Stav Beger

Stav Beger was born and raised in Moshav Dor, Israel.[1][3] He came from a family steeped in music and the arts: his father, Albert Beger, was a jazz musician; his mother was a painter; and his uncle, Meni Beger, was a singer and musician.[1]

Beger did not complete school, his pre-military preparatory program, or a full term of military service.[1] He attended the preparatory program at Kfar HaNasi for six months and later served for a year and a half as a sound technician in the Northern Command entertainment troupe.[1] Objecting to the suggestion that he had evaded service, he said, "There are people who need to contribute in a different way."[1]

His introduction to music production came at age 15, when a schoolmate introduced him to music-production software.[1] He progressed through trance, techno, dubstep, and electro, experimenting across genres before finding his footing as a songwriter and producer.[1] At age 22, while working at a Bug electronics store near Zikhron Ya'akov and living with his parents, Beger considered leaving Israel to sell products at shopping-mall carts in the United States.[1]

Beger's professional path began in recording studios. He worked as a recording technician for producer Yinon Yahel and helped produce Nadav Guedj's Eurovision 2015 entry "Golden Boy" before establishing himself as an independent producer and composer.[3] His early work included "Zanzibar" for his childhood friend, the artist known as Talisman, and "HaKol" ("Everything") for singer Avior Malasa.[1][3]

A significant turning point came when Beger co-wrote "Shnei Meshugaim" ("Two Crazies") with Elia Rusilyo for Omer Adam.[1] Beger recalled that Adam visited his home for roughly two hours, during which they shaped a verse and chorus; Beger later completed an additional verse and a demo.[1] The song remained unreleased for seven months before Adam heard the finished version and approved it immediately.[1]

By August 2018, "Shnei Meshugaim" had accumulated just over 40 million YouTube views.[5] Beger became known for his frequent work with Omer Adam and for producing a number of Israel's successful pop hits.[6]

"Toy," co-written and produced with Doron Medalie for singer Netta Barzilai, became Beger's most celebrated work. The song was written in approximately one week and selected as Israel's Eurovision entry from more than 130 submissions, after a committee narrowed the field to five finalists.[1][7] Beger described the composition process as beginning with the word "toy" and developing into the phrase "I'm not your toy," with an intended connection to the #MeToo movement.[1]

The chicken sound that became the song's signature hook arose from an improvisation by Barzilai during recording that Beger immediately recognized as distinctive.[1] The official music video was released on March 11, 2018, and Barzilai went on to perform "Toy" at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, winning with 529 points.[2] By August 2018, the song had surpassed 120 million YouTube views.[5]

Beger's production style combines beats, bass, and electronic music with softer Mediterranean influences, a synthesis that ACUM's judges later praised as distinctive and risk-taking.[8] Following "Toy," he continued working with Barzilai, co-writing her follow-up single "Bassa Sababa" with Barzilai and Avshalom Ariel. The track used her looper alongside African-beat and techno-electronic elements and was presented as a celebration of her life after the Eurovision victory.[9] He subsequently wrote two more hits for her.[3]

His collaborations have extended to Yam Refaeli, Natan Goshen, Idan Raichel, Eden Ben Zaken, Muki, Anna Zak, and Eden Hason.[3] He also co-wrote a song with Amir Haddad that was selected as song of the year in France.[3]

In 2022, Beger produced "Sakatna" for songwriter Eytan Peled, a 2:53 recording sung in English and Arabic.[10][11] Peled described it as his first time working with a producer and said that he planned to collaborate with Beger further.[10]

Beger was one of three named creators, alongside Keren Peles and Avi Ohayon, of Israel's 2024 Eurovision entry "Hurricane."[12] The song replaced an earlier submission, "October Rain," whose lyrics drew pushback because they were thought to refer to the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023.[12]

In 2022, Beger also began performing as a singer-songwriter under his own name. His debut single in that capacity, "Hasdakim Ze Kol Hayofi" ("The Cracks Are All the Beauty"), was performed, written, composed, and produced by him. It was followed by a second single, "Yesh Siba" ("There Is a Reason").[3]

Beyond performing and producing, Beger co-founded Session42 in the summer of 2021 with Oudi Antebi, Tal Forer, Yinon Yahel, and Amit Shine.[4] The company was designed to support music producers and studios with marketing tools without charging artists upfront fees, instead taking a share of royalties.[4]

Beger's work on successful Israeli pop songs and his recurring collaborations with major performers established him as a prominent producer in contemporary Israeli music.[6][4] In 2019, he received ACUM's Achievement of the Year award for arranger—the Yair Rosenblum Prize—for his work on "Toy," together with a prize of 15,000 shekels.[8] The judges cited his distinctive and risk-taking combination of electronic elements with Mediterranean influences.[8]

Separately, in May 2018, the ACUM board presented Beger with a recognition award for exceptional international achievement with "Toy."[3] The reports appear to describe distinct honors, although they do not explicitly clarify their relationship.

In 2018, Universal Music Group sent a pre-suit notice to Beger and Doron Medalie alleging that "Toy" had copied The White Stripes' 2003 song "Seven Nation Army," with the claim reportedly centering on similarities in rhythm and harmony.[13][14] No lawsuit was reported as having been filed. By 2019, Jack White had been added as a composer of "Toy" alongside Medalie and Beger; the writing-credit arrangement was reported not to constitute an admission of guilt, and the dispute was described as having ended.[15]

Medalie later said that resolving the matter cost him and Beger $50,000 in legal fees and resulted in 50 percent of the royalties being taken.[16] His account did not identify a judicial finding or reproduce formal settlement terms.