Dana International facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dana International
Dana International performing at Het Grote Songfestivalfeest, 2019
Background information
Also known as	Sharon Cohen
Born	(1969-02-02) 2 February 1969 (age 56) Tel Aviv, Israel
Genres	Dance Pop World Trance
Occupations	Singer
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Hed Arzi

Dana International performing in 2016

Sharon Cohen (born February 2, 1969), known as Dana International, is a famous Israeli pop singer. She has released many albums and is known for her energetic music.

Dana International became very well known when she won the Eurovision Song Contest 1998. She won with her song "Diva". This made her famous across Europe. After her big win, she continued to release successful albums like Free (1999) and Hakol Ze Letova (2007). She even represented Israel in Eurovision again in 2011 with the song "Ding Dong". She also became a judge on the TV music show Kokhav Nolad.

About Dana International

Early Life and Dreams

Sharon Cohen was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her family came from Yemen. She is the youngest of three children. She was named after an uncle who had passed away.

From a very young age, Sharon felt she was a girl. She dreamed of becoming a singer when she was eight years old. This dream started after she watched Israeli singer Ofra Haza perform at the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest. Even though her family didn't have much money, her mother worked hard to pay for her music lessons. Sharon has said she had a happy childhood. When she was 13, she shared with her family that she was a girl and wanted to live as a woman.

Dana International chose her stage name from a childhood friend named Daniel. She made it a feminine version to honor him after he passed away in a car accident.

Starting Her Music Career

When she was 18, Sharon Cohen began performing as a drag queen. She would pretend to be famous female singers. During one of these shows, she was discovered by Offer Nissim, a well-known Israeli DJ. He helped her create her first song, "Saida Sultana". This song was a funny version of Whitney Houston's "My Name Is Not Susan". The song became popular and helped her start her career as a professional singer.

In 1993, Dana International went to London. There, she had surgery to become a woman. She also legally changed her name to Sharon Cohen. When she returned to Israel, she released her first album, called Danna International. This album was also released in other countries like Greece and Egypt. Her stage name, Dana International, comes from this album's title. The album quickly became a "gold record" in Israel, meaning it sold many copies.

Growing Popularity and Eurovision

In 1994, Dana released her second album, Umpatampa. This album was very successful and had many hit songs. It sold over 50,000 copies and became a "platinum record" in Israel. Because of her growing fame, she won the award for Best Female Artist of the Year in Israel.

In 1995, Dana tried to achieve her dream of performing in the Eurovision Song Contest. She entered the Israeli qualifying competition with her song "Layla Tov, Eropa" ("Good Night Europe"). She came in second place, but the song still became a hit. Later that year, she released an album called E.P. Tampa with new songs and remixes.

Diva and International Fame

In 1996, Dana released her third album, Maganuna. This album also sold well and included popular songs like "Don Quixote" and "Cinque Milla". In 1997, she worked with Israeli artist Eran Zur on his album.

Dana was chosen to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 with her song "Diva". Some people with traditional views were against her participation. But in May 1998, Dana performed "Diva" at the Eurovision final and won the contest! She scored 172 points.

After winning, she became famous around the world. News channels like CNN and BBC interviewed her. Dana shared a message of acceptance, saying, "My victory proves God is on my side. I want to send my critics a message of forgiveness and say to them: try to accept me and the kind of life I lead. I am what I am and this does not mean I don't believe in God, and I am part of the Jewish Nation."

"Diva" was released as a single in Europe and became a big hit. It reached number 11 in the UK charts and was in the top ten in several other countries.

New Music and Memorable Moments

In 1999, Dana released a cover of Barbra Streisand's song "Woman in Love". In May 1999, she was part of the Eurovision Song Contest again, which was held in Jerusalem. Dana performed Stevie Wonder's song "Free". A famous moment happened when she was giving the award to the winners. She tripped and fell on stage while carrying the heavy trophy. This happened in front of millions of TV viewers!

She released her album Free in Europe in 1999. Later, Israeli and Japanese versions of Free were released in 2000. A documentary film about Dana called Lady D was also made that year.

In 2001, Dana released her seventh album, Yoter Ve Yoter (More and More). This album helped her career in Israel grow again. It had two hit songs, "Ani Nitzachti" (I Won) and "Achrei HaKol" (After All).

