Ofra Haza
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.
Born the youngest of nine children in the poor Tel Aviv suburb 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.
Early career
At the age of 12, 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, as her career developed, he became her long time manager and mentor. At the age of 19, she was Israel's first bubble-gum 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.
Representing Israel, she made her international debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983 with the song "Chai" ('Hi') and finished a close second to the Luxemburg entry.
There were many successful recordings in her homeland, including her first album, recorded when she was only 18. Her Israeli hits included 1979's "Shir ha-Frekha" ('The Teaser Song', or 'The Bimbo'), the theme song from the movie Shlager (in which she also acted) and "le-Orekh ha-Yam" ("Along the Shore").
It was with the crossover album Yemenite Songs (1985) that Haza took her first real steps towards global appeal, combining traditional orchestration with western dance beats and lyrics drawn from the poems of a 17th century rabbi. The album was a big hit both at home and abroad, and contributed to the formation of a whole new music category, nowadays commonly referred to as 'world music'.
When asked about her musical roots in an interview on KCRW-FM radio (1993, Santa Monica), Haza spoke of her Yemeni 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). Opinion is divided on whether she was born in 1957 or 1959, but the former may be the case, given that most artists seek to appear younger.
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. 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.
Haza also received critical acclaim for the albums Desert Wind (1989), Kirya (1992), Ofra Haza (1997) and for her collection of children's songs, Li Yeladim (1982).
Kirya (co-produced by Don Was) received a Grammy nomination.
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" 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 Wild Orchid (1990), Queen Margot (1994) and The Prince of Egypt (1998). 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. Towards the end of 1998, she joined the late Pakistani virtuoso Ali Akbar Khan on the album The Prayer Cycle, a celebration of the musical heritage of the Judaic and Muslim worlds.
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.
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 Sinead 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.
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".
In 1997 Haza had married businessman Doron Ashkenazi, who died a year after her. They had no children.
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)
- 1978 - 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
- 1986 - Yamim Nishbarim
- 1986 - Shirey Moledet 2
- 1987 - Shirey Moledet 3
- 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)
Compilations
- 1987 - Album HaZahav (Golden Album)
- 2000 - Manginat Halev (Greatest Hits)
- 2004 - Manginat Halev 2
Soundtracks
- 1990 - Wild Orchid
- 1994 - La Reine Margot (Queen Margot)
- 1998 - The Prince of Egypt
- 1998 - The Governess
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK | |||
| 1988 | "Im Nin' Alu" | - | #18 | - | #15 | Shaday |
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.
References
External links
- Tom Schnabel article
- Various website links and interview (with audio)
- Don't Stop Me From Being Free
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Illuminati Conspiracy Archive
- The Dead Musicians Directory
- Ofra Haza And Me