| Maya Bouskilla | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | November 9, 1977 Netanya, Israel |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | singer, recording artist, performer, songwriter, actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Hed Arzi Music |
Maya Bouskilla (also Maya Buskila) (Hebrew: מאיה בוסקילה; born November 9, 1977) is an Israeli pop singer.
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Maya Bouskilla was born to a religious Moroccan-Jewish family in Netanya, Israel. She was discovered by a scout for Helicon Records, 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.
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.[1]
Bouskilla was a possible choice to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 but she bowed out at the last minute.[2] She has been tipped again to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.[3]
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.[4] Her enlistment at the age of thirty made her one of the oldest new recruits ever to join the Israel Defense Forces.[5][6]
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.[7]