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Biography:
Ofra Haza, born in 1959, Israel. Haza was the daughter of Yemenite parents who had fled from the Muslim regime in Yemen. At the age of 12 she joined the theatre group Hatvika, run by Bezalel Azoni. In her seven years with the group, Haza recorded with them and won a Grammy award for an outstanding performance. After serving two years national service in the Israeli army she recorded her first solo album and quickly rose to become one of Israel's top singers.
She was voted second in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest with'Hi!' (translated: 'stay alive'). Haza's introduction to international music came when her singing was sampled for the Eric B And Rakim Top 20 hit, 'Paid In Full' (1987).
Her unlikely success, in her own right, in the US dance charts in 1988 with 'Im Nin'alu' spread to the UK where it reached number 15. Her visual image with her colourful national dress and the exotic mixture of middle-eastern ballads and rhythms blended with western styles, helped to make her Israel's best-known female solo singer in the UK.
This success has seen Haza fêted by artists in various fields of music; from world music and traditional folk, to disco and house styles. In an unlikely alliance in 1992, Haza linked with the Sisters Of Mercy for the remix of their single, 'Temple Of Love'. That same year also saw the release of Kirya, which involved both Was (Not Was) and Iggy Pop. Ofra Haza died, February 2000 of AIDS-related causes.
Thanks to David Bruce.
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