Maya Bouskilla

Maya Bouskilla
Background information
Born	(1977-11-09) November 9, 1977 Netanya, Israel
Genres	Pop,soul
Occupation(s)	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.

Biography

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. Bouskilla claimed to be religious when she was called up by the army at the age of 18 and received a deferment. In April 2008, after criticism of her draft-dodging, she enlisted for a short period, reportedly to educate women about 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.

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 but she bowed out at the last minute. She was tipped again to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. She was also reportedly considered for the 2012 edition in Baku.

Television and film career

In 2006, Bouskilla played Margalit in Menahem Golan's movie "Day of Love." In 2009, she was a participant in HaAh HaGadol VIP, the VIP version of HaAh HaGadol (which is the Israeli version of Big Brother).

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)