, however, was Greece's Helena Paparizou and her song "My Number One".Maimon's participation in the Eurovision gained much attention from the Israeli public. Her qualification for the final, and her final achievement, were intensively covered by the Israeli news media, and her performance received praised reviews from the Israeli audience. With the exception of Eurovision 1999, Maimon's performance in the Eurovision gained the highest ratings for a Eurovision broadcast in Israel since the beginning of the ratings measurement in the country, reaching 47.9% at the peak. In addition, "HaSheket SheNish’ar" was ranked at number 1 on the year-end charts of Reshet Gimmel and other different radio stations. In early 2006 the song was also announced the most played song in the Israeli radio in 2005. Maimon's performance in the Eurovision helped to shift her public image from a reality show celebrity to a serious singer, and based her position as a musician in the Israeli music industry.
In March 2005, shortly after she became Israel's representative at the Eurovision, Maimon was chosen to sing the Israeli anthem before a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Ireland.
In July 2005, two months after participating in the Eurovision, Maimon released her third single, "Ahava Ktana", that gained high success in the radio charts.
In August 2005, Maimon performed in the final of the third season of Kokhav Nolad, reuniting with the 8 other finalists of all the seasons of the show, singing a medley of "HaSheket SheNish’ar" and "Ahava Ktana".
In September 2005, Maimon released her eponymous debut album, Shiri Maimon. In February 2006, on the launch event of her new show tour, Maimon received a gold album award after the album went gold, selling over 20,000 copies.
Maimon won the "Person of the Year in Music" award in the "Persons of the Year" awards ceremony. Maimon also won the title "The Singer of the Year" In the year-end charts of Reshet Gimmel and other different radio stations.
In October 2005 Maimon released her fourth single, "Kama Pe’amim", that gained good success in the radio charts.
Also in October 2005, Maimon resigned from presenting the popular daily youth TV program EXIT, where she had been one of the main presenters cast for almost two years.
In December 2005 Maimon participated in the Festigal for the second time, this time as a guest star, singing parts of the theme song "Gibor Al HaOlam" – a Hebrew version of "Holding Out for a Hero" – as well as three of her album songs: "HaSheket SheNish’ar", "Ahava Ktana" and "Le’an SheLo Telchi".
In January 2006 Maimon released her fifth single, "Le’an SheLo Telchi", that gained good success in the radio charts.
In March 2006, Maimon appeared on the soap opera Yeladot Ra'ot on the Israeli Music Channel, where she played the role of Maya Gold, a talented singer and recording star trying to balance her career and her love life with caring for her drug addicted brother.
Also in March 2006, Maimon made a guest appearance at the Kdam Eurovision 2006 as the previous year winner, singing "Le’an SheLo Telchi".
In May 2006, she began starring in a musical version of an Israeli cult movie "HaLehaka" in the Habima theater. She played the role of Noa, originally played by Dafna Armoni. The musical closed in November 2007, after around 200 performances and 100,000 viewers.
In September 2006, the movie No Exit was released, starred Maimon and the rest presenters cast of Exit.
In June 2007, Maimon performed with The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, in a tribute concert to Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. She sang a medley of Presley and Sinatra's songs as well as three of her own songs.
Her first single from her second album was released in December 2007, entitled "Yoter Tov Lisloach", and gained good success in the radio charts.