Ofra Haza
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Ofra Haza (עָפְרָה חָזָה born November 19, 1957, died February 23, 2000) was a popular Israeli singer, actress and international recording artist.
Of Yemenite Jewish ancestry, Haza was born the youngest of nine children in the poor Tel Aviv neighborhood of Hatikvah. She became an instant local and then national success story, the subject of great pride for many Israelis of Yemenite origin.
Her voice has been described as mezzo-soprano, of near-flawless tonal quality, capable of lending itself to a variety of musical styles with apparent ease. It is thought likely that Haza's voice had the most upper harmonic overtones of any singer in history, reaching as many as 32 on some songs, such as "Love Song" from the album Shaday (1988).
Inspired by a love of her Yemenite-Jewish culture, the appeal of her musical art quickly spread to a wider Middle Eastern audience, somehow bridging the divide between Israel and the Arab countries. As her career progressed, the multi-lingual Haza was able to switch between traditional and more commercial singing styles without jeopardising her credibility. The music, too, cleverly fused elements of Eastern and Western instrumentation, orchestration and dance-beat. Success was to follow in Europe and the Americas; during her singing career, she collected many platinum and gold discs.
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[edit] Early career
At the age of 12 and a half, Haza joined the local theatre troupe, and manager Bezalel Aloni spotted her exceptional singing talent. He staged many of his productions around Haza as the centrepiece and later on he became her long time manager and mentor. At the age of 19, she was Israel's first pop princess and retrospectively, music journalists even described her as the 'Madonna' of the east.
By the time she had completed her military service in 1979, Aloni's protégé had matured as a singer and was ready to launch a solo career.
Her first album, titled "Al Ahavot Shelanu" (Our Love), 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 unltimately became her signature song in her homeland, "Shir Ha'frecha" (The Bimbo Song). The latter was written for the film "Shlagger" (1979) in which Haza played a leading role. At first, radio stations across the country refused to play the song due to its explicit lyrics but it quickly climbed the charts and reached #1, where it stayed for 5 consecutive weeks.
A second album soon followed, "Bo Nedaber" (Let's Talk) and Haza was again dominating the charts with her hugely popular hits "Tfila" (Prayer) and "Simanim Shel Ohavim" (Lovers Signs).
Her third album, "Pituyim" (Temptations) came out in 1982 and enjoyed equal success with such radio hits as "Gabriel" and "Kol Yom Matchila Shana" (A New Year Starts Everyday). With this album, more well-known writers agreed to write her songs, including Tzvika Pik and Nurit Hirsh.
In 1983, Haza's career jumped to a new level of success and popularity. At the Eurovision Song Contest, she came in a close second to the Luxemburg entry with the song "Chai" (Alive). Her popularity in Israel reached enormous heights. Her 1983 album, "Chai", became her biggest-selling album to date and the title track was voted as the #1 song of the year. Additional hits from the album included "Amen Lamilim" (Amen For Words) and "Sof Hakayitz" (End Of Summer). Haza was voted "Female Artist Of The Year" 4 years in a row, from 1980 to 1983. Later that year, Haza released "Shirey Moledet" which consisted of her renditions of well-known Israeli folk songs. Public response was so overwhelming, she went on to release 2 more volumes (in 1985 and 1987).
"Bait Ham" (A Place For Me) was released in 1984. The title track, as well as "Yad Beyad" (Hand In Hand) and "Itcha Halayla" (With You Tonight) ruled the charts. The album went gold within days. In December that year, Haza released what was to become the turning-point of her career, a collection of Yemenite songs, simply titled "Yemenite Songs". Despite lukewarm radio airplay, the album went on to become a best-seller, quickly reaching platinum status. This LP was reissued in the United States by Shanachie Records under the title "Fifty Gates of Wisdom", taken from the lyrics to the included song "Ayelet Chen".
The album "Adama" (Earth) followed in 1985 and saw the top writers in the country contribute to the album: Sasha Argov, Neomi Shemer, Ya'akov Orland and Ehud Manor, among others. The album produced the enormously popular hits, "Adama", "Goral Echad" (One Destiny) and "Mishehu Holech Tamid Ity" (Someone Always Walks With Me).
