Shiri Maimon is an Israeli singer, TV show host, and actress who represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kyiv.
Born in Haifa, Israel, she started singing at the age of ten during a children's festival. When she enlisted for her service at the Israeli Defense Forces, she sang with the Israeli Air Force Entertainment Troupe. Afterward, she worked as a singer and a bartender in Eliat. Shiri rose to fame when she participated in Kochav Nolad, a show similar to American Idol, and became its runner up.
In 2005, she participated in Israel's Eurovision selection, Kdam Eurovision. Despite not being the favorite to win, she ended up winning with the song HaSheket SheNish'ar. Originally meant to be performed entirely in Hebrew, English was added because of fears that non-English language songs wouldn't do well in the competition. It ended up placing 4th in the final with 154 points.
That same year, she released her self-titled debut album, which quickly received Gold certification. Since then, she released several new albums and hosted the Israeli X-Factor. After performing in the musical Chicago in the United States, she will be a judge for HaKokhav HaBa, the new Israeli selection show for 2019.
