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Dana, born
Yaron Cohen, said: "I represent liberal
Israel, an Israel that accepts human beings
whoever they are, no matter what they look
like, no matter what sex or race they are."
Yaron Cohen
was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1972, to a
homemaking mother and a father who worked as
a private secretary to a local judge. the
youngest of three children, the future Dana
International was very close to her mother,
Bat-galim. International was a creative
child, the expression of which had taken
form as an interest in singing and
performing at an early age. By age fourteen,
International's avocation earned her a role
in the Cameri theater's production of Joseph
and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.
What began as a conventional attraction to
performing became an obsessive dream when,
one evening, International witnessed, via
television, Israeli diva Ofra Haza's
performance at the Eurovision Song Contest.
recognized as the most prestigious
competition of its kind, globally, Haza's
participation was a great source of pride
for all of Israeli and one of inspiration
for little Yaron Cohen. as International
grew, the voice given to her imagination
through the theater lead her to startling
realizations about herself. though born
genetically male, International came to
realize, over time, that her true identity
was that of a female. early childhood
experimentation playing dress-up in her
sister Limor's clothes lead to her adopting
the name Sharon—the feminine form of "Yaron"—in
late adolescence. the stage name Dana
International would come later.
International credits friends Lior and
Shmulik Seadia with introducing her to Tel
Aviv's club scene. "believe it or not, i was
a nerdy boy who did his homework everyday
and sang in the youth choir," International
explains on her website, "at the age of
sixteen, Shmulik took me for the first time
to a dance club. i looked at the spinning
lights, the moving bodies, and listened to
the music. i was totally hypnotized and
enchanted." her fascination with club
culture manifested itself outwardly in
dramatic changes to her appearance.
coincidentally, International's introduction
to Tel Aviv's nightlife and consequent
epiphany regarding her gender identity
coincided perfectly with the explosion of
new wave music. artists like Boy George,
Cyndi Lauper and Annie Lennox were making a
fashion case for androgyny and teenagers
from Israel to Iowa were listening. it was
at this same time that International met
Ofer Nisim, who would become her friend,
mentor and manager. though Nisim was already
involved in the production of his own group,
drama, an instant affinity for International
caused him to focus his complete
professional attention on the would-be diva.
International's debut performance under
Nisim's guidance came as part of the drag
review le la lu. using the moniker "Sharon",
International brought down the house with a
remake of Whitney Houston's "My name is not
Susan". while Houston's version of the song
never received much attention statewide
(save for an allusion made in Salt'n'Pepa's
"Whatta man"), International version became
a surprise hit. as one would imagine,
International's on-stage persona was not
greeted with open arms by the majority of
the Israeli population. Strictly religious,
International's acknowledgement of her true
gender identity was (and still is) regarded
as an affront to cultural sensibilities.
Undaunted by the resistance that she faced,
International released her first album, Dana
International, in 1993. while her on-stage
persona may not have appealed to the general
public, her music certainly did. with an
amalgam of songs that include English dance
tracks, Hebrew folk standards and Arabic
covers, International's music, which
projected happiness and freedom, touched the
hearts of many people. using the money she
earned from the commercial release of the
album, International journeyed to England,
where she underwent sexual reassignment
surgery. her second album, Umpatampa, was
released in 1994 and contained the song "Lalya
tov, Evropa", which International would
later perform at the distinguished
Eurovision song contest in 1995. though
International would only place second at the
1995 competition, that same year saw the
release of her third recording, Eptampa.
As International's success spread to the
neighboring countries, so too would the
controversy. in Egypt, where black market
tapes of International's music had made her
an icon among the country's youth, the
government released statements expressing
their belief that Dana International was, in
fact, an agent of the Israeli intelligence
organization Mossad. allegedly intent upon
corrupting Egyptian youth, International's
music was banned (of course, that did little
to stop the black market trade that was
charging upwards of five times the fair
market price of recorded music). though
International has visited Egpyt — where she
was occassionally recognized and asked for
autographs—she has since been banned from
the country, preventing her immediate
return.
in 1996, on a new record label,
International released Maganona. by this
time, word of International's talent and
energy as a performed had reached far beyond
the linguistic confines of her native
Israel, earning her fans across Europe and
as far away as the united states. a string
of singles from Maganona saw International
through 1997. in 1998, Dana International
released two compilations albums—Diva Ha-Osef,
which was marketed to local audiences, and
Dana International: the album, which was
intended to appeal to European audiences.
though busy with the promotional duties that
generally accompany the release of a new
album or albums, International managed to
find the time to make musical history while,
at the same time, inadvertently positioning
herself at the center of a heated cultural,
political and sexual debate.
In 1998, returning for her second
performance at the Eurovision Song contest,
Dana International won first place for the
song "diva". though Israel had won the
contest twice before—in 1978 and 1979—it had
been two decades since they had earned the
honor…a fact which caused a national
conundrum. while staunch nationalism
elicited great pride in the win,
conservative religious fanaticism prevented
many from completely enjoying it. Israel had
once again won the world's most esteemed
song contest, but they were represented by a
woman who was considered, by some, to embody
the antithesis of Israeli beliefs.
International, of course, handled the whole
affair with the aplomb of a true diva. upon
her return from Birmingham, England, she is
reported as having said, "i am a citizen of
Israel, i was representing Israel and the
flag that i was holding in my hand was the
Israeli flag, and I'm very, very proud of
it."
Since then, International has continued
recording. a contribution was made to the
1998 bee gees tribute album entitled gotta
get a message to you and the album free was
released. though International has not made
public any definite plans to conquer the
united states, the existence of an early
fan-base is already evident on the internet
and in the nightclubs of larger cities. it
is likely that, once she does find the time
to spread her message of love in the u.s.,
she will easily and quickly win over the
hearts of yet another continent dedicated
fans.
Though it is impossible to encapsulate, in
any format, the absolute miracle that is
Dana International's career, it is tacitly
understood by her devotees. though she is
not the first transvestite or transsexual
diva to establish a successful
career—divine, Rupaul, 1.8.7—the controversy
and hostility elicited by her frankness is
magnified a hundred-fold given the
religious, political and sexual context of
her upbringing. while the fact that Dana
International has found within herself the
strength to overcome seemingly
insurmountable obstacles that threatened to
ruin her—from dealing with her families
reactions to dodging the bureaucratic
attacks by the governments of several
nations to marketing her unique brand of
music to a mainstream audience—clearly
identifies her as a truly extraordinary
woman, what's more amazing is, throughout it
all, what's most apparent in her
performances, recordings and interviews is
an unswerving optimism and light-hearted
spirit that mark her a diva International.
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