Ofra Haza, חזהעפרה in Hebrew, was an Israeli singer who, inspired by her Yemeni Jewish and Hebrew culture, was one of the few contemporary female singers to have been able to make a very subtle connection between modern Israeli influences and older ones linked to Arab culture.
Today considered with hindsight as the "oriental Madonna", she knows her first successes at the very beginning of the Eighties with titles like "Hageshem", "Shir Ahava La'chayal" and other "Kmo tzipor", all three extracts from his debut album "Al Ahavot Shelanu". But it’s the track "Shir Ha'frecha" that will really reveal her, the title causing controversy because of its lyrics considered too "light" for the time.
His second album “Bo Nedaber” was released in 1981 and produced two new hits, “Tfila” and “Simanim shel ohavim”. Followed in 1982 by the equally successful album "Pituyim" with flagship titles like "Gabriel" and "Kol Yom Matchila Shana".
Everything suddenly accelerated in 1983 following his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Competition where she is classified in a very good second place thanks to the title "Chai". Just behind Corinne Hermès who is competing for Luxembourg with her title “Si la vie est un cadeau". The singer's notoriety literally explodes.
The album "Chai" which came out in the process was a real hit and became the best-selling album of all her discography.
The year 1984 saw the release of the album "Bait ham". Album with less success but which produced two hits that are "Yad beyad" and "Itcha halayla". The same year she released an album of Yemeni-inspired songs which in turn was a hit.
The years go by and so do the successes. The album "Adama" which came out in 1985 also received a very favorable reception from the public thanks to titles such as "Adama", "Goral echad" and "Mishehu holech tamid iti". Ditto for the album "Yamin Nishbarim" which came out in 1986 from which the hits "Kol haklafim" and "Bo ve-nagen oti" were extracted, among others.
The supreme consecration came in 1988 when the album "Shaday" was released, the flagship album of her discography and which produced the interplanetary hit "Im nin’alu". Huge title that will set fire to all the Dancefloor on the planet and make the singer definitively enter the musical legend of the 80s.
The albums which will be released subsequently will not be able to compete with such a level of success despite an obvious quality for each opus.
She enjoyed a last notable success in 1994 with the title "Le'orech Hayam", taken from the album "Kol Haneshama".
The great adventure will unfortunately come to an end definitively on February 23, 2000, the date of the singer's death at the age of 42. Death caused by pulmonary complications from AIDS she contracted. Her death will be felt as an immense shock in Israel and her loss considered irreplaceable.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
Shir Ha'frecha 1979
80s Decade :
Kmo tzipor 1980
Tfila 1981
Gabriel 1982
Chai 1983
Yad beyad 1984
Adama 1985
Galbi 1988
Im nin’alu 1988
Eshal 1989
Wish me luck 1989
I want to fly 1989
90s Decade :
Ya ba ye 1990
Today I'll pray 1991
Le'orech Hayam 1994
Mata Hari 1995
Love song 1996
One day 1997
Give me a sign 1998
Tracks :
1979 ... admittedly, it's very local, but it's fresh and light as you want. For now, we are not asking for more ...
1980 ... welcome to the 80s. The pretty Ofra is slowly but surely gaining momentum. But we are still far from international consecration ...
1981 ... the rhythm of the music accelerates, the pretty Ofra is metamorphosed, the evolution is continuous and fluid ...
1982 ... each year sees its share of developments. The sound begins to stick to the times, the tempo becomes more and more Dance ...
1983 ... well, on this one, we rather go back all the way. There are years with and years without ...
1984 ... yet she does all she can. Of course, it is all very nice but we are light years from the planetary tube ...
1985 ... a nice foray into the Intimist in Middle Eastern mode. Come on, we're getting closer to the best, let's be patient ...
1988 ... and here comes the year that will change everything. And besides, everything has changed. The style, the sound, the tempo, everything is ready for a sequel that promises to be great !
1988 ... the title of consecration. A mind-blowing title, which is the perfect mix between Western and Middle Eastern sounds. This title will undoubtedly remain as one of the biggest dance hits of the decade and of the end of the twentieth century. MAS-TER-FUL !
1989 ... literally impossible to compete with the previous gem. In addition, when we go back to the folklore ...
1989 ... new metamorphosis. She is found in semi Hi-NRG mode and in English. Totally bluffing !
1989 ... the end of the decade decidedly under the sign of Dance. And my faith, it all works very well !
1990 ... we set off again in local color mode slightly sprinkled with a hint of Western influence. Astonishing ...
1991 ... here she signs a sumptuous Intimist ballad which takes her completely out of her usual register. Very nice surprise ...
1994 ... a new sweet parenthesis. A decade of 90 which contrasts radically with the previous decade ...
1995 ... the decade of all metamorphosis. We find her here in full Dance mode, and succeeding once again not to deny her origins
1996 ... time is suspended. A mind-blowing song carried by a unique voice that gives the best of itself
1997 ... a sumptuous title, with crazy lyricism and in which the singer shows once again the full extent of her talent
1998 ... a last title to close a magnificent adventure which will have lasted almost 20 years. And which unfortunately will stop far too prematurely ...
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime I
Top Bonus : the story of a lifetime II
Wiki :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :