Noga Erez, one of Israel's brightest stars, sparkled on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Erez, whose work combines electronic music, hip hop and other influences, records songs in English but does not hesitate to put her Israeli and Jewish identity front and center in songs such as “Fire Kites,” apparently inspired by the flaming kites sent across the Gaza border into Israel, where she sings, “I sleep on enemies and friends. If you were me, well, won’t ya? Whatever works, be sure it’s kosher – kosher. We don’t need bombs. We got fire kites.”

She is also not afraid of discussing politics. Talking about the album on National Public Radio in the US a few days after the recent election in late March, she said, “I’m not a Benjamin Netanyahu fan at all.” Asked whether she worried about speaking out against the current prime minister, she said, “You know, it’s still a democracy, even though it’s very shaky. And my side of the political map seems to think that it’s in big danger. But still, you’re able to say whatever you want to say.”

She also admitted that while she had pledged to collaborate with Palestinian musicians on her new album in the past, this had not been possible because they did not feel comfortable working with an Israeli musician and that “this was a really big lesson for me.”

While her persona is tough and rebellious, she is close to her mother, who utters the words, “Kids these days” on the song “KTD.” Said Erez, “For me, my mom has been such an important character, obviously. And I wanted to pay tribute to her.”