Ofra Haza
| Ofra Haza עפרה חזה |
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|---|---|
Haza in 1997
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| Born |
Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza November 19, 1957 Hatikva, Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Died |
February 23, 2000 (aged 42) Ramat Gan, Israel |
| Cause of death | AIDS-related pneumonia |
| Resting place | Yarkon Cemetery, Israel |
| Other names | Ofra Haza |
| Occupation | Singer, songwriter, actress |
| Years active | 1969–2000 |
| Parent(s) | Yefet Haza (father) Shoshana Haza (mother) |
| Relatives | 6 sisters, 2 brothers |
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
World music · Pop Ethnic electronica Middle Eastern music Synthpop |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Labels |
Hed Arzi EastWest Records Shanachie Records BMG Ariola Ausfahrt Sire/Warner Bros. Records |
| Website | ofra.haza.co.il |
Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza-Ashkenazi (Hebrew: עפרה חזה; November 19, 1957 – February 23, 2000) was an Israeli singer, actress, and recording artist. Her voice has been described as a "tender" mezzo-soprano.
Inspired by a love of her Yemenite Jewish and Hebrew culture, her music quickly spread to a wider Middle Eastern audience, somehow bridging the divide between Israel and the Arab countries. As her career progressed, Haza was able to switch between traditional and more commercial singing styles without jeopardizing her credibility. Her music fused elements of Eastern and Western instrumentation, orchestration and dance-beat. She became successful in Europe and the Americas; during her singing career, she earned many platinum and gold discs.
Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza was born the youngest of nine children (six sisters and two brothers) to Yefet and Shoshana Haza. They were a Yemenite Jewish family and lived in the Hatikva Quarter, an impoverished neighborhood of Tel Aviv. Her first home was on Boaz Street.
At age 12 Haza joined a local theater troupe, and manager Bezalel Aloni spotted her singing talent. He staged many of his productions around her, and later became her manager and mentor. At 19 she was Israel's foremost pop star, and music journalists retrospectively described her as "the Madonna of the East".
By the time she had completed her military service in 1979, Haza had matured as a singer and was ready to launch a solo career.
Her first album, entitled Al Ahavot Shelanu (About Our Loves), was released in 1980 and yielded a string of popular radio hits, including Hageshem (The Rain), Shir Ahava La'chayal (Love Song For The Soldier), Kmo Tzipor (Like A Bird) and what ultimately became her signature song in Israel, Shir Ha'frecha (The Bimbo Song). The latter was written for the film Schlager (1979) in which Haza played a leading role. At first, radio stations across the country refused to play the song due to its lyrics, which at the time were unaccepted, but it quickly climbed the charts and reached No. 1, where it stayed for five consecutive weeks. Later in the year, the album reached gold status.
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Wikipedia