Izhar Cohen

Izhar Cohen is an Israeli singer and actor born on March 13, 1951, in Giv'atayim, who achieved international prominence by winning the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest for Israel with the upbeat disco song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi," performed alongside the backing group The Alphabeta.

Cohen's musical career began in the Israeli entertainment scene, where he joined the Nahal Band, a military entertainment troupe, at age 18, performing popular songs and gaining domestic recognition as a versatile performer. His Eurovision victory marked Israel's first win in the contest, earning a record five consecutive 12-point scores, and propelling the song to chart success in countries like the UK and Sweden. Following the win, Cohen returned to represent Israel at Eurovision in 1985 with the single "Olé, Olé," placing fifth in Gothenburg, Sweden, and made further attempts to qualify in 1987 and 1996 through Israel's national selection process, though without success.

Izhar Cohen was born on March 13, 1951, in Giv'atayim, Israel, to a Yemenite-Jewish family. His grandparents had immigrated from Yemen, instilling a strong cultural heritage that emphasized musical traditions, while his parents were born in Israel and became prominent figures in the early Israeli folk music scene.

Building on his Yemenite-Jewish family background of musical performers, Cohen's participation in the troupe formalized and amplified these early influences within a disciplined, military-contextualized artistic environment.