About
Ofra Haza, born November 19, 1957, in the Hatikvah quarter of Tel Aviv, was the youngest of nine children of Yemenite Jewish immigrants. She began her career at age 12 in the neighborhood's theater workshop under mentor Bezalel Aloni. She was named Israel's Female Singer of the Year four consecutive years (1980–1983) and placed second at the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Chai'. Her 1984 album Yemenite Songs blended traditional Yemenite music with modern pop arrangements, and the track 'Im Nin'alu' became a global hit in 1988. Her album Shaday (1988) sold over a million copies. In 1993, her album Kirya received a Grammy nomination, making her the first Israeli singer to achieve this.
* 1957-11-19 — † 2000-02-23
Major works
- Yemenite Songs (1984)album
- Shaday (1988)album
- Kirya (1992)album
Key milestones
- 1983Placed second at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Chai'
- 1993First Grammy nomination for an Israeli singer
- 1998Sang 'Deliver Us' in 17 languages for The Prince of Egypt
Themes
Yemenite musicPopFusionCultural identityHeritage
Sources: britannica.com · jwa.org · grammy.com