Doron Medalie


Doron Medalie[] is an Israeli songwriter, composer and artistic director. His song “Toy” won the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.

Biography

Doron Medalie was raised in Ramat Hasharon. As a child he studied music and keyboards at the music school, theatre at the Habima national theatre and Alon performing- art high-school. Later on, he studied screen-acting at the Sharon Alexander studio, Flamenco dancing at the Compass dance company, and Gaga lessons at the Batsheva Dance Company with Ohad Naharin.

Music career

Medalie has written over 250 songs, ballads, Middle Eastern pop songs, children songs, soundtracks and theme songs for TV. He wrote "Tel Aviv Ya Habibi Tel Aviv" - the official anthem of Tel Aviv Gay Pride 2013. He has worked with Israeli singers including Eyal Golan, Shlomi Shabat, Omer Adam, Lior Narkis, and Harel Skaat. His solo album, Abyss, was released in 2008.
Medalie has coordinated the theme songs and soundtracks for many TV shows, among them Goalstar, The Unit, Bolywood. Royal Chef, The Bachelor, Split. Zagury Empire,
Disney Israel, Summer Break Stories, North Star and Shavit Ventura Show.

Television and stage career

As an artistic director, he started his career in 2000, as an assistant director of Yaron Meiri's Orpan Group. Together they were in charge of more than 100 commercial-stage-shows. His breakthrough was as artistic manager of the talent shows A Star is Born and Eyal Golan Is Calling You. For more than ten years, he directed the Israeli Music Awards and the national Memorial Day ceremony.

Views and opinions

In 2018, Medalie was critical of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for claiming that "everyone hates us." He said that the lyrics of the 2018 Eurovision-winning song "Toy" were inspired by the #MeToo movement, and that the song carries a message about "the awakening of female power and social justice".

Eurovision Song Contest

Medalie directed the Israeli entry for the Eurovision three times.
He wrote and composed the Israeli entries for Eurovision 2015 and Eurovision 2016 - "Golden Boy",
which ended 3rd in the semi-finals and was awarded a spot in the final on May 23, 2015, where he ended 9th with 97 points, and "Made of Stars", which ended 7th in the semi-finals and was awarded a spot in the final on May 14, 2016, where he ended 14th with 135 points.
Doron collaborated with Zvika Pick; together they wrote "Sing My Song" for Sofia Nizharadze.
For the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, he composed the music and wrote the lyrics together with composer Stav Beger for the winning song “Toy”, sung by Netta Barzilai.
In 2020, he wrote with Idan Raichel the song "Feker Libi" by Eden Alene, which would have represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, but it was canceled due to concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Notable songs