Dana International facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dana International
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Dana International performing at Het Grote Songfestivalfeest, 2019
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Sharon Cohen |
| Born | 2 February 1969 Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Hed Arzi |
Sharon Cohen (Hebrew: שרון כהן), known by her stage name Dana International (Hebrew: דנה אינטרנשיונל), is a famous Israeli pop singer. She is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 with her hit song "Diva".
Dana International has released eight albums and three compilation albums. Her music is popular in Israel and across Europe. After winning Eurovision, she became an international star.
She represented Israel in Eurovision a second time in 2011 with the song "Ding Dong". She has also been a judge on the Israeli music competition show Kokhav Nolad.
Contents
Early Life
Dana was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 2, 1969. Her family has Yemenite-Jewish roots. She was the youngest of three children. She was named after an uncle who was killed in a terrorist attack.
From a very young age, Dana knew she was a girl, even though she was assigned male at birth. When she was eight years old, she saw Israeli singer Ofra Haza perform in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest. This inspired her to become a singer.
Her family did not have a lot of money, but her mother worked hard to pay for her music lessons. Dana has said she had a happy childhood. At age 13, she shared with others that she was transgender.
Career
1990–1993: Becoming Dana International
When she was 18, Dana began performing by impersonating famous female singers. During one of her shows, a well-known Israeli DJ named Offer Nissim saw her perform. He produced her first single, "Saida Sultana," which was a fun version of a Whitney Houston song. The song became popular and helped start her music career.
In 1993, Dana traveled to London for surgery to help her body match her female identity. She also legally changed her name to Sharon Cohen. When she returned to Israel, she released her first album, Danna International. The album was a big success and became a gold record in Israel. Her stage name, Dana International, came from the main song on this album.
1994–1998: Rise to Fame and Eurovision Win
In 1994, Dana released her second album, Umpatampa. It was even more successful than her first album and went platinum in Israel, selling over 50,000 copies. Thanks to her growing popularity, she won the "Best Female Artist of the Year" award in Israel.
In 1995, she tried to enter the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. Her song "Layla Tov, Eropa" ("Good Night Europe") came in second place in Israel's selection contest, but it still became a hit song.
In 1998, Dana was chosen to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in Birmingham, England, with the song "Diva". Some conservative groups in Israel disagreed with her being chosen.
In May 1998, Dana performed "Diva" at the Eurovision final and won the contest with 172 points. She became famous all over the world. After her win, she said, "My victory proves God is on my side. I want to send my critics a message of forgiveness... I am what I am."
"Diva" became a hit single across Europe. It reached the top ten in charts in Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
1999–2007: After the Spotlight
In 1999, Dana performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem. While presenting the award to the winner, she accidentally tripped on her dress and fell on stage. This became a very memorable moment in Eurovision history.
She released the album Free in Europe in 1999. In 2001, she released another album, Yoter VeYoter (More and More), which was very successful in Israel.
In 2002, she released the album HaHalom HaEfshari (The Possible Dream). In 2005, she performed at the 50th anniversary show for the Eurovision Song Contest. Her song "Diva" was chosen as one of the 14 best songs in Eurovision history.
2007–2011: A Big Comeback
After a few years away from music, Dana made a comeback in 2007. She released the album Hakol Ze Letova (It's All For the Best). The single "Love Boy" became the most-played song on Israeli radio for a decade.
In 2008, a song she wrote, "Ke'ilu Kan," was performed by Boaz Mauda at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The song finished in 9th place.
From 2009 to 2010, Dana was a judge on the Israeli singing competition Kokhav Nolad, which is like Pop Idol.
On March 8, 2011, Dana won Israel's national competition to go to Eurovision again. She represented Israel with her song "Ding Dong". However, the song did not make it to the final round.
2013–Present: New Music and Shows
In 2013, Dana released new singles, including "Ma La'asot" (What To Do) and "Loca". In 2014, she was the main judge on a music reality show called "Yeshnan Banot," which aimed to find Israel's next girl group.
In 2017, she released three new singles: "Ruti," "Yesh Li Ahava (La Costa)," and "Nish'eret Itcha" (Staying With You).
In 2018, to celebrate 20 years since her Eurovision win, she released a new version of "Diva." In May 2019, she performed as a guest at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv. She sang her winning song "Diva" during the show's opening.
Dana's Eurovision Records
| Year | Artist | Language | Title | Writers | Final | Points | Semi | Points | Kdam |
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| 1995 | Dana International | Hebrew | "Layla Tov, Eropa" | Dana International |
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No Semi-finals | 2 | ||
| 1998 | Dana International | Hebrew | "Diva" | Yoav Ginai | 1 | 172 | – | ||
| 2008 | Bo'az Ma'uda | Hebrew, English | "The Fire in Your Eyes" | Dana International, Shay Kerem | 9 | 124 | 5 | 104 | 1 |
| 2011 | Dana International | Hebrew, English | "Ding Dong" | Dana International |
|
15 | 38 | 1 | |
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)"
- 2022 "Achala Gvar" (along Static & Ben El Tavori)
Images for kids
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Dana International became a famous singer after winning Eurovision.
See also
In Spanish: Dana International para niños
