Harel Skaat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harel Skaat
הראל סקעת
Harel Skaat singing at the 2022 Haifa Pride
Born	(1981-08-08) 8 August 1981 (age 44) Kfar Saba, Israel
Occupation	Singer, Performer, Songwriter
Years active	2004–Present
Musical career
Genres	Pop
Labels	Hed Arzi Music Aroma Music

Harel Skaat (Hebrew: הראל סקעת; born 8 August 1981) is a famous Israeli singer and songwriter. He represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with his song "Milim" ("מילים", which means "Words").

Harel Skaat started singing and performing when he was very young. At just six years old, he won a children's song competition. As a teenager, he was the main singer for his city's and high school's bands. He even sang in the Israeli army's Communication Corps Band. Harel became well-known after he was a contestant on the TV show Kochav Nolad ("כוכב נולד", meaning "A Star is Born"). This show is like American Idol. He finished in second place. After the show, he signed a music contract with Hed Arzi, a big music company in Israel.

His first album, called Harel Skaat, came out in July 2006. It had five popular songs, including "Ve'at" ("ואת", "And You"). This song was number one on the main Israeli music charts for the year. The album sold so well that it became "platinum" in Israel. After the album, Harel went on a concert tour. He performed over 200 shows, which was a big achievement in Israeli music.

In 2008, Harel Skaat had a legal issue with Hed Arzi. After it was solved, he signed a new deal with Aroma Music and Partner Communications. He then recorded his second album, Dmuyot (דמויות, Figures). This album was released in September 2009 and became "gold" in Israel. Harel Skaat is mostly known as a pop singer. He likes many types of music, and his albums have a mix of songs, from rock to romantic songs. Many critics and music experts praise his singing and performing. All his official songs are in Hebrew, but he sometimes sings in English and French at live concerts. In December 2009, the Israel Broadcasting Authority chose Harel Skaat to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The contest was in Oslo, Norway, in May 2010. Israel finished 14th out of 39 countries.

Early Life and School

Harel Skaat was born on August 8, 1981, in Kfar Saba, Israel. His family has roots from Yemen and Iraq. When he was six, he won a children's festival competition in his hometown. He also appeared on a popular Israeli TV show called Parpar Nehmad (פרפר נחמד, Nice Butterfly). As he grew up, he kept performing at festivals and on TV. At 15, he was the lead singer for his city's band and his high school band.

At 18, he sang with the Israel Defense Forces' Communications Corps Band. There, he met and became friends with singer-songwriter Dor Daniel. Harel went to Beit Zvi, a college for performing arts. He won important scholarships for his performances in school musicals. While in college, Skaat released a song called "Ein od Si'kui" ("אין עוד סיכוי", "No More Chance"). Around the same time, he was on a TV talent show called Ha'melech Ha'ba (המלך הבא, The Next King).

Music Career

Kokhav Nolad Journey

In 2005, while studying at Beit Zvi, Harel Skaat became a contestant on Kokhav Nolad. A friend signed him up without him knowing! He quickly became a favorite. The judges often praised his performances. One of his memorable songs was "Bdidut" ("בדידות", "Loneliness"), which he sang in the semi-finals. A judge said it left her "almost speechless."

Harel received the most votes in each round he competed in. In the semi-final, he won by a large amount. The final show was very popular in Israel. Harel sang "Hinenny Can" (Hebrew: הנני כאן, "Jerusalem, Here I Am"). This song became number one on the Israeli Music Channel's chart for 80 days. Even though he was a favorite, another singer, Harel Moyal, won. This caused a lot of talk in Israel. Some fans thought there might have been problems with the voting system.

After Kokhav Nolad

Both Harel Skaat and Harel Moyal became very popular after Kokhav Nolad. Many young people in Israel became Harel Skaat's fans. He won "Singer of the Year" from the Children's Channel three times (2005-2007). He was also ranked number one in Israel's Top 100 Stars by a youth magazine.

After the show and before his first album in 2006, Skaat appeared on many Israeli TV shows and at special events. In 2005, he sang for about 80,000 people at a memorial event for former prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin. He still sings at holiday events, like Israel's Yom Ha'atzmaut (יום העצמאות, Independence Day). He has also been in several Festigal children's song festivals during Hanukkah. In the 2004 Festigal, Harel played Peter Pan and sang "Lauf" ("לעוף", "To Fly").

In 2005, Skaat performed in a musical play called He Who Dreamed. It was about the last 10 years of Yitzhak Rabin's life. In early 2006, Harel was part of a special series of short videos made by Cellcom. These videos were among the first of their kind in Israel.

First Album: Harel Skaat

Harel Skaat released his first album, Harel Skaat (הראל סקעת), in July 2006. Some reviews said the album was good, praising his calm voice and how he could make listeners feel emotions. Other reviews thought some songs didn't show his full talent.

The album had many popular songs. These included "Kama Od Efshar" ("כמה עוד אפשר", "How Much More is Possible"), "Mashehu Mimeni" ("משהו ממני", "Something from Me"), and "Kol Hatziporim" ("כל הציפורים", "All the Birds"). The romantic song "Ve'at" ("ואת", "And You") was a big hit. It stayed number one on Israeli music charts for seven weeks. It was also the number one song of the year on major Israeli year-end music charts for 2006. Harel Skaat was named "Male Singer of 2006" by two big radio stations. He also won "Singer of the Year" and "Song of the Year" for "Ve'at" at the Israel Music Awards.

The album was produced by Izhar Ashdot. It became "gold" less than a month after it came out and later reached "platinum" status. In Israel, an album is "gold" when it sells 20,000 copies. This album helped Harel's career and also helped launch the careers of three young songwriters: Keren Peles, Dor Daniel, and Kfir Epstein. Harel Skaat helped write one song on the album, "Afilu Shesreifot" ("אפילו שהשריפות", "Even Though it's Burning").

Second Album: Dmuyot

In early 2008, Hed Artzi sued Skaat. They said he had secretly recorded new music for another company before his contract with them ended. Harel denied breaking the contract. Hed Artzi won a temporary order that stopped Harel from recording new music. In December 2008, the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) chose Skaat to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. But the record company challenged this, so Harel had to step out. In February 2009, a court allowed Skaat to go back to the studio.

The two sides reached an agreement. Skaat then signed a new deal with Aroma Music and Partner Communications. Harel Skaat's second album, Dmuyot (דמויות, Figures), was released on September 1, 2009. The album included the popular song "Muvan Li Achshav" ("מובן לי עכשיו", "Now I Understand"). Other songs from the album were "Boi Ha Yom" ("בואי היום", "Come Today"), "Sof", ("סוף", "End") and "Od Ya'ir Alay" ("עוד יאיר עלי", "Shine on Me"). Many young Israeli songwriters helped with the album. Skaat co-wrote four songs on the album, including two that became singles.

Dmuyot became "gold" in Israel, but it did not sell as much as his first album. The song "Muvan Li Achshav" was number 34 on a yearly music chart for 2009. Reviews for the album were mixed. Some praised the beautiful melodies, while others found the lyrics too emotional.

Eurovision 2010

Harel Skaat in 2019

In December 2009, the Israel Broadcasting Authority chose Harel Skaat to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. This announcement was made at the Knesset, Israel's parliament. On March 15, 2010, the song "Milim" ("מילים", "Words") was chosen as Israel's entry. It was written by Noam Horev and composed by Tomer Hadadi. Harel Skaat recorded the four final songs for the selection competition on a special album called Eurovision 2010.

At the selection show, Skaat sang "Milim" in Hebrew with string instruments. Before the Eurovision contest, he re-recorded it with a full orchestra. Many songs at Eurovision that year were in English. There was some talk in Israel about whether "Milim" should be sung in Hebrew, English, or French. In the end, Skaat sang the song entirely in Hebrew in both the semi-finals and finals of Eurovision. He performed the new version with the orchestra's recorded music. To promote the song, a music video was released, and Skaat also recorded English and French versions.

