Gilat Hillel

Gilat Hillel (21), who was born in Ma’ale Edumim, a small town near Jerusalem, has yearned for a musical career since she was a child. To this end she has written lyrics and performed, trying to achieve her goal in any way she can. She has done some modeling and completed her military service as a singer in an Army band. [She even took part in “A Star is Born” (the Israeli version of “American Idol”), where she was told at an advanced round of auditions for the final twenty contestants, that not every pretty girl should also try her luck in singing.]After a year of hard work with the Israeli musical producer Oren Shitrit, her debut single, “Lying to Myself”, was released in February 2007.The song quickly became a hit on all of Israel’s radio stations, topped the chart shows and came in second in cellular downloads in Israel. Gilat was soon declared to be the Israeli Avril lavigne. “Pnai Plus”, the Israeli equivalent of “TV Guide”, which dedicates an edition each year to up-and-coming personalities in the cultural and entertainment industry in Israel, chose Gilat as the hottest and most promising talent for 2007, and showed her on its cover. Shortly thereafter, Gilat began performing her single on stage. Notably, Gilat performed an acoustic version of her hit on the Israeli equivalent to “The Conan O’Brian Show” (“Tonight with Lior Shline”).In May 2007, Gilat released her second single, “Because of You”. The launching of the single was accompanied by a young and hip video clip in which Gilat portrays a waitress with a tough boss, who takes over the restaurant where she works and gets everyone dancing to the sound of her rock melody.