WATCH: Israel’s teenage Eurovision hopeful qualifies for Saturday’s final!

Israel have qualified for the final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest – their first appearance in five years.

Hot on the heels of his victory in TV talent show The Rising Star, 16-year-old schoolboy Nadav Guedj will take to the stage in Vienna with up-tempo R&B number Golden Boy – which he says  is a celebration of “the inspiring freedom of Tel Aviv”.

Speaking to the Jewish News ahead of his performance, Paris-born Nadav – who snatched the final qualifying berth at the expense of Eurovision big-hitters Ireland – said he wasn’t daunted by the prospect of singing live in front of a global audience of hundreds of millions.

If victorious, he will become the first Israeli champion since Dana International, who triumphed in 1998.

The final of Eurovision is on Saturday 23 May.