Alabina- Sahara

Ishtar – better known to family and friends as Eti Zach – was born in Israel, in Kiryat Ata, a small town not far from Haifa, on 10 November 1968. Eti and her sister were influenced by several different cultures as they were growing up. Raised by an Egyptian mother and a father with Spanish and Moroccan roots, the girls spoke Arabic at home but learned Hebrew at school. They were surrounded by music from an early age as their mother is the daughter of the famous Egyptian singer, Nora, and their father a talented musician in his own right. Eti appeared to have inherited the Zach family's musical talent and began singing professionally at the age of 15. She got her stage name from her grandmother who named her Ishtar after the ancient Asian goddess of fertility.

French Connection

Like other Israeli teenagers (of both sexes), Eti began her military service at the age of 18 and spent two years in the army. Then, continuing with Israeli teenage tradition, she spent the following year travelling. Eti visited a number of countries including Australia and boosted her travelling funds by performing in local clubs. Eti's vocal talent and passion for music, not to mention her stage charisma and good looks, made her an instant hit with audiences worldwide.

On her return trip to Israel Eti stopped off to visit a friend in France. This visit proved to be a turning-point in her personal life and career, for Eti fell in love with France and decided to make it her home. The 24-year-old singer wasted no time in getting her music career up and running abroad, working as a backing singer for a host of well-known artists including the group Kaoma (famous for launching the "Lambada" craze), Tonton David and Julien Clerc. Meanwhile, Eti also began giving regular performances with a group called Cauma.

But Ishtar's big breakthrough came when producer Charles Ibgui came to see her in concert. Impressed by Ishtar's extraordinary voice, Ibgui signed her to his label, Atoll. Ibgui also introduced Ishtar to Los Ninos, a group of four Gypsy cousins from Montpellier, who had honed their musical talent playing with several major stars including Manitas de Platas and Paco de Lucia.

Ishtar became the group's frontwoman and, under the name Alabina, the fivesome went on to create a catchy multi-cultural fusion sound mixing Spanish, Arabic and Gypsy music with lyrics in French, Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew. Alabina's multi-cultural fusion sound was laid over electro beats which gave the group's music a strong dance feel and won them instant popularity on the international music scene. Needless to say, Alabina's 'Oriental pop' was soon crossing linguistic and geographical borders and shooting up charts around the world.

Alabina's debut album "The Album" – a name which spoke volumes about the group's international ambitions – came out in 1996 and scored an instant hit with music fans worldwide. "The Album" went on to sell over 200,000 copies (including 70,000 in the US, 35,000 in Spain, 25,000 in Italy and 20,000 in Israel). Ishtar's album even scored a huge hit in Armenia – a country where international releases usually make only the slightest of impacts!

The singles, "Alabina", "Ole y Ola" and "Habibi de mis amores" followed the same trajectory to success, selling over 150,000 copies apiece. Alabina's dance-influenced covers of traditional Arab classics seemed to appeal to music fans across the board. Indeed, the group appeared to have hit upon a successful formula for crossing cultural and religious divides.

Alabina owed much of their multi-cultural success to their charismatic frontwoman, who remained something of a mystery. Audiences remained in the dark about Ishtar's origins and many people took her for an Arab, never imagining for a moment that she had Jewish roots.


1. Lolole - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
2. Salam, La Paz Al Final
3. Choukrane
4. Vengan Vengan - Ya Habaybi, Ya Ghaybine
5. Sevillano
6. Somos Gitanos-Los Ninos De Sara
7. Azima Leyla
8. Loli, Lolita, Lola - Rikdi
9. Me Encuentro En Tu Desierto - Sahara
10. Santa Maria
11. Ya Mama, Tu M'as Tant Donne

Ishtar (Hija de madre eEgipcia y padre marroquí "español de extracción"). Su banda, Los Niños de Sara, es un grupo de cuatro músicos gitanos del sur de Francia,acompañado por Manitas de Plata y Paco De Lucía. La combinación de las tradiciones musicales de Oriente Medio con los ritmos virtuoso del flamenco es el sonido que marco su éxito internacional.

http://video.mail.ru/mail/altelko.rb/25/35.html



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