After garnering worldwide attention, aspiring singer Jessica “Jessy” Katz, niece of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg, reached the end of her run on The Voice Israel.
The 25-year old daughter of Playmount Productions president Nancy Spielberg-Katz was eliminated Sunday night local time, during week two of the top 20 round. Katz’s previous performance was deemed not up to snuff by her coach, Israeli rocker Aviv Geffen, who warned her ahead of Sunday’s performance that she would be on the bubble.
Katz sang Norwegian band A-ha’s 2000 hit “Summer Moved On” and failed to advance in the competition.
Katz’s audition, first obtained by The Hollywood Reporter in June, made headlines because of her family ties, though she often emphasized her desire to stand on her own. "People want that 'Spielberg' and when they say 'Spielberg's niece is going on The Voice,' for me, it's not the truth," Katz confessed to Geffen on last week's episode. "I'd like people to forget all about it. It's bullshit." She later added that she is "not willing to use the contacts I have unless I've proven myself".
Geffen disagreed with Katz, explaining how he was signed to Israel's top record company in the early 1990s because of his father, songwriter and journalist Yehonatan Geffen. Only later was he able to introduce his own songs. "If I were you, I might even change the last name to Spielberg, I'm not joking," said Geffen. "If you were to be signed to Warner, Sony or EMI, it would be because of your relation to Spielberg, it's all about the story. There's no reason to be afraid of it. If it opens whichever door for you, just walk on in, because it's a door that will only open once".
The self-proclaimed Zionist was one of the standout contestants on this season of The Voice Israel. The popular singing show hit a rough patch for Channel 2 franchiser Reshet during the summer, when escalating violence between Israel and neighboring Palestinians forced much of the country into bomb shelters and benched the program for six weeks.
Watch Katz's final performance below:
