Israeli singer Noa Kirel wears a Kanye West-printed outfit on stage during the MTV Europe Music Awards 2022 in Dusseldorf, Germany, Nov. 13, 2022. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for MTV)

(JTA) — Noa Kirel won MTV Europe’s award for best Israeli artist for the fifth straight year on Sunday. But it was the outfit she wore to the awards ceremony that got everyone talking.

Kirel, 21, wore a halter top, elbow-length gloves and wide-legged pants all emblazoned with pictures of Kanye West, the rapper who has been embroiled in an antisemitism controversy. Gold chains with Star of David necklaces were affixed to the pictures of West’s head, and Kirel also wore a large Star of David necklace herself.

The outfit was meant to draw attention to antisemitism, Kirel told the Israeli broadcaster Kan, and to demonstrate that Kirel is “proud to be an Israeli artist who represents Israel in the world.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“She wanted a crazy outfit that everyone would remember,” her stylist, Itai Bezaleli, told Kan. “She wanted something topical that will be talked about.”

Kirel broke into public view as a teenager and has scored pop hits in Israel for years, including during her recent service in the Israel Defense Forces. She will be Israel’s competitor in next year’s Eurovision song contest.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Noa Kirel (@noakirel)

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount