Last year, we chose Marina Maximillian Blumin as one of Israeli music's five most promising singers. This was even before the auditions for the reality show "A Star is Born 5," and the few people who recognized her name were mainly jazz fans. It was crystal clear, however, that even though she gained acclaim in this marginal field, she had the presence of a star. When she performed with jazz ensembles, she had to try to leave some attention for the other musicians.

When Blumin mounted the "A Star is Born 5" stage, her background was in Schubert and Billy Holliday. Even so, by the time she auditioned, she already had begun flirting with the world of pop. She told Haaretz in an interview last year that she was writing and arranging some "regular" songs with Yehuda Eder, who is known for producing mainstream albums, and that they had no set goal.

She also had been working closely with another prominent producer, and it was probably he who advised her to accept the offer from "A Star is Born." Still, "regular" songs are a new and exciting field for her. Not that she did not like pop as a teenager - she was simply unaware it existed.