Rita (Israeli singer)

Rita
Background information
Birth name	Rita Yahan Farouz
Born	(1962-03-24) March 24, 1962
Origin	Tehran, Iran
Genres	Rock, soul, pop, folk
Occupation(s)	Singer, Actress
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Hed Arzi, Helicon, Kna'an

Rita Yahan-Farouz (Persian: ریتا جهان‌فروز‎‎; English: Jahanforuz; Hebrew: ריטה יהאן-פרוז‎‎; b. March 24, 1962), known as Rita, is an Israeli pop singer and actress.^[1]

In 2011, she became popular in Iran after the release of various pop records which she sings in her native Persian language. In 2012, her album "All My Joys," also sung in Persian, was popular in Israel and Iran, going gold in Israel after three weeks. She has since been referred to as a cultural ambassador between Israeli and Iranian citizens, and states she hopes to "puncture the wall of tension" between their countries.^[2]

Biography

Rita Jehan-Forouz was born in Tehran, Iran in 1962. Her family immigrated to Israel in 1970 and lived in a suburb outside of Tel Aviv. She began singing professionally as a band member while in the Israeli Army during the 1980s, and rose to stardom quickly.^[2]Rita was married to singer, composer, and keyboardist Rami Kleinstein, with whom she has two daughters - Meshi and Noa. The couple performed together in 2001. In 2007, they announced they were separating.

Singing and acting career

Rita in concert, Jerusalem

Rita began her career in 1980 as part of a musical troupe in the Israel Defense Forces. In 1982, she attended the "Beit Zvi" school of acting. Her first exposure to the general public in Israel was at the 1986 Pre-Eurovision Song Contest (known as the Kdam-Eurovision), which decided who would represent Israel in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. Rita did not win, but her song,"Shvil habricha" garnered much interest. That same year, Rita starred in an adaptation of My Fair Lady and released her self-titled debut album, Rita, which went triple platinum, selling over 120,000 copies. In 1987, she released the English language album Breaking Those Walls under the name of Rita Farouz. That album contained a couple of English versions of her Hebrew songs from the first album as well as original material. Despite going gold (20 000 copies) in Israel, that album was not an international success.

In 1988, Rita released her second album, Yemei Ha'Tom (The Days of Innocence), which was produced by her then husband, Rami Kleinstein, and which included a song by Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin. In 1988 and 1989 she was chosen as Singer of the Year by Israel's national radio station.^[3]

Rita singing Hatikvah, 1998

In 1990, Rita represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest with Shara Barkhovot (Singing in the Streets), but only achieved 18th place. After a brief hiatus, Rita returned in 1994 with her third album, Ahava Gedola (Big Love), which led to a three-year tour around the country. Tahanot Bazman (Stations in Time) was released in 1996, consisting mainly of previously unreleased material.

In 1995, Rita voiced Pocahontas in the Hebrew dub of the animated film Pocahontas. She also sang singing parts in the film.

In 1998, Rita was invited to sing the Israeli national anthem Hatikvah (The Hope) at Israel's jubilee celebration Paamonei ha'yovel (The Jubilee Bells). There was a minor uproar concerning her fee, which was deemed exorbitant by some, but she was convinced to appear following a call from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She reportedly donated the money to charity.

In 1999, Rita released Tiftakh Halon (Open a Window), followed by Hamtzan (oxygen) in 2003. In 2004, Rita played the role of Roxie Hart in an adaptation of Chicago for the Beit Lessin Theater.^[4]

In 2006, Rita appeared in a show called One (in English) which ran for a month at the Israel Trade Fairs & Convention Center. Directed by Hanoch Rozen, it including lasers, flamethrowers, 3-D images, smoke machines and forty dancers, acrobats, and actors. Over 100,000 tickets were sold.

After five years of silence, Rita released her 7th album, "Remazim" (Clues).

In 2010 she performed at the President's Residence in Jerusalem in the presence of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Israeli president Shimon Peres. She sang her musical version to Bialik's poem Hachanasini tachat Knafekh and an aria in Italian. She released her new Persian single, "Shane", on June 22, 2011.

