Noa Kirel, the popular teen singer who recently was drafted into the IDF, has signed a record contract with major American label Atlantic Records. According to the Hebrew media, it’s the biggest contract ever signed with an Israeli artist.
The 19-year-old Kirel began her music career by posting homemade video clips to YouTube, which eventually drew attention. Her songs started being played on the radio, and her path to nationwide recognition was rather short from that point on.
This year, she was drafted into the IDF and currently serves in a military band.
Kirel is the first Israeli singer to be signed to a deal of this magnitude by an international record label for a period of several years and with a budget of millions of dollars, according to the reports.
Atlantic Records includes a roster of well-known artists such as Ed Sheeran, Sia, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and DJ David Guetta.
Kirel is expected to start working on English-language materials and video clips over the next few year, which Atlantic Records will later distribute worldwide.
The singer recently made headlines for a TV ad she did for Yes+, which parodied the song “Let the Sun Shine In” from the famous anti-Vietnam War musical Hair and has Kirel singing while dressed as an American soldier undergoing basic training.
Kirel was criticized for being insensitive for allegedly turning the loss of American lives during the Vietnam War into a commercial. The IDF also reportedly was upset that Kirel wore a foreign army’s uniform.
Other Israeli artists who have been signed to international deals include Ofra Haza, Asaf Avidan and Static & Ben El Tavori, who signed with American Universal Music Group a couple of years ago, and will be producing seven albums in English.
