Imri says that since he was a child he has had a talent for easily learning languages. He speaks fluent Spanish with an Argentinian accent, as his Spanish teacher was from Buenos Aires.[5] In June 2023, Imri came out as gay.[6]
2012–2016: The Voice Israel and early career
In 2012, he auditioned for the inaugural edition of the television talent show The Voice Israel, singing "אהובתי" with 2 judges of four, Sarit Hadad and Rami Kleinstein turning their chairs. Being part of Team Rami, he proceeded to the Battle Rounds singing "פרפרים" and was eliminated by mentor Kleinstein who opted for advancing teammate rival Orit Shalom.
In the quarter-finals held on 30 and 31 January 2017, he performed "Rude Boy" (Video: Imri Ziv performs Rude Boy on YouTube) by Rihanna earning 72% and approval from three judges and in the semi-final "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith earning 95% and approval of all judges and qualifying for the finals.
In the final on 13 February 2017, he first performed "Halo" by Beyoncé[citation needed] winning 78% of the public's votes and approval of all four judges. He followed it up with an interpretation of "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson winning the contest with 74% approval rating. The finalist Diana Golbi finished runner-up with 67% and Julieta was third with 58%.
After winning HaKokhav HaBa L'Eurovizion, Ziv represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. His song, "I Feel Alive", written by Dolev Ram and Penn Hazut was released on 9 March 2017, placing third in the second semi-final and 23rd in the final.[7]