Eden Alene looked at me, politely confused. “What is a pandemic hobby?” “You know,” I said, thinking of all my failed sourdough starters. “A lot of people learned to do new things because they had so much time.” “Ah, no.” She shook her head and smiled. Her Zoom background was decorated with all the paraphernalia of the conspicuously relatable celebrity: A number of suspiciously pristine houseplants in pastel pots and a Polaroid camera. But I doubt she’s been puttering around with a watering can; her pandemic year has been a busy one. Alene, 20, is Israel’s emissary to the 2021 Eurovision contest, where she made it to the grand finale before Italian rock band Maneskin snagged first prize. She’s also the first singer of Ethiopian descent to represent the country. When we spoke, a few weeks before the festival began in Rotterdam, her schedule was filled with last minute preparations. That day was given over to interviews. On the next, she had dance rehearsals and a dress fitting. Then came a farewell concert in Israel, her last appearance at home before setting off to the Netherlands. Before preparations for Eurovision intensified, she’d been working on the full-length album she prepares to release sometime after the contest is over, and performing as much as pandemic circumstances allowed. “Even if I was at home,” she said, “I did a concert on Zoom.”