'Bassa Sababa,' Netta Barzilai's new video features her as a pink rhinoceros who 'grew a thicker skin.'
By AMY SPIROUpdated: FEBRUARY 2, 2019 20:11Netta releases her first post-Eurovision song.(photo credit: DANIEL KAMINSKY)
Israeli Eurovision champion Netta Barzilai released her first original song since “Toy” on Friday, titled “Bassa Sababa.”The song title, which is Hebrew slang based on Arabic, translates loosely to “Bummer Great.” But most of the song is in English with a touch of Hebrew-sounding gibberish.By Saturday evening, the video for the song had been viewed more than a million times. The video, which was shot at 13 different locations in Kiev and cost close to NIS1 million to produce, features Barzilai dressed as a pink rhinoceros. The song is a pop anthem infused with African beats and electronic sounds, and featuring the singer’s signature looper.“Stop!/ Call your mama/ Run/ Tell her I’m a Rhino/ My killer girls are coming/ If you won’t hide you’re done,” she sings, charging after a man who abandoned her at the altar. “Stop!/ Hold the trigger/ Watch/ My horn is bigger/ I win/ I love my thicker figure/ I grew a thicker skin.”Barzilai, who spent several years living in Africa as a child, said the rhinoceros is close to her heart.“I learned this year from my fans that I’m stronger than I think I am,” she said in a statement released with the song on Friday. “The light and the joy within me and the people around me can conquer all the darkness that comes from inside and out. A rhinoceros is an animal with a very thick skin, that protects itself and its herd by attacking, not feeling.”The singer added that she is “excited to share with you ‘Bassa Sababa,’ which is a festive and empowering hymn about stepping out to independence on all levels.”The song was written by Barzilai, Stav Beger (who also worked on “Toy”) and Avshalom Ariel.The song was released several hours earlier than originally intended, after a recording was leaked on social media. Barzilai’s spokesman said that the singer will leave soon on a global tour to promote the song.
