Yishay Levi, also translated as Ishay Levi ( he, ישי לוי; born January 20, 1963, in
Rosh HaAyin
Rosh HaAyin ( he, רֹאשׁ הָעַיִן, lit="fountainhead", , ar, روش هاعين) is a city in the Central District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southea ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
) is an Israeli singer, specializing in
Mizrahi music
Mizrahi music ( he, מוזיקה מזרחית ' , "Eastern music/Oriental music") refers to a music genre in Israel that combines elements from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa; and is mostly performed by Israelis of Mizrahi Jewish d ...
.
Biography
Levi was born into a family of
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Is ...
. He began singing in clubs in Israel in 1983, when singers like
Zohar Argov
Zohar Argov ( he, זוהר ארגוב, born , Zohar Orkabi, July 16, 1955 – November 6, 1987) was an Israeli singer and a distinctive voice in the Mizrahi music scene. Argov is widely known in Israel as "The king of Mizrahi music".
Biography ...
and
Haim Moshe
Haim Moshe ( he, חיים משה, , sometimes Chaim Moshe on recordings),
born 20 September 1955 is an Israeli singer whose musical style has crossed over from Yemenite and Mediterranean "ethnic" music to include mainstream Israeli and western po ...
were at the peak of their careers. Here he was discovered by the guitarist Moses Ben-Mosh.
Levi produced his first album, ''Hafla With Ben Mohes'' in 1986. He became a superstar in clubs all over Israel. After this he released his first song in the album ''Ine Ba Ha-yom'' (Here Comes the Day); then the song "Raiya" brought him fame. It was at this time that he and
Zohar Argov
Zohar Argov ( he, זוהר ארגוב, born , Zohar Orkabi, July 16, 1955 – November 6, 1987) was an Israeli singer and a distinctive voice in the Mizrahi music scene. Argov is widely known in Israel as "The king of Mizrahi music".
Biography ...
began a personal rivalry. The album was released in 1987.
Levi's career began to fade in 1988-1991 due to his drug habit. In 1992, he released the album ''Lehat'chil Mibereshit'' (To Start From the Beginning) with the hits "Rikdi" (one of the biggest hits in Mizrahi music) and "Mona." Later, Levi released the albums ''Ha-elam hamudot'' (Lovely Lad) in 1993, and ''Mabit mehatzad'' (Watch from the Side) in 1994, which were less successful, although the first album produced two hits, "Ha-elam hamudot" and "Mi li tomar."
In 1995 he released the album ''Bat almavet'' (Immortal). The entire album was a collection of
Boaz Sharabi
Boaz Sharabi ( he, בעז שרעבי; born 28 May 1947) is an Israeli singer-songwriter, composer and lyricist, known for Israeli classics as ''Latet'', ''Halevai'', ''At Li Laila'', ''Pamela'', ''Lashir Itach'', ''Kol Od'', ''Mi Yada Shekach Yi ...
covers, except for the title song. This album was not a success and Levi's popularity started to fade again. Then in 1997, he released the album ''Ha-emuna'' (The Belief), which again saved his career as a singer with the hit "Taltalim shorim."
In 1997, he released the album (Live at the Arena), but this was not a commercial success. In 2000, he released the album (Face to the Future).
At the end of 2000, Levi was sent to jail because he broke into the apartment of his neighbor to steal electrical appliances so he could sell them to buy drugs. He was released from jail in 2003.
In 2004, Levi published the album (Route of My Suffering). After this album, Levi did a show dedicated to his wife called (I Sing for You, Iris). Levi was returned to jail after setting his wife's house on fire, apparently because she was not giving him money for drugs. He was released from this jail sentence in 2006.
In 2021, Levi told YNet television the following regarding the recent outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza-based terrorist groups: "I want to tell Israeli soldiers and the government, don't stop until you finish the job."
New career boost
In 2008, Levi released the album ''Rikud romanti'' (Romantic Dance), which included the hits "Rikud romanti," "Roze Otach balayla" (I Want You at Night), "Isha namena" (Loyal Wife) and the Arabic hit "Ah ya albi" (Oh my Heart).
Ishay Levi is the brother of the
Mizrahi music
Mizrahi music ( he, מוזיקה מזרחית ' , "Eastern music/Oriental music") refers to a music genre in Israel that combines elements from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa; and is mostly performed by Israelis of Mizrahi Jewish d ...
ian and singer
Nati Levi.
Keshet TV
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References
External links
"Rikud Romanti" video on Dailymotion
Ishai Levi songs transliterated at HebrewSongs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levi, Yishai
1963 births
Living people
Jewish Israeli musicians
Israeli people of Yemeni-Jewish descent
People from Rosh HaAyin