Ofer Levi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ofer Levi
Background information
Native name	עופר לוי
Born	(1964-06-17)June 17, 1964 Kiryat Ata, Israel
Genres	Mizrahi music, Arabic music, Turkish Music, Israeli Music

Ofer Yoel Levy (Hebrew: עופר לוי; born June 17, 1964) is an Israeli singer and composer. He is known for being a pioneer in bringing Turkish and Arab music styles to Israel.

Biography

Ofer Levy was born and grew up in Kiryat Ata, Israel. He was the seventh of nine children in his family. He started singing on stage when he was just five and a half years old. At age six, he sang an Arabic song called "Bahia" at a family event.

When he was 12, Ofer moved to Kibbutz Eilon. A kibbutz is a special community in Israel where people live and work together. After a few years, he returned home to help his father, who was having money problems. Ofer's sister, Hagit, is married to the Israeli singer Avi Toledano.

At 17, Ofer was in a car accident where he lost his brother, Yitzhak. In 1982, Ofer joined the Golani Brigade in the army. He served during the 1982 War in Lebanon.

Music Career

After leaving the army, Ofer Levy began performing in clubs in Haifa. He used the stage name Ferdi, as a tribute to the Turkish singer Ferdi Tayfur. In 1988, he released his first album, "Ha'Kalfan." This album was very popular with fans of Turkish and Arabic music.

In January 1990, Ofer released a live album called "Tefilat Adam." This album was recorded during a performance he gave in Turkey. A few months later, in May 1990, he released "Lo Yachol Bil'adea." This album also became a hit among people who loved Middle Eastern music. It included popular songs like "Ah'avat Emet" and "Sawah," which was originally an Arabic song by Abdel-Halim Hafez.

In 1991, Ofer Levy's album "Kochav Shnot Ha'tishim" was released and became a bestseller. Three songs from this album were huge hits: "Yom Ha'ravakim," "Hachziri li et bni," and "Maa'yan Ha'neurim." The next year, in January 1992, he released "Nistarot Darchei Ha'el."

His 1993 album, Ohev Lihyot, was very successful. It featured strong singing and lively music. The album included "Meohav Ba'geshem," which was a Hebrew version of a Spanish song by Julio Iglesias.

In 1994, Ofer Levy sang Naomi Shemer's song "Hakol Patuach" with Lea Lupatin. It became a big hit. They also sang "At Lee Or" together. Because of their success, Ofer and Lea released a joint album in 1995 called Ha'eretz Ha'muvtachat, which means "The Promised Land." This album featured Israeli classic songs with a Mediterranean style. He also performed the album's main song at the pre-Eurovision competition that year.

In late 1995, Ofer Levy became an Ultra-Orthodox Jew. A year later, he released a live album recorded at the Netanya auditorium. This performance was also broadcast live on Galei Tzahal radio. This was his last album before he became Ultra-Orthodox.

In 1997, the album Tzipor Shemesh was released. The main song was dedicated to his oldest daughter, Tzipora, who was born around that time. The album also included songs about his return to faith and love songs.

From 1997 to mid-2002, Ofer Levy mostly performed at events organized by the "Values" group. These events aimed to encourage people to return to their religious faith.

In 2002, he released a religious album called Shema Beni Mussar Avicha. This album used the tunes from his well-known songs but changed the words to be about love for God.

In 2005, the album Metzayer Otach was released. It featured songs written by various artists, including Arkadi Duchin.

In 2008, a double live album called The Performance was released. It was recorded in Tel Aviv to celebrate Israel's 60th Independence Day. This album included songs from Metzayer Otach and his older hits. He then released a single called The Prayer of a Child, which was very popular for cell phone downloads.

In 2009, he toured different venues like Heichal HaTarbut and Binyanei HaUma. He also sang a new version of Yehoram Gaon's song "Efo At Ahuva."

His album BaDerech Shebacharti was released in 2010. In 2011, he released his version of Shlomo Artzi's song "Gever Olech LeIbud."

In 2012, Ofer Levy released a duet with Eyal Golan called "Ratzti Aharaich," which was very well-received. In October 2013, he released another duet, "Ba Li Lashir" ("I want to sing"), with opera singer Efrat Rotem.

On April 1, 2014, Ofer Levy released his 17th album, HaIsha Shel Haiay (The Woman of My Life). On March 24, 2015, he released his 18th album, Libi Shelach. He also went on a joint tour with Yishai Levy that year.

In 2015, he was a guest judge on a reality show for paytans (singers of religious poems) on Channel 20.

In March 2018, he released a new version of Avraham Fried's song "Ale Katan Sheli." In July 2018, he released a remake of the song "Manuel," originally sung by Greek singer Glykeria.

In September 2019, he released "Sof HaYom," a lullaby from a father to his son.

See also

• Music of Israel