In 1986, Haza tried to update her sound and gathered with acclaimed producer Yizhar Ashdot to create what is perhaps her most interesting work to date, "Yamim Nishbarim" (Broken Days). The album had an edgy rock sound and the lyrics were deep and personal and written by Haza herself, a first. The result was not well accepted, though, and the album took almost a year to reach gold status. Some songs from the album, did however, manage to chart: "Kol Haklafim" (All The Cards Are On The Table) and "Hake'ev Haze" (This Pain).
When asked about her musical roots in an interview on KCRW-FM radio (1993, Santa Monica), Haza spoke of her Yemenite Jewish parents, a childhood filled with music and singing and a passion for traditional Yemenite songs, picked up from her mother. Questioned about the theatre troupe, she spoke of poverty and the total neglect of successive governments for the Hatikvah region; and how, by way of protest, the community had rallied to create something positive and dramatic, which would make others sit up and take notice of a forgotten neighbourhood. Throughout the interview, Aloni can be heard in the background, adding information and, curiously, correcting Haza about her age at a particular point in her life (by subtracting two years).
[edit] International artist
Her greatest international recognition came with the single "Im Nin'Alu", taken from the album Shaday (1988), which won the New Music Award for Best International Album Of The Year. The song topped the Eurochart (Europe's equivalent to the American Billboard charts) for 2 weeks in June that year and was on heavy rotation on MTV channels across the continent. For years to come, this song would be extensively re-released, re-mixed and sampled. The single made only a brief appearance in the UK top 40 singles chart, but became a dancefloor favourite across Europe and the USA, topping the German charts for an incredible nine weeks. Subsequent singles were also given the dance-beat / MTV-style video treatment, most notably, "Galbi", "Daw Da Hiya" and "Mata Hari", but none quite matched the runaway success of her first hit. "Im Nin' Alu" would go on to be featured on an in-game radio playlist of the video game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, released in 2005.
Haza also received critical acclaim for the albums Desert Wind (1989), Kirya (1992), Ofra Haza (1997) and for her collection of children's songs, L'Yeladim (1982).
Kirya (co-produced by Don Was) received a Grammy nomination.
In 1994, Haza released her first hebrew album in 7 years, "Kol Haneshama" (The Whole Soul). Though not an initial chart success, the album produced one of her biggest hits to date, "Leorech Hayam" (Along The Sea). The song did not have any substantial chart success upon its release to radio but became an anthem after Haza performed it on the assembly in memorial to deceased Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a week after he was assassinated. Radio stations around the country started playing it and people took notice. Its lyrics became even more symbolic following Haza's own death in 2000.
[edit] Collaborations and performances
Her collaborative work with internationally established acts included the single "Temple of Love (Touched by the Hand of Ofra Haza)", recorded with the Leeds-based post-punk band The Sisters of Mercy in 1992. Thomas Dolby co-produced Yemenite Songs and Desert Wind, where he was also a guest musician. Haza guested on Dolby's album Astronauts And Heretics (1992), singing on the track "That's Why People Fall In Love". She recorded "My Love Is for Real" with Paula Abdul in 1995 and on Sarah Brightman's album Harem (2003), Haza's vocals were included on "Mysterious Days", thanks to an idea by Brightman's partner Frank Peterson (ex-Enigma), who produced both Harem and the album, Ofra Haza (1997).
For the Kirya album, Iggy Pop, a friend of Don Was, performed the narration on "Daw Da Hiya" (a duet with Lou Reed) and Haza joined him and a host of other stars for the video and single release "Give Peace A Chance" in 1991. She also sang on the soundtracks of Colors (1988), Dick Tracy (1990), Wild Orchid (1990), Queen Margot (1994) and The Prince of Egypt (1998). In the Prince of Egypt, Ofra Haza sung the song Deliver Us, in 29 languages as well as her native Hebrew. On the soundtrack of The Governess (1998), Haza is the featured singer on seven of the twelve tracks and worked closely with film music composer Edward Shearmur. In 1999, she performed (together with late Pakistani artist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) the track "Forgiveness", on the contemporary symphony album The Prayer Cycle by Jonathan Elias .
As a featured background vocalist, Haza's voice has been recorded, re-mixed or sampled for Black Dog's "Babylon" single, Eric B and Rakim's "Paid In Full (Coldcut Remix)" and for the M/A/R/R/S hit "Pump Up The Volume". The single "Love Song" has been re-mixed by DJs many times, perhaps most effectively by UK based producers SilentProbe.
