The collision of music, politics, and international drama reached its peak at Eurovision 2025. This year, everyone watched Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Nova festival massacre, who not only secured second place in the competition but also won the hearts of European audiences.
Yet alongside applause for this extraordinary achievement during such challenging times, Raphael faced a barrage of accusations about "vote rigging" and "manipulations" from various countries criticizing the public voting system. Then, like an unexpected character in a drama about the entertainment world, Scooter Braun stepped into the spotlight.
Braun (43), a Jewish-American who orchestrated the careers of megastars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato, wasn't previously known as a vocal supporter of Israel. However, since October 7, he underwent a transformation, evolving from someone who typically remained behind the scenes into an Israeli advocacy champion armed with Instagram and an uncompromising sense of justice.
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On Tuesday, Braun uploaded a video to his Instagram that expressed his unwavering support for Yuval and her remarkable musical achievement, "I want to talk about Eurovision because I was just reading that there are people having an issue with this young woman, Yuval, taking second place at Eurovision," he began before immediately confronting anyone questioning Raphael's success.
Braun offered no halfhearted defense. He underscored that the Eurovision manager had definitively stated that there is no evidence of vote manipulation or irregularities. His message was clear: stop inventing conspiracies because they simply aren't real.
Braun continued by exposing what he sees as the music industry's hypocrisy – an industry that claims to champion new talent but often shuts out those who don't conform to expectations. "Yuval won the audience vote. Have any of you ever made a huge superstar globally? I don't think so," he said and added, "So what makes you think that you know what the public wants?"
Yuval Raphael's narrative, Braun emphasized, transcends the typical pop star story. She survived the Nova massacre and, despite her trauma, chooses to sing messages of hope, love, and peace. "Here's a girl who survived the Nova massacre, who had her life almost taken away while she was celebrating in a music festival. And she has the courage to go on stage and sing a song about overcoming those odds and a song about there being another day to live and live in love and peace, and a video that represents that. And you're questioning why the public loved this song and loved her," he continued.
While major producers and cultural critics persist in their skepticism, Braun concluded his message with unmistakable clarity, "She was number one in the public vote and number two overall in the competition. And I would just say being number one by the public is the most important thing," he clarified, "So stop questioning her and question your own taste. Because the public spoke and you should listen to them. And a new day will rise."
