Unicorn (song)

"Unicorn" is a song by Israeli singer-songwriter Noa Kirel, released on 8 March 2023. It was written and composed by Doron Medalie, May Sfadia, Yinon Yahel and Noa Kirel. Described as a pop song and sung in Hebrew and English, it represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after the artist was internally selected by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC/Kan), Israel's broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest. At the Eurovision grand final the song finished in 3rd place with 362 points. It topped the charts in Israel and was a top ten hit in Finland, Greece, Iceland and Lithuania.

Background and composition
In an analysis by Wiwibloggs writer William Lee Adams, the song is reported as a song that promotes inner strength and perseverance for women. The unicorn is a possible reference to the re'em, an animal that is referenced in the Hebrew Bible as a symbol of strength. In the song, Kirel states about her desire to harness the "power of a unicorn", saying that it will be "phenomenal and feminine", mixing the two words together in lines of the song.

In an interview with I24NEWS, Kirel stated that her experiences as a 13-year-old inspired the making of the song. As a 13-year-old, when Kirel was starting her musical career, she stated that "I got a lot of criticism about what I was doing as a young woman and artist. At that time, I felt everybody was trying to put me down." She would describe that she had found a "horn" that she needed to embrace. Kirel stated that the song was also promoting "coexistence and togetherness", which, according to I24NEWS, was a reference to Israel's negative image among much of the international community.

Internal selection
A special committee consisting of members from Kan, music editors and external representatives each suggested two artists from 78 initially considered based on airplay on Gimel and Galgalatz, and nominees for Singer of the Year and Group of the Year awards in 2019, 2020 and 2021. On 11 July 2022, Kan announced that Noa Kirel had topped the list with Mergui placing second. Despite Kirel stating the following day that she and her team had yet to make a decision, Israeli television channel HaHadashot 12 (part of Channel Keshet 12) reported in early August 2022 that the invitation had been accepted by the singer, which was later confirmed during a press conference held at the Hotel Carlton in Tel Aviv on 10 August 2022.

On 17 January 2023, Kirel revealed that her song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 would be titled Unicorn. The song was premiered on 8 March, during a special televised broadcast titled HaShir Shelanu La'Eurovizion ("Our Song for the Eurovision") on Israel's official channel of Kan 11, as well as online via its own website kan.org.il.

At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. An allocation draw was held on 31 January 2023, which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, and determined which half of the show they would perform in. Israel had been placed into the first semi-final held on 9 May 2023, and performed in the second half of the show. The song advanced to the Final held on 13 May, where it was again drawn to perform in the second half of the show, and performed 23rd. "Unicorn" finished in 3rd-place, based on a televote-jury combination, gaining 185 points for the 5th-place with the public, and 177 points for the 2nd-place with the juries.

Promotion
To promote the song, Kirel was featured with the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, along with the First Lady of Israel, Michal Herzog. In interviews, Kirel stated that she would show "chutzpah" during her Eurovision performance.

Critical reception
Reception to "Unicorn" was mixed. Einav Schiff, a writer for Israeli news site Ynet, wrote a neutral review on the song itself, saying that the song itself lacked originality. While Schiff praised the music video made for the song, Schiff would state that they felt the song lacked "courage and soul", saying that "Unicorn" had sampled numerous songs, including Loreen's "Euphoria" and David Bowie's "Life on Mars". Schiff would also state that he felt Kirel's performance of the song was "lackluster".

Wiwibloggs, a Eurovision fan site, would give the song a 6.58 out of 10 rating in its annual Wiwi Jury, a jury that consists of numerous Wiwibloggs writers.