 Rather than wait a year for the next contest, Ilanit decided to release the song she was going to compete with, "Balalaika" in 1984.At that time Ilanit was already one of Israel's most popular singers and the song "Balalaika" became an instant hit, despite not being a Eurovision song entry representing Israel.Ilanit was named Israel's top female singer every year from 1971 to 1977, something no other singer has achieved.