About Dana

Sharon Cohen, the youngest of three children, was born Yaron Cohen on February 2, 1972 in Holon, Israel.  Music was a big part of her childhood.  In a 1994 article ("I Want Children"), she said, "There was always music at home, and because of that music was a very special thing in my eyes."  From an early age Yaron knew she wanted to be a performer, deciding this was her dream when she saw Ofra Haza performing "Chai" at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Yaron also knew something else from a young age - "Yaron" was really a she. "Even during my childhood I felt feminine. It was not a stage which suddenly appeared in me. I never had internal conflicts concerning my sexual identity, I didn't have problems with myself and I always knew who I am and what I am," she said in a 1994 article ("I Want Children").

In her teens, Yaron began visiting gay clubs in Tel Aviv, and met Offer Nisim, a DJ.  Yaron and a friend acted as dancers in Offer's DJ gigs.  Yaron began performing in drag, and when she sang a parody of Whitney Houston's "My Name Is Not Susan" ("Sa'ida Sultana"), she got a fantastic response from the audience.  She soon recorded the song in a studio and it was released as a single in 1992.

1993 was a big year for Yaron.  She traveled to London for sex reassignment surgery and returned to Israel as Sharon Cohen, and also released her first album as Dana International (her stage name), Danna International.  It featured dance tracks sung in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, a true melting pot of cultures!  In the same 1994 article Dana describes her music as "Simple dance music. Music with rhythm, pleasant for the ear and good for dancing. All music I make and sing is music done with a wink, with humor. I don't give hints or different statements in my songs. I just like that people enjoy my songs."

1994 saw the release of her sophomore album, Umpatampa.  It included the hit singles "Yeshnan Banot" and "Ani lo yekhola be-la'dekha" and her entry for the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, "Layla Tov, Eropa." She made second place.  A remix of "Layla Tov, Eropa" was included on her 1995 album E.P. Tampa.

Dana's fourth album, Maganona, was released in 1996.  It featured the singles "Maganona" and "Cinque Milla."

Dana had an amazing year in 1998.  She was accepted in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Diva," which she released on a compilation album, "Diva ha'Osef."  "Diva" won Dana the contest! "I wanted to win the Eurovision Song Contest in order to give it as a present to my country, and I did it," she explained in a 1998 article ("There is a place in the world for people like me"). Her following album, 1999's Free, was released internationally and featured a cover of a Barbra Streisand song, "Woman in Love."

2001 saw the release of Dana's first all-Hebrew album, Yoter ve-yoter.  Musically similar to Madonna's Music, this album marked a step in a more sophisticated direction in dance music.  Dana continued in this direction on her 2002 album, Ha'chalom ha'efshari.  It featured the beautiful acoustic version of a track from Yoter ve-yoter, "Ani Nizachti," and a song called "Gotta Move On" which sampled David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" to great effect.

In 2007, Dana made a grand comeback with her first studio album since 2002. A stunning publicity campaign saw Dana appear on several of Israel's most watched television shows, feature in magazines and newspapers, and perform live in a variety of venues. Preceded by the release of two singles (the title track and the radio smash hit "Love Boy"), Hakol ze letova (It's All For The Best) hit Israeli stores in August and received excellent reviews.

Aside from being a fantastic singer and entertainer, Dana International is an inspiration to everyone - she has proven that hard work and belief in yourself can yield great success.  And that is why Dana is the ultimate Diva!

Thank you to Geir's Dana International: Non-Official Website for providing such wonderful articles and photos; Wikipedia.org for checking to make sure I had my facts straight; and danainternational.co.il for most of the lovely photos used on this page.