Yuval Raphael

Biography

Yuval Raphael (יובל רפאל), born November 5, 2000, in Tel Aviv (raised in Pedaya and later Ra’anana), is an Israeli singer and songwriter. She is best known for representing Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel with the song “New Day Will Rise”, finishing in 2nd place overall (and winning the public televote). She earned the right to represent Israel by winning the 11th season of HaKokhav HaBa (Rising Star). Raphael is a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre on October 7, 2023. She hid for hours in a roadside bomb shelter under the bodies of others while terrorists attacked, and was one of only a small number of people who survived from that shelter. Her personal story of survival and resilience became a significant part of her music and expression of overcoming trauma. Yuval, spent part of her childhood in Geneva, Switzerland, and has continued performing and releasing music after Eurovision (including collaborations and memorial performances related to October 7).