Covers of songs by other artists included the Carole King / James Taylor classic "You've Got A Friend", Madonna's "Open Your Heart" and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir".
There were many distinguished live performances and Haza spoke with fond memories of her visits to Japan and Turkey. Notable too, was her performance at the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, where she appeared alongside Sinéad O'Connor, a noted peace campaigner. "Paint Box" was written specially for the event. Her 1990 live recording, At Montreux Jazz Festival was released in 1998.
[edit] Obituary
Ofra Haza died in 2000 - the cause being widely reported as organ failure or pneumonia, arising from AIDS complications. Her family declined to confirm or deny these reports however, stating that it was Haza's wish that the matter should remain private. There was considerable media interest into the circumstances of her death.
After Haza's death was announced, Israeli radio stations played non-stop retrospectives of her music and Prime Minister Ehud Barak praised her work as a cultural emissary, commenting that she also represented the Israeli success story - "Ofra emerged from the Hatikvah slums to reach the peak of Israeli culture. She has left a mark on us all".
[edit] Controversy
In 1997 Haza had married businessman Doron Ashkenazi (See References), who died a year after her. They had no children together. Ashkenazi, at the time of his death, had an 8 year old girl and a 15 year old boy.
Ofra Haza's husband Doron Ashkenazi died on Saturday, April 7 2001 from a drug overdose. Ashkenazi was suspected of infecting Ofra with HIV. (See Ha'aretz Reference)
[edit] Albums
- 1974 - Ahava Rishona (with Shechunat Hatikvah Workshop Theatre)
- 1976 - Ve-hutz Mizeh Hakol Beseder (with Shechunat Hatikvah Workshop Theatre)
- 1977 - Atik Noshan (with Shechunat Hatikvah Workshop Theatre)
- 1979 - Shir HaShirim Besha'ashu'im (with Shechunat Hatikvah Workshop Theatre)
- 1980 - Al Ahavot Shelanu
- 1981 - Bo Nedaber
- 1982 - Pituyim
- 1982 - Li-yeladim (Children's Songs)
- 1983 - Hai
- 1983 - Shirey Moledet 1
- 1984 - Bayt Ham
- 1984 - Shirey Teyman (aka Yemenite Songs or Fifty Gates of Wisdom)
- 1985 - Adamah
- 1985 - Shirey Moledet 2
- 1986 - Yamim Nishbarim
- 1987 - Shirey Moledet 3
- 1987 - Album HaZahav (Golden Album)
- 1988 - Shaday
- 1988 - Yemenite Love
- 1989 - Desert Wind
- 1992 - Kirya
- 1993 - Oriental Nights
- 1994 - Kol Haneshama
- 1995 - Queen in Exile (Unreleased)
- 1997 - Ofra Haza
- 1998 - At Montreux Jazz Festival (Live - recorded 1990)
- 2000 - Greatest Hits vol.1/Bemanginat Halev (Melody Of The Heart)
- 2001 - Music History
- 2004 - Greatest Hits vol.2/Bemanginat Halev (Melody Of The Heart)
[edit] Videos
- Extremely rare: clip from Shchunat Ha'Tikva Theatre
- A rare find - Chai Live Eurovision
- Song "Galbi" live performance
- Memorial videoclip by a fan
More on: Youtube.com
[edit] Soundtracks
- 1988 - Colors
- 1990 - Dick Tracy
- 1990 - Wild Orchid
- 1994 - La Reine Margot (Queen Margot)
- 1998 - The Prince of Egypt
- 1998 - The Governess
[edit] Selected singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK | |||
| 1988 | "Im Nin' Alu" | - | #18 | - | #15 | Shaday |
[edit] Trivia
- On February 3, 1987, Haza survived a crash in a Cessna aircraft on the Israeli-Jordanian border.
- It was rumoured that, in 1990, Haza turned down an offer to support Michael Jackson on tour.
[edit] References
- The Voice Of Heaven
- The One And Only - Ofra Haza
- Sony Biography And Discography
- BBC Report Of Ofra Haza's Death
- Ofra Haza's 1997 Wedding Video
- Ha'aretz Controversy Article
