As one of Israel’s biggest pop stars, Noa Kirel’s shining face adorns billboards, and she appears daily in an array of commercials, reality television shows and teen dramas. Kirel, 19, was drafted into the army six months ago under Israel’s mandatory conscription law.
RAANANA, Israel — As one of Israel’s biggest pop stars, Noa Kirel’s shining face adorns billboards, and she appears daily in an array of commercials, reality television shows and teen dramas. Famous since 14, her YouTube videos have garnered millions of viewers, and last month she became the first Israeli to sign a multimillion dollar music deal, with Atlantic Records.
But for the foreseeable future, every media interview, every public appearance, every television taping and photo shoot must be strictly coordinated with the Israeli army.
Kirel, 19, was drafted into the army six months ago under Israel’s mandatory conscription law. As teen pop superstardom encounters military conformity, it is proving to be a challenge for the wildly popular singer – who cannot walk down the street without being mobbed by fans – as well as for the army brass.
“It’s not easy, but there is something very authentic about it,” Kirel said during an interview at her family home.
When she’d breezed into the room, with long sleek hair, bright blue eyes and a flawless complexion, she was instantly charismatic and immediately fussed over by her manager, publicist and mother. Two soldiers were also present, assigned to monitor and clarify her comments.
In the short time she has served, Noa, as she is affectionately known by her fans, has already stirred a handful of controversies. In February, on the day of her draft, a nerve-racking affair at which recruits part from their parents, the paparazzi were there in full force vying for a first photo of her in uniform.
After a month of basic training, which Kirel said she enjoyed because she was ordered around like every other recruit and forced to do “normal” chores such as cleaning toilets, she was placed on the “talent track,” allowed to form her own music act and dispatched to perform for the troops.
In no time, however, a short video clip of her singing with two male backup dancers clad in military fatigues and heavy combat boots went viral, drawing ridicule and criticism on social media.
