Zehava Ben
Zehava Ben זהבה בן | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Zehava Benisti |
Born | Beersheba, Israel | November 8, 1968
Genres | Pop, Mizrahi |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1990–present |
Zehava Ben (born Zehava Benisti;
Early life
Ben was born Zehava Benisti in Beersheba,[2] the capital city of the Negev in Southern Israel, in Shikun Dalet (Neighborhood D), a poor neighborhood, to a Moroccan Jewish family.[2] She has an identical twin sister named Esther 'Etti' Levy who is also a musician.[3]
Zehava is very proud of her Moroccan heritage, and most of her music is quite distinctive of that, singing both in Hebrew and Moroccan Arabic.
Music career
Zehava became familiar in Israel in 1989, when a song and album called "Tipat Mazal" (A Bit of Luck), became a hit throughout Israel,
One of her famous songs, "Ma Yihye" (What Will Be) from 1994, was featured in the Buddha Bar collection.
Despite her music being banned in some
Zehava appeared in the 1996 election campaign for the left-wing political party Meretz, singing the famous "Shir LaShalom" (Song For Peace) together with Dana Berger. This was the same song the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin sang in a rally before his assassination a few months earlier.
After
In 2005, Zehava Ben entered a song contest to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Peace And Love" (sung in Hebrew, Arabic and English). She reached second place to winner Shiri Maimon (another Jewish Israeli of Moroccan heritage).
Ben has appeared in many music festivals outside Israel, including in Sweden and France.[4]
Records and Discography
- 1999: Best of Zehava Ben
- 2000: Arabic Songs
- 2000: Crying Rain
- 2000: Stop the World
- 2000: What Kind of World
- 2000: White Stork
- 2000: Super Gold
- 2001: Coming Home
- 2001: Real King
- 2001: To Be Human
- 2002: Melech Amiti (A Real King)
- 2003: Beit Avi (My Father's House)
- 2003: Laroz Variations
- 2003: My Father's House
- 2003: Looking Forward
- 2003: To Be a Man
- 2004: Zehava Ben
- 2005: Sings Arabic vol. 1
- 2005: Sings Arabic vol. 2
- 2005: Children's Songs
- 2006: The Best of Zehava Ben
- 2008: Going with the Light
- 2009: The Best of the Best
- 2011: Nights at Home
See also
- Kdam Eurovision
- Mizrahi Music
References
- ^ "Sabra Sounds". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Ivry, Benjamin. "The Joys of Pan-Mizrahi Music". The Forward. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ Ghert-Z, Renee. "On TV in 'LaLa Land': Israeli Singers Vie For Record Deal". The Forward. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ben (Benista), Zehava | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ^ "Yesh Od Tikvah" (PDF). Babaganewz. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ "Our Hope Endures (2002)". Alibris. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ Engelberg, Keren (February 20, 2003). "Voice Across Israel; Up Front". Jewish Journal. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
External links
- Zehava Ben Official Web Site – Zehava Ben's Official Web Site.
- Zehava Ben's channel on YouTube
- Zehava Ben on Facebook
- Zehava Ben on Instagram