Shiri Maimon

Shiri Maimon was born on May 17, 1981, in Haifa, Israel, and grew up in the Kiryat Haim neighborhood. Her family is of Mizrahi Jewish and Sephardi Jewish descent, with roots traced to Syria and Algeria, and both of her parents, Mazal and Natan, were born in Israel. She has two older siblings, a brother named Rami and a sister named Livnat, as well as a younger brother named Asaf. Her first name carries dual meaning in Hebrew, translating to either "sing" in the imperative mood or "my song."

Maimon's performing career began at age ten, when she appeared at the Festigal children's festival and sang "BeChol Matzav" by Si Heiman. By age twelve she had joined a children's music group called Tehila, and during high school she performed with the band of the youth organization HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed. Following graduation, she served in the Israel Defense Forces, singing with the Israeli Air Force Band, where she first encountered director Tzvika Hadar. After her military service she worked as a singer, dancer, and bartender at a nightclub in Eilat for approximately a year and a half, and briefly enrolled at the Beit Zvi school of the Performing Arts before leaving to audition for the reality competition Kokhav Nolad. In 2001, prior to that transition, she appeared in a music video by the band Teapacks for the song "Ilu Hait."

In 2003, Maimon competed in the inaugural season of Kokhav Nolad, the Israeli singing talent competition hosted by Tzvika Hadar, who recused himself from judging her audition due to their prior acquaintance. She advanced through the competition by performing "Atuf BeRahamim" by Rita in the head-to-head round, then won the first semi-final with her rendition of "Kshe'at Atzuva" by Amir Benayoun. In the final, held at the Nitzanim Beach music festival, she sang "Don Quixote" from Dana International's Maganuna album and finished as runner-up, receiving more than 400,000 votes. The competition brought her widespread media coverage and established her presence in the mainstream Israeli music industry. In December 2003 she joined the popular youth television program EXIT as a host, a role she held until October 2005.

During 2004, Maimon recorded a Hebrew-language duet with Ran Danker, "Kama Koakh Yesh LeLev Shavur," for the soundtrack of the Hebrew version of the animated film El Cid: The Legend. That same year she collaborated with singer Shlomi Shabat, performing the duet "Bechol Makom" at one of his concerts in Caesarea; the live recording was subsequently released on several of Shabat's CDs and DVDs. In November 2004 she released her debut single, "Ad SheTavin Oti," and in December she participated in the Israeli children's musical theatre production of Mamma Mia.

In 2005, Maimon was selected to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv after winning the national selection competition Kdam Eurovision with "HaSheket SheNish'ar," earning 116 of a possible 120 points. She recorded an English version of the song titled "Time To Say Goodbye" and ultimately performed a version that alternated between Hebrew and English. At the Eurovision semi-final on May 19 she placed seventh and qualified for the final, where on May 21 she finished fourth with 154 points. Her performance drew the highest Eurovision broadcast ratings in Israel since ratings measurement began in February 1998, peaking at 47.9 percent. "HaSheket SheNish'ar" ranked first on the year-end charts of Reshet Gimmel and was named the most-played song on Israeli radio in 2005. In March 2005 she was also chosen to perform the Israeli national anthem before a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Ireland.

In 2008, Maimon won Best Israeli Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, where she was also nominated for Europe's Favorite Act. Beginning in June 2013, she served as a judge on the first season of The X Factor Israel, continuing in that role through the second and third seasons before departing in 2018 to join the rival network program Rising Star Israel.

That same year, 2018, Maimon made her Broadway debut in Chicago, performing the starring replacement role of Roxie Hart. The production marked her entry into Broadway, adding a major international stage credit to her career. In February 2024, she recorded a live album of greatest hits performed alongside the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.