In Oslo, Harel Skaat told reporters that "Milim" is about loss, like a breakup. But for him, it had a deeper meaning. He said, "This song touches me deeply. My grandfather died just days before the elections in Israel, and this gives me a very deep feeling, I feel that I'm singing this song for him. He wanted me to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest for five years, and then he got to hear that I would take part in the national selection before he passed away."

Even though he was a favorite to win, Israel placed 14th in the Eurovision contest. Israel placed fifth with the juries (music experts) but only 19th with the public voters. If only the public had voted, Israel might not have made it to the finals. But Skaat's strong performance with the juries helped Israel get to the finals.

Despite the result, Israel won special awards called the Marcel Bezençon Awards. They won for best artist, best song, and best entry of the contest. This was the first time a country won more than one award in the same year. After the contest, Skaat said he was proud and thankful. He told a reporter, "I’m proud and happy over the performance and for representing [Israel]. We brought Israel artistic accolades. It was a fun experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. After all, it’s just sports."

Third Album: Shuv Me'ushar

Skaat's third album, Shuv Me'ushar (שוב מאושר, "Happy Again"), was released on January 29, 2012. It was produced by Ran Shem Tov. Two songs from the album, Tihye Li Ahava (תהיה לי אהבה, "I Will Have Love") and HaMea Ha-21 ("21st Century"), reached number one on Israeli radio charts. Other songs on the album include Kama Od Drachim (כמה עוד דרכים, "How Many More Ways") and Gibor (גיבור, "Hero"), which is a duet with Yehuda Poliker. Three songs from the album were in the top songs of the year for 2012. Skaat was also named male singer of the year.

Concerts and Stage Shows

In 2006, Harel Skaat started a concert tour to promote his first album. He performed all over Israel, including a show at the Frederic R. Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv. This tour reached over 200 shows, which was a big deal in Israeli music. In 2009, Skaat started a second concert tour for his Dmuyot album. A music writer said that Harel Skaat was like the perfect Israeli pop singer, combining the best qualities of many other famous singers.

Skaat has also often performed at the Zappa nightclubs in Tel Aviv and Herzliya. These clubs feature live music from both Israeli and international artists. One of Skaat's first big performances after Eurovision was in July 2010 in Tel Aviv. It was a tribute to the French singer, Serge Gainsbourg.

In March 2011, Skaat took part in a special show. He sang three of his songs live in Sharon Levi's Barcelona Dance Company's tap dance show, "Fragments," which started in Paris. In 2016 and 2017, he played the role of 'Marius' in the Hebrew version of the musical Les Miserables at the Habima Theatre.

Music Style

Harel Skaat is known as a "convincing and captivating" performer. His singing is described as "smooth, precise, very clean and very clear." Some have called him "the most passionate singer in Israel from 2006–2007." While some critics have praised his music, others have said that his songs are pleasant but not very new or different.

Skaat has said, "My wish was always to be a singer, and I'm still working on it." He is one of many famous singers from a Yemenite Jewish background. He has said that he is influenced by Rivka Zohar and likes Rami Kleinstein and Sarit Hadad. He also said in an interview that he learns from every singer he listens to, from strong female singers to French performers and classical music.

There were reports that Skaat was going to work on a new album in English for an international audience. A Grammy award-winning producer, Narada Michael Walden, who has worked with Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, was linked to the project. However, there haven't been many updates on this project recently.

Special Recognition

In late 2009, to celebrate the end of the decade on the Jewish calendar, Israeli radio station Galgalatz and TV station Channel 24 held special polls. The public voted for their favorite songs, singers, and music videos of the past ten years. Harel Skaat came in second for male singer of the decade. Two of his songs, "Ve'at" and "Hineni Kan," were among the top songs of the decade. The winners were announced live on Israeli TV at a big show in Jerusalem in October 2009. Many musicians, including Skaat, performed songs that were on the poll.

Discography

Harel Skaat in concert in Tel Aviv (2006)

Studio Albums

EPs

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Harel Skaat para niños