Keren Peles Reveals: Her First Song Was Written About a Hapoel Tel Aviv Legend

Changing Eras and the World Cup Period

Keren Peles, one of Israel’s most respected and well-known singers, recently surprised her fans with a candid and amusing story she shared on social media. In a short post, she described how she goes through different “periods” in her life, each accompanied by a new hobby or interest. After phases focused on birds, illnesses, and painting, she’s now in her “World Cup period” — the major football event that offers a welcome distraction from everyday life.

Although Peles admits she doesn’t know much about football, she watches the World Cup games mainly as an escape from reality and to enjoy the unique atmosphere surrounding the event. She describes herself as someone trying to momentarily break free from routine and even confesses with a smile that she sometimes gets confused by the rules of the game. So, even if the World Cup isn’t a central passion for her, it currently serves as a fun family focal point.

The First Song: A Tribute to a Red Legend

The real highlight of the story came when Peles revealed a surprising and little-known fact from her musical career — her very first released song wasn’t about love or a typical personal experience, but dedicated to a legendary footballer from Hapoel Tel Aviv, Shalom Tikva. Tikva is well-known as one of Israeli football’s great icons, a key player in Hapoel Tel Aviv’s history, and a member of the Israeli Football Hall of Fame.

The song “Shalom VeTikva” garnered a few thousand views on YouTube, a modest number compared to Peles’s major hits, but for the singer, it was an important early success and a meaningful milestone in her career. She humorously described it as one of her first achievements — a bridge between her love for football and her musical creativity.

Connection to Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Double-Winning Season

The song was released around the 1999/2000 season, a historic year for Hapoel Tel Aviv. That season, the club won the double — its first championship in 12 years plus the State Cup. It was a season full of records and exceptional achievements that deeply impacted the fans and the red community.

Peles, who was young and active at the time, shared that she was a season ticket holder and enjoyed every moment of that peak season. Her personal and emotional connection to that era and the club is evident in her music, which inspired her to write the song and express her support in a unique and original way.

An Unconventional Love Story

Revealing the story behind Keren Peles’s first song offers an interesting and unusual perspective on the link between art and sport. While many assume musical inspiration comes from love, heartbreak, or personal experiences, in Peles’s case, it came from the sports arena — the football pitch of Hapoel Tel Aviv.

This story shows how inspiration can come from unexpected sources and how sports and culture can blend into meaningful artistic creation. Throughout her career, Peles has become one of Israel’s leading singers with big hits like “Iti” and “November,” but here she reveals another side of herself — deeply connected to her local roots and the sport that influenced her life.

As her musical journey continues, Keren Peles keeps surprising, innovating, and moving audiences, proving that true inspiration can come from anywhere — the football field, the fans, and even the small moments in life. Her love story with football, though unconventional, remains an inseparable part of her artistic path.