Sharon Cohen (שרון כהן), a.k.a. Dana International (דנה אינטרנשיונל) was born as Yaron Cohen, on 2 Feb 1972 in Tel Aviv, being of Yemenite Jewish and Romanian/Transsylvanian ancestry.
Though born a boy, Dana came out as transsexual at the age of 13. She wanted to become a singer ever since she was eight years old and saw legendary Israeli singer
Ofra Haza performing her song 'Chai' in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest. Although the family was quite poor, her mother worked to pay for her music lessons, and she has explained that her childhood was rather happy. The stage name she adopted, Dana, is the female version of Daniel, the name of her best friend Daniel, who died in a car accident and who had prophesied that she would someday have a successful singing career.
At the age of 18, Dana was still legally male, earned a living as Israel's first Drag Queen parodying many famous singers and women. During one of her performances, she was discovered by Offer Nissim, a well-known Israeli DJ, who produced her debut single 'Saida Sultana' ('My Name is Not Saida'), a satirical version of Whitney Houston's song 'My Name Is Not Susan'. The song received considerable airplay and launched her career as a professional singer.
In 1993, Dana flew to London for her sex reassignment surgery and legally changed her name to Sharon. Returning home she released her first album in Israel, where it reached Gold, and soon after, the album was also released in several other countries including Greece, Jordan and Egypt. In 1994 Dana released her second, Trance-influenced album Umpatampa, which built on the success of her debut and provided further hit singles. The album went platinum in Israel and has sold more than 50,000 copies to date. Because of her popularity and the success of this album, she won the award for Best Female Artist of the Year in Israel.
Dana
may have failed to qualify for the final representing Israel in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany, but then again she did win the entire thing already in 1998 with 172 points, when the contest was held in Birmingham, UK with 'Diva'. It is Dana's achievement that she took her success from back then and managed to change Israel's ultra-orthodox Jewish culture to a much more liberal one. Interviewed by CNN, BBC, Sky News and MTV among others mostly focusing on her life as a transsexual person before winning the contest, Dana's words were: 'My victory proves God is on my side. I want to send my critics (i.e.the Ultra-Orthodox Jews whom tried to void her 1998 performance) message of forgiveness and say to them: try to accept me and the kind of life I lead. I am what I am and this does not mean I don't believe in God, and I am part of the Jewish Nation'. Dana released 'Diva' as a single in Europe, reaching the Top 10 in many countries. Dana was about to sign with major Sony/BMG for an international recording contract, but something went wrong in negotiations. These were disagreements that led to Sony canceling the deal before it was completed. In 2003, she released a house version of Cinque Milla, and four years later, achieved regional success with Love Boy.
Dana International - Diva (1998)
ES#1, BE#2, BE#3, FIN#7, NL#8, IRL#10, UK#11, NOR#12, CH#15, AT#37, DE#47, FR#59
Lyrics:
She is all
you'll ever dream to find
On her stage
she sings her story
Pain and hurt
will steal her heart alight
Like a queen
in all her glory
And when she cries
Diva is an angel
When she laughs
she's a devil
She is all beauty and love
Viva Maria
Viva Victoria
Aphrodite
Viva le Diva
Viva Victoria
Cleopatra
Silent tears
drop from these eyes tonight
Tears of prayer
for all those aching hearts
And when she cries
Diva is an angel
When she laughs
she's a devil
She is all beauty and love
Viva Maria
Viva Victoria
Aphrodite
Viva le Diva
Viva Victoria
Cleopatra
Dana International - Cinque Milla (2003)
Lyrics:
This Is My House
Listen To The Rhythm To The Rhythm
Alora Nachieliela bella bella
Alora Rola Alora Rola
Do you have a reservation?
I have a party in my house
I serve: bananas, bananas, bananas, bananas
Potatoes and some cock
Alora Rola Alora Rola
Alora Rola Alora Rola
Cinque milla Cinque milla
Maraquita chiquitita Maraquita chiquitita
Listen to the rhythm Listen to the rhythm
Rhythm rhythm rhythm
This is my house
Cinque milla cinque cento
Cinque milla cinque cento
Dana International - Love Boy (2007)
Lyrics:
Kubiot b'etzei shoko,
Omer tzafat aval hu dei moroko
Kol ha-yom b'cheder kosher
Az lo tzarich livdok lo et ha-yosher
Hu lo mishtamesh b'milim
Hu m'daber im ha-yadayim
Soref im ha-enayim
K'she-hu omer mitchilim
Ha-lev sheli roked b'ma'galim
V'hu yashen b'mitati
V'hu ochel m'tzalachti
Yesh li trick kavu'a
P'amayim b'shavua
Yesh li love boy
Hu lo ragish v'lo romanti
Lo m'shaneh im hu b'ad o anti
Hu lo tzarich harbeh lada'at
Hu doctor shel k'vod b'eikh laga'at
Ani lo tz'richa l'harshim
O lih'yot m'sha'asha'at
Ki ani yoda'at
Kshe-hu yagid mitchilim
Ha-lev sheli yirkod b'ma'galim
English Translation:
Six-pack in a chocolate colour
He says France but more likely Morocco
All day in the gym
Then it's not necessary to check his honesty
He's not proficient in words
He speaks with his hands
He's burning with his eyes
When he says, "let's go"
My heart dances in circles
And he sleeps in my bed
And he eats from my plate
I have a permanent trick
Twice a week
I have a love boy
He's not sensitive and not romantic
It doesn't make a difference if he's in favour or against
He doesn't need to know a lot
He's a doctor of honor in how to touch
I don't need to impress
Or be entertaining
Because I know
When he will tell me 'let's go'
My heart will dance in circles
