Maya Bouskilla is an Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i pop singer

Pop Singer

"Pop Singer" is the début single from London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in February, 1996 through WEA. The single was released as a 2 track CD Single and limited edition pink 7" vinyl of 1000 copies...

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Biography

Maya Bouskilla was born to a religious Moroccan-Jewish family in Netanya

Netanya

Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...

, Israel. She was discovered by a scout for Helicon Records

Helicon Records

Helicon Records is a record label which was founded in Israel in 1985.Aside from being the label of many Israeli artists, Helicon is also the exclusive distributor of Snapper Music, EMI and Universal Music Group in Israel, which includes artists like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Guns n'...

, one of Israel's best known record companies, who heard her singing in a karaoke bar. Later, Roberto Ben-Shushan and Eyal Malul became her managers.

Singing career

In 2004, Bouskilla's debut album, Sold Out Story, sold 20,000 copies in the first three weeks. In February 2005, Maya was voted Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year. Bouskilla was also named Singer of the Year in 2005 by the Israeli Music Channel.

Bouskilla was a possible choice to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009

Eurovision Song Contest 2009

The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....

 but she bowed out at the last minute. She has been tipped again to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011

Eurovision Song Contest 2011

The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...

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Military service

Although Bouskilla is known for her skin-baring outfits and provocative dancing, she claimed to be religious when she was called up by the army at the age of 18. In April 2008, after criticism of her draft-dodging, she undertook a symbolic spell of army duty, reportedly to educate women on the importance of serving.
Her enlistment at the age of thirty made her one of the oldest new recruits ever to join the Israel Defense Forces

Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

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Discography

• 2004 - Sippur Makhur - סיפור מכור (Sold Out Story)
• 2006 - Yamim Shel Ahava - ימים של אהבה (Days of Love)
• 2008  - Shoveret Shtika - שוברת שתיקה (Breaking the Silence)

Television and film career

In 2006, Bouskilla played Margalit in Menahem Golan's movie "Day of Love." In 2009, she was a participant in Israel's VIP version of the TV show Big Brother

HaAh HaGadol VIP

HaAh HaGadol VIP started on March 1, 2009 and ended on March 31, 2009. The VIP season was the second season of the Israeli version of the Big Brother series and the first season of the VIP series. The show follows the main Big Brother rules, but with some changes...

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