Later Career and Comeback

In 2002, Dana released another album, HaHalom HaEfshari (The Possible Dream). In 2003, she released a special 8-CD box set.

In 2005, Dana participated in the 50th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen. Her song "Diva" was chosen as one of the best Eurovision songs ever. She performed "Diva" and another favorite Eurovision song, "Parlez-Vous Français?".

After a few years away from the spotlight, Dana returned to music in 2007. She released a new song called "HaKol Ze LeTova" ("It's All For the Best"). Her song "Love Boy" became one of the most played songs on Israeli radio in ten years! Her album, also called Hakol Ze Letova, was released in August 2007.

In 2008, a song written by Dana, "Ke'ilu Kan", was chosen to represent Israel at Eurovision Song Contest 2008. It was performed by Boaz Mauda and finished 9th in the final.

Dana also recorded songs for TV shows and collaborated with other artists. In 2009, she joined the TV show "Kokhav Nolad" (the Israeli version of Pop Idol) as a judge. She was also a judge in 2010.

On March 8, 2011, Dana International won the Israeli national final for Eurovision with her song "Ding Dong". She represented Israel at Eurovision Song Contest 2011 for a second time. However, this time the song did not make it to the final.

Recent Years

In April 2013, Dana released a new song called "Ma La'asot" (What To Do). In May, she released a video for the song "Loca" to promote Gay Pride Tel Aviv. She performed at the main Gay Pride event in June. Her third song that year was "Ir Shlema" (A Whole City). In 2014, Dana became the main judge on a new music reality show called "Yeshnan Banot", looking for Israel's next girl group.

Also in 2014, Dana was the main attraction on the first Jewish boat in the Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade.

In June 2017, Dana released a new song called "Ruti". In August 2017, she released "Yesh Li Ahava (La Costa)". In November 2017, she released "Nish'eret Itcha" (Staying With You).

In April 2018, Dana recorded a new version of the Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila". This was to promote "Israel Calling", a pre-Eurovision event. In June 2018, 20 years after winning Eurovision with "Diva", Dana released a new version of her famous hit.

In July 2018, Dana performed at a rally during the 2018 Israeli LGBT's strike with her song "Ani Nitzakhti" (I Won). Later that month, she released a new version of the Jewish song "Mi Ha'Ish" (Who is the Man) to promote the Jerusalem Pride and Tolerance Parade, where she also performed.

In May 2019, Dana performed "Just The Way You Are" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv. She also performed Omer Adam's "Tel Aviv" and her winning song "Diva" during the final's opening parade.

Dana's Eurovision Records

Discography

Albums

• 1993 Danna International (Offer Nissim Presents)
• 1994 Umpatampa
• 1995 E.P.Tampa (Offer Nissim Featuring)
• 1996 Maganuna (Crazy)
• 1998 Diva – The Hits
• 1998 Dana International The Album
• 1999 Free (European edition)
• 2000 Free (Israeli & Japanese edition)
• 2001 Yoter Ve Yoter (More and More)
• 2002 HaHalom HaEfshari (The Possible Dream)
• 2003 The CDs collection
• 2007 Hakol Ze Letova (It's All for The Best)

Singles

• 1998 "Diva"
• 2002 "Makat hom (i la dirla da da)"
• 2008 "I Need Your Love (feat. neAngely)"
• 2010 "Alay (feat. Subliminal)"
• 2011 "Ding Dong"
• 2012 "When Men Dance (feat. Yardena Arazi)"
• 2013 "Ma La'asot" (What Can You Do?)
• 2013 "Loca"
• 2013 "Ir Shlema" (Entire City)
• 2014 "Down On Me"
• 2014 "Yeladim Ze Simcha" (Children Are Joy)
• 2014 "Emunot Ktanot" (Little Faiths)
• 2016 "We Can Make It (feat. Offer Nissim)"
• 2017 "Ruti"
• 2017 "Yesh Li Ahava"
• 2017 "Nish'eret Itcha"
• 2019 "Diva to Diva (along Charlotte Perrelli)"

Images for kids

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  Dana International became a famous singer after winning Eurovision.

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  Backing vocalists of Dana International at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, in Düsseldorf, Germany

See also

• Conchita Wurst