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Zehava Ben

Zehava Ben is the emerging Mediterranean Diva. Her phenomenal voice and soulful interpretation has touched millions, who awarded her with great love. She has broken all barriers with her music, her albums reached the multi-platinum status in Israel, while in the Arab world she reigned with a huge number of cassettes sold.

Biography

Zehava Ben was born on the 8th of November 1968 in Beersheva. She is one of the most popular Israeli female vocalists in the Mizrahi genre, the Turkish style of singing which has come to dominate Oriental music in the '90s. She was born in the capital city of Southern Israel (The Negev), Beersheva, in a poverty, crime and drug struck neighborhood. Her humble origins and petite build mask an extraordinary talent. Zehava became familiar in 1990, when the title track of a film she took part in, called Tipat Mazal (A bit of luck), became a hit all over Israel, mostly among the Ex-Asian and Ex-North African population.

With her mesmerising voice she sings songs from the repertory of the Maria Callas of the Arab world, the legendary diva Umm Kalthoum. Accompanied by the Haifa Arab Music Orchestra conducted by Suheil Raduan, she wins over even the most fanatic Umm Kalthoum fans with her interpretations of such classic and complex songs as El-atlall and Inta Oumri.

Enthusiasm for Zehava Ben's program is spreading quickly and she and the orchestra have been invited to a number of festivals in Europe including Stockholm, Montpellier, and Paris (Theatre de la Ville). Last year she was THE major attraction, and got a standing ovation, at the international world renown world-music Sfinks Festival in Boechout.

Zehava is very proud of her Moroccan heritage, and most of her music is quite distinctive of that. She has appeared in many music festivals outside Israel, namely in Sweden and France. Zehava is also popular in the Middle-East, even if her music is banned due to her Israeli origin. In 1996 she appeared in the election campaign for 'Meretz' (left wing civil rights movement), singing the famous Shir lashalom (Song for peace).

One of her famous songs is Ma Yihye (What will be) from 1994, which is included in the Buddha Bar collection.

References:
Official Website
Wikipedia
Sigov

Discography

Albums:

	Title	Year
	The Best Of Zehava Ben	2006
	Zehava Ben	2004
	Inside The Heart	2002
	Laroz Variations	2002
	My Fathers House	2002
	A Real King	2000
	To Be A Man	1999
	Coming Home	1998
	White Stork	1998
	The Solitary Star	1997
	Sings Arabic	1996
	Crying Rain	1992
	A Bit Of Luck	1989