Izhar Cohen

Izhar Cohen (Hebrew: יזהר כהן; born March 13, 1951) is an Israeli singer who won the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest.

For the Paralympic swimmer, see Yizhar Cohen (swimmer).
Izhar Cohen
Background information
Born (1951-03-13) March 13, 1951
Tel Aviv, Israel
Genrespop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, actor, jewelry artist
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1970-present
Izhar Cohen with his sister Vardina, during the 1987 Kdam Eurovision
Izhar Cohen with his sister Vardina, during the 1987 Kdam Eurovision

Biography

Izhar Cohen was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and raised in Givatayim, to a family of singers of Yemenite-Jewish descent – Shlomo Cohen, Sarah Cohen, and Hofni, Pini, and Vardina Cohen.

Singing and stage career

Cohen started to sing when he was a child and joined his father in his performances. At 18, Cohen joined the IDF's Nachal entertainment troupe. During the 1970s Cohen was one of the most played singers in Israel. Representing Israel, he won the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest with the group Alphabeta performing "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" with music by Nurit Hirsh and words by Ehud Manor.[1] The title of the song is the Hebrew word "ani" (first person singular pronoun) expressed in the popular children's language game "Bet language".

Cohen later represented Israel again (this time with an unnamed group of backing singers) at the 1985 contest performing "Olé, Olé" (music – Kobi Oshrat, words – Hamutal Ben-Ze'ev) where he finished 5th. He attempted to represent Israel again in 1982, 1987 and 1996 but did not win the national final.

Cohen was an actor in the Haifa Theater.[2][3] He owns a jewelry shop on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv.

Izhar was on The Singer in the Mask as "Bull", getting 10th overall.

See also

References
  1. Barclay, Simon. Eurovision Song Contest - The Complete & Independent Guide 2010. Simon Barclay. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4457-8415-1. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  2. "1978 - A-Ba-Ni-Bi means I love you". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  3. ".Izhar Cohen | Unofficial Website". www.izhar-cohen.eu.pn. Archived from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
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