Deciding to create a song in her childhood language of Persian, which she speaks fluently, she introduced the single, "Shaneh," based on traditional Persian folk music, but modernized with a more pop and techno dance beat. Iranians of all ages responded "overwhelmingly," including sending her emails and writing on her Facebook page.^[2]

Most Westernized popular music, including hers, is banned in Iran, which filters the Internet, however fans have downloaded or bought bootleg copies of her albums.^[5] Iranians living in other countries flooded her recording studio with messages, especially after the release of her 2012 album, "All My Joys," also in Persian. It went "gold" in Israel within three weeks of its release.^[2]

Despite her popularity in Iran, the Iranian government called her music a "plot" to win over the hearts and minds of Iranians, and part of Israel's "soft war" against Iran. She was also criticized for sending good wishes to Iranians for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year.^[2]

Rita is part of an international trio of women singers, "Divinas," along with Irish singer Méav Ní Mhaolchatha and Yulia Townsend.

On March 5, 2013 Rita performed at the U.N. General Assembly and sang in Persian, English and Hebrew.

Awards and recognition

In 2013, a documentary about her album in Persian was directed by Ayal Goldberg.^[6] It was shown at the Lincoln Center in New York City during the New York Jewish Film Festival in 2014.^[7] In Australia, it shown in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth during the AICE Israeli Film Festival in August 2014.^[8]

Discography

See also

• Persian Jews
• Music of Israel

References

• Friedman, Motti. "Rita." The Department for Jewish Zionist Education web site, retrieved August 19, 2006.
• Griver, Simon. "The Ingathering of the Exiles." Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site, retrieved March 25, 2005.
• Hartog, Kelly. "Diva Sings Out About Her Tour, Fans". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, January 4, 2005. Retrieved March 25, 2005.
• Pri, Tal. "Behind the Curtains of 'Chicago'" (in Hebrew). nrg Maariv, retrieved March 25, 2005.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rita Yahan Farouz.

• Official website
• Official YouTube page - live performances
• Persian-Israeli singer Rita performs Hayedeh's "Gol-e Sangam"
• Rita at the Internet Movie Database

Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
Participation 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 to 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Artists 1970s Ilanit Kaveret Shlomo Artzi Chocolate, Menta, Mastik Ilanit Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta Gali Atari & Milk and Honey 1980s 1980 Hakol Over Habibi Avi Toledano Ofra Haza 1984 Izhar Cohen Moti Giladi & Sarai Tzuriel Lazy Bums Yardena Arazi Gili & Galit 1990s Rita Duo Datz Dafna Dekel Sarah'le Sharon & The Shiru Group 1994 Liora Galit Bell 1997 Dana International Eden 2000s PingPong Tal Sondak Sarit Hadad Lior Narkis David D'Or Shiri Maimon Eddie Butler Teapacks Bo'az Ma'uda Noa & Mira Awad 2010s Harel Skaat Dana International Izabo Moran Mazor Mei Finegold Nadav Guedj Hovi Star
Songs 1970s "Ey Sham" "Natati La Khayay" "At Ve'Ani" "Emor Shalom" "Ahava Hi Shir Lishnayim" "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" "Hallelujah" 1980s 1980 "Halayla" "Hora" "Khay" 1984 "Olé, Olé" "Yavo Yom" "Shir Habatlanim" "Ben Adam" "Derekh Hamelekh" 1990s "Shara Barkhovot" "Kan" "Ze Rak Sport" "Shiru" 1994 "Amen" "Shalom Olam" 1997 "Diva" "Yom Huledet (Happy Birthday)" 2000s "Sameach" "En Davar" "Nadlik Beyakhad Ner (Light A Candle)" "Milim La'Ahava" "Leha'amin" "HaSheket SheNish'ar" "Together We Are One" "Push the Button" "The Fire In Your Eyes" "There Must Be Another Way" 2010s "Milim" "Ding Dong" "Time" "Rak Bishvilo" "Same Heart" "Golden Boy" "Made of Stars"
(Note: Entries scored out are when Israel did not compete)