Chen Aharoni

Aharoni appeared on the fifth season of the Israeli singing competition Kochav Nolad at the age of 17, reaching the program's semifinal.[1] Before the season concluded, he was promised a recording contract with NMC United; he subsequently left the company over disagreements and began pursuing an independent musical path.[1]

Aharoni has spoken openly about being bullied as a child, recalling that the word "homo" had frightened him from first grade because classmates directed it at him.[2] He later said that, before coming out publicly in January 2019, he spent years avoiding labels and feared that disclosure would damage his career.[2]

In 2009, Aharoni released "BaRechov," the first single from a forthcoming debut album, written by Sahar Hagai and composed and produced by Nitzan Kaykov.[1] Around the same time, he was hosting the youth program Raash, had filmed a pilot for the sketch series Dahakot, appeared in a production of the musical Treasure Island, and was serving in the Israel Defense Forces.[1]

His debut album was released while he was still in the army and included "Neshima," a duet with Esti Ginzburg.[3] A 2011 profile described "Neshima" as his most successful single at that point.[4] In 2025, Aharoni recalled that after the recording, Ginzburg did not participate in a proposed music video or single photographs, and that he initially felt hurt and wondered whether she was embarrassed by him or the song; he said he later understood it was not personal, and that the duet had opened doors in the industry and remained remembered by listeners.[5]

He competed in Israel's 2011 Eurovision national selection with the pop song "Or."[4] By the time he pursued opportunities in the United Kingdom, he had released two albums in Israel.[6]

The National Library of Israel's music catalog documents several of Aharoni's recordings, including "ועכשיו" ("And Now"), associated with the compilation The Greatest Moments of Kokhav Nolad 5 and issued by Tedy Productions in 2007, with Liran Nadel credited as composer and lyricist and Amos Ben David as arranger.[7] A 2012 recording, "שב בשקט ילד" ("Be Quiet, Child"), from the album Traveling Far, credits Lauren Peled as composer, Sahar Hagai as lyricist, and Arkadi Duchin as arranger.[8] His 2022 Hebrew-language single "ים כחול עמוק" ("Deep Blue Sea") lists Talisman and Gilad Markovitz as composers and lyricists, with arrangement and production by Yuval Maayan and Lidor Saadia.[9]

In 2011, Aharoni auditioned for the British version of The Voice, going through three rounds of auditions before being invited to a further filmed audition in front of the program's coaches, who included will.i.am and Tom Jones.[10] He had auditioned in London after performing at a Eurovision fans' festival in Portugal, singing songs by Adele and Christina Aguilera as well as the Hebrew song "Shir LaMaalot."[10]

Media coverage in Israel of his participation was reported to have violated confidentiality agreements and contributed to his elimination from The Voice UK.[6] He subsequently auditioned for the British X Factor, reaching the boot-camp stage before being eliminated. Aharoni described that application as deliberately anonymous: he registered online without telling anyone, bought a plane ticket, and stood in line for hours, finding the experience of being unknown there a powerful one.[6] The exposure also brought invitations to perform for Eurovision fan audiences.[6]

Aharoni returned to Israel's The Next Star for Eurovision in the season ultimately won by Netta Barzilai, aiming to represent Israel at Eurovision.[3] He reached the final and finished fourth.[3][11] In a 2018 interview, he said that coming out publicly followed his realization during that period that something was missing in his personal life.[3]

Aharoni co-wrote "I.M." with Lidor Saadia and Assi Tal; the song was performed by Michael Ben David as Israel's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.[3] Ben David had won Israel's X Factor finale with the track and was selected to represent Israel at Eurovision.[12] "I.M." was described as an upbeat pop anthem about self-empowerment.[13] Jewish News characterized the song's message as one of self-affirmation connected to Ben David's personal experiences.[14]

Israel did not qualify for the Eurovision final, ending a run of six consecutive years in which it had reached that stage.[13] Aharoni said of the dispute over the song: "This is a song competition, and the song I wrote represents the country."[3]

In 2022, Aharoni said the songwriters were not consulted about a changed production and learned of the alterations only on the day of the video shoot.[3] He said he and the other creators were told they would not be part of the Eurovision delegation, and that their offer to cover their own travel and accommodation costs and seek access only to viewing rooms was refused.[3] Kan, Israel's public broadcaster, responded that the creators were an integral part of the professional team, that invitations to Eurovision events had been issued, and that the reduced delegation size was connected to an EBU instruction regarding COVID-19 restrictions.[3]

In a 2025 interview, Aharoni described the Eurovision experience as traumatic and expressed hope that he may yet represent Israel at the contest.[5]

In January 2019, Aharoni described himself publicly as pansexual in a social-media post, writing: "I am attracted to and fall in love with personality, voice, eyes, heart, soul, the person!"[11] He wrote that he had fallen in love with both women and men and was attracted to a person's personality rather than their gender, calling gender "just another detail in relationships."[11]

In a later interview, Aharoni said he had spent years avoiding a label, and that people in the music industry had warned him that coming out would harm his career.[2] He said an unnamed manager had delayed his coming-out by two years.[2] While describing himself as comfortable being called gay, he added: "I define myself as Chen."[2]

The National Library of Israel's music catalog records for several of Aharoni's recordings were generated automatically from ACUM database data and may contain errors.[7][8] The catalog lists Aharoni's birth year as 1990 in multiple entries, though a separate figures index on the same site includes a listing for a "Chen Aharoni" with the date "1980–" and no further identifying detail; whether that entry refers to the same individual cannot be determined from the available records.[15] Two Times of Israel reports spell a co-writer's name as "Asi Tal" and "Assi Tal," likely reflecting a transliteration variation; both agree on Aharoni's co-authorship of "I.M."[13][12]