Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider (February 10, 1974-) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and is one of the top musicians in Israel. he currently lives in Tel Aviv and is openly gay.
Composed the soundtracks for the films Walk on Water and Yossi & Jagger, both directed by Eytan Fox.
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Ivri Lider is one of the most successful Israeli rock artists of his generation, held in high esteem by fellow artists, the media and the public alike. His lyrics, which speak to and about his generation, expressing the thoughts and concerns of the "new state of Israel", are skillfully woven into a contemporary musical production. It comes as no surprise to those who follow the Israeli music scene that the combination of Ivri's songwriting and his unique voice have taken this bashful young man to the level of "superstar" - winner of the title of "Male Singer of the Year" on all the major national and local radio stations.
Ivri took his first musical steps while still in high school, when he joined a group called "Kach Ossot Kullan" (Hebrew for Così fan tutte), whose gigs included a performance at the legendary "Roxanne" club in Tel Aviv.
A commission to compose music for "Kisses" and "October" for Anat Danieli's dance ensemble was followed by an invitation from Ohad Naharrin to compose the music for "Kaamos" which Naharrin choreographed for "NDT", the renowned Dutch dance company. Ivri subsequently composed the music for "Z\NA", for the Bat Sheva dance company - considered his greatest achievement in composing music for dance companies.
In parallel, Ivri signed a recording contract with Helicon Records and began work on his first album.
His self-penned debut album "Melattef Umeshakker" ("Caressing And Lying"), produced by Yo'ad Nevo, was released in 1997. The singles "Leonardo" and "Tamid Ahava" ("Always Love") were instant radio hits and the album went platinum in Israel. The second album, "Yoter Tov Clum Mikimat" ("Better Nothing Than Almost"), was released two years later. Again written entirely by Ivri, who this time co-produced with Nevo, the album included giant hits such as "Hultzat Passim" ("Striped Shirt"), "Hakos Ha'ke'chula" ("The Blue Glass") and the title track, "Yotter Tov Clum Mikimat" and again this album went platinum as well. Ivri's second tour, "Yotter Tov Clum Mikimat", ran for 150 performances and won many prestigious awards including "Performer of the Year", awarded at the Israeli Music Industry's "Tamuz 2000" ceremony.
The success of his first two albums established Ivri as an important singer-songwriter of the younger generation. The success of the tours that followed the release of each album established him as one of the most popular performers in Israel.
In 2001, Ivri produced Sharon Haziz's third album, "Panassim" ("Headlights"),and wrote the title song, which features them singing together.
January 2002 saw the release of Ivri's third album, "Ha'anashim Hachadashim" ("The New People"). This time, the production was a "solo run" for Ivri, who came up with an excellent new electronic sound.
It was around this time that Ivri Lider came to a major decision in his personal life, and decided to speak honestly and openly about his sexual orientation. He gave a cover-story interview to Gal Ochovsky, of the daily newspaper Maariv, which attracted a lot of attention.
"Ha'anashim Hachadashim" produced a number of hits including "Batei Kaffe" ("Cafés"), "Al Kav Hamayim" ("On The Water Line") and a moving rendition of Ehud Manor's "Geshem Acharon" ("Last Rain") that was especially recorded for the "Shirutrom", the annual fundraising programme organised by the "Galei Zahal" and "Galgalatz" radio stations. The album sold over 30,000 copies and was certified Gold.
The innovative performance that accompanied the release of this album established Lider's status as one of the most sought after artists among students, soldiers and youths. He is considered to be a trendsetter and "leader" of a new generation.
During the same year, Ivri collaborated with Idan Raichel, who was at the time playing keyboards in Ivri's band. Ivri produced and arranged the song "Bo'i" ("Come") which was to become a giant hit for Idan Raichel.
Ivri composed original music for the Eytan Fox - Gal Uchovsky film "Yossi and Jagger". The soundtrack included a cover of Rita's hit "Bo" ("Come") sung by Ivri. This new interpretation received rave reviews and became one of 2003's most popular tracks on the radio.
In addition to his "Ha'anashim Hachadashim" performance, Ivri also collaborated with the actress Meital Duhan. Their show "Love and Sex During the Days of Awe" combined music, theatre and recitation that were especially put together for this show. Ivri also published a book of poems he had written over the last decade.
During the summer, Ivri toured with "Electro Live", a show in which he featured new treatments of many of his hits songs - with special "electronic" arrangements accompanied by innovative video art. And to round out an amazing year, he received the "Lyricist of the Year" award from ACUM, Israeli's copyright collection society.
In 2004 Ivri composed music for another Fox - Uchovsky film, "Walk On Water", the soundtrack of which included a rendition of the classic Esther and Avi Ofarim hit "Cinderella Rockefeller" sung by Rita and Ivri, as well as a remix of Ivri's "Mary La'Netzach" ("Mary Forever").
During 2004 Lider collaborated with Gilad Shmueli, co produced Gilad Seggev's debut album "Achshav Tov" ("Its OK Now"), and began work on his fourth album.
After writing all the songs, he decided to perform them in front of a live audience before actually recording them. This he did within the framework of the festival "Ha'Psanter Me'are'ach" ("The Piano Presents"). Singing his new songs accompanied only by a piano, Ivri gave the audience a unique and intimate experience - an appetizer before the songs were arranged, produced and recorded for the album.
"Ze Lo Oto Davar" ("It's Not The Same") was released in February 2005 and immediately became a hit. In this album, Ivri decided to use the computer as a recording device only, and created a clean and completely different sound. An orchestra of 40 musicians played the stringed instruments that can be heard throughout the album. The result was apparent early on when the first single to be released, "Zachiti Le'ehov" ("I Was Blessed To Have Loved"), became an overnight hit.
This was followed by "Nissim", "Lehavin Et Hamayim" ("Understanding The Water") and the album's title track. Sales of "Ze Lo Oto Davar" are in excess of 30,000.
The album was also released in a limited double CD pack together with a bonus CD called "Fight!", including electronic versions of some of Ivri's hits such as "Bo", "Mary La"Netzach" and "Hultzat Passim".
The album gave rise to a tour in which Ivri was accompanied by nine musicians including a string quartet. The tour conveyed the atmosphere of the album, and included new arrangements of some of his hits.
The first concert, which was held at Hangar 1, Tel Aviv in front of thousands of people was later released as a DVD and a CD.
October 2005 saw Ivri won the "Male Singer of the Year" award from all the major national and local radio stations.
Ivri has recently worked on the soundtrack of a new Fox - Uchovsky film, "The Bubble", in which he also appeares, giving a heartwarming rendition of the Gershwin classic, "The Man I Love". The film was released on July 2006.
Discography
- Melatef Umeshaker (1997) - Certification: Platinum (40,000+ units)
- Yoter Tov Klum Mi Kima'at (1999) - Certification: Platinum (40,000+ units)
- Ha'anashim Ha'khadashim (2002) - Certification: Gold (20,000+ units)
- Ze Lo Otto Davar (2005) - Certification: Gold (20,000+ units)
- Ivri Lider: Live CD (2006) - Certification: Gold (20,000+ units)
Total: 160,000+