Musicians - Dana International

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	Musicians - Dana International

Dana International (Hebrew: דנה אינטרנשיונל); (stage name of Sharon Cohen, born Yaron Cohen in Tel Aviv, Israel on February 2, 1972) is an Israeli transsexual pop singer, who won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest for her song "Diva". She was the first Israeli artist to be interviewed on MTV.

Next to original songs, International is known for her cover versions of old hits. She has so far released eight albums, and a further three compilation albums, and has worked closely with other Israeli artists, including DJ Ofer Nissim.

She made an appearance as both a guest presenter and performer at the 50th anniversary Eurovision concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 2005, when her 1998 winner Diva was nominated as one of the 14 finalists in the search for the greatest Eurovision song.

Biography

Early life

Dana International was born as Yaron Cohen in 1972 in Holon, Israel. He was youngest of three children. He has an older sister Limor and an older brother Nimrod. The Cohen family was from Yemenite origin.

Rise as a Singer

Yaron realized early that he belonged on stage. He enjoyed the Eurovision Contest and followed it closely, especially when Ofra Haza (who also had Yemenite roots) represented Israel with the song "Hi" (1983).

International's first hit was the song "My Name Is Not Sa'ida". It was a lampooning cover version of Whitney Houston's song "My Name Is Not Susan" It received a great deal of radio airplay.

Became Woman

In 1993, Yaron secretly flew to London for sex reassignment surgery, returning as Sharon Cohen. That same year she released her first album, Dana International, in Israel, which was soon released in other Middle East countries such as Egypt and Jordan. Her stage name came from the title track of this album. Dana International soon went gold in Israel.

Albums

1993 - Dana international, IMP Dance
1994 - Umpatampa, IMP Dance
1995 - EPtampa, IMP Dance
1996 - Maganuna, Helicon/Big Foot
1998 - Diva - The Hits, IMP Dance
1999 - Free, CNR Music
2000 - Free (Israeli edition), NMC
2001 - Yoter ve yoter, NMC
2002 - Ha'chalom ha'efshari, IMP Dance
2003 - The CD's collection, IMP Dance

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