Shlomo Artzi

Artzi was born on November 26, 1949, in Alonei Abba, a cooperative village in the Lower Galilee, and grew up in Tel Aviv.[1][6] He moved there with his parents at the age of eight, and as a child was initially considered more of an actor than a singer.[6] Both his parents were Holocaust survivors; his father, Yitzhak Artzi, later served in the Knesset from 1984 to 1988.[1] During the Holocaust, Yitzhak had been active in the Zionist underground in Romania, while Artzi’s Hungarian-born mother survived Auschwitz.[7] His sister, Nava Semel, became a playwright, and Artzi later spoke of the two siblings carrying the tragedy experienced by their parents and extended families, feelings he found difficult to express in words.[7]

Music and writing were interests from his youth.[6] In one recollection, Artzi said he began playing guitar and singing at 12, including performing Danny Ben Israel’s “North Star” in the Scouts.[6] In a 2016 interview, he remembered receiving a guitar at nine and writing and singing from then onward, while emphasizing that he had not come from a musical family.[7] At about 13 or 14, he wrote a book about a child escaping through tunnels during Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem, remembering himself at a desk beneath a bedside lamp, working “with all the airs of a writer.”[3]

His summers with religious grandparents in Kiryat Yam exposed him to several Jewish prayer traditions.[3] He recalled going to the mikveh and synagogue, accompanying friends to Yemenite and Moroccan synagogues, and hearing his grandfather lead prayers in an Ashkenazi synagogue.[3] Looking back, he felt that he still sang like his grandfather and that many of his melodies could fit into prayer.[3]

By 16, Artzi was writing and composing songs and performing with school friend Ricki Gal, then known as Rivka Menashe.[6] Together they formed the duo Tsemed Sinai.[1] While still a high-school student, he made his first public appearance as a singer at an international youth conference in Spain.[2]

Artzi’s service in the Israel Navy Entertainment Troupe brought him to national attention through songs including “The Angel Gabriel” and “When I Grow Up.”[2] His route into the troupe followed an initial period of regular military service; he began in the entertainment group as a backing vocalist and became a soloist in its next show, “Rhapsody in Blue.”[2] His repertoire there also included “The Frogmen, the Silent Ones,” and several of these performances became pop-chart hits.[2] He later described military service as a major step toward his professional career.[7] “Ahavtiha,” or “I Loved Her,” became a hit while he was still a soldier.[6]

In 1970, Artzi won the Israel Song Festival in Jerusalem with “Suddenly Now, Suddenly Today,” also known as “Ahavtiha,” performing in his Navy uniform.[2][8] Festival producer Hanoch Hasson had selected Artzi after seeing the Navy troupe perform and insisted that either Artzi sing the entry or it be removed from the program.[8] The victory launched his solo career.[8] Artzi remembered the change in his public standing through a small encounter: a kiosk owner on Rothschild Boulevard recognized him and offered him lemonade free of charge.[3]

His debut album, “Shlomo Artzi,” appeared later in 1970 and included “Ahavtiha” and “More Than This We Don’t Need.”[2][8] Recorded at Kolinor Studios in Tel Aviv, it featured arrangements by David Krivoshei, Benny Nagri, and Daniel Shalit, with accompaniment by studio musicians.[8] Bassist Yossi Menachem remembered Artzi as curious, opinionated, and closely involved in the sessions, offering comments out of a desire for professional results.[8] By the end of the year, “Ahavtiha” had been named Song of the Year, Artzi had received a Singer of the Year title, and he also received the David’s Violin award.[9][10]

The debut’s material ranged across character sketches, wartime grief, and prayer.[8] “Marco,” with words by Yaakov Rotblit and music by David Krivoshei, portrayed an elderly café patron, while “The Third Mother,” combining Nathan Alterman’s words with Naomi Shemer’s music, lamented sons who had not returned from war.[8] “Evening Prayer” was Artzi’s first recorded song with music he had composed himself.[8] Avi Koren wrote the lyrics to “More Than This We Don’t Need” after Artzi asked him how a singer became a star.[8] Artzi also appeared in the first Children’s Song Festival in December 1970.[8]

The 1971 album “Al Anashim” (“About People”) marked an increasing commitment to his own writing and composition, with “Nof Yaldut” (“Childhood Landscape”) becoming one of its best-remembered songs.[8] That year he played Yaron Zehavi in the film “Hasamba and the Deserted Youth.”[8] His activities extended to soundtrack work, children’s festivals, and writing and performing a championship anthem for the Maccabi Netanya football team.[8] In 1972, he formed the trio Geverret Tapu’akh, or “Madam Apple,” with former Navy colleagues Dadi Schlessinger and Etchie Stroh; the group released four records between 1972 and 1975.[2]

Song festivals remained an important part of his early success.[4] After his 1970 victory, he won again in 1973 with “Early Morning Song” and in 1974 with “The Ballad for Baruch Jemili.”[4] The latter concerned a fighter who had served in the Palmach’s Harel Brigade.[11] After winning, Artzi announced that Jemili was in the audience; the song’s subject stood and then came onto the stage.[11] Alongside such festival entries, Artzi set poetry by Nachman Bialik, Shaul Tchernichovsky, and Yehuda Amichai to music.[12]

Much of the 1970s nevertheless involved searching for a sustained musical direction.[5] In 1973, Artzi released “Pit’om Acher Yamin Rabim,” composed entirely of settings of poets’ work, as well as a children’s album.[5] His repertoire also encompassed romances, piyyutim, and projects in several other styles.[9] The Yom Kippur War and performances for soldiers influenced his work with Madam Apple and the album “L’chol Hachaverim Mehamasa Mayim el Yam.”[5] He briefly pursued opportunities abroad after signing with British producer Dick James.[5]

In 1975, Artzi recorded a German-language single for Decca Telefunken, and Switzerland asked him to represent it at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest.[2] He ultimately represented Israel with “At Va’Ani” (“You and I”), finishing eleventh.[2] His experimentation also included the original rock opera “Mis’hakei 26,” which he stopped after three performances and later called one of his failures, though also his most beautiful one.[9] As his early popularity declined, he found himself without work and turned to recording jingles.[9]

By 1977, commercial disappointments and dissatisfaction with his teen-idol image had led Artzi to consider leaving music and studying law.[10] Producer Yair Shargai persuaded him to make an album without trying to please an audience, and Artzi approached it as a possible farewell.[10] Recorded in 1977 and released in 1978, “Gever Holech Le’ibud” (“A Man Is Lost”) combined exposed, personal lyrics with rock and more complex musical influences.[10] Its eight songs included the title track, “Ha’ish Hahu” (“That Man”), “Rak Aleh,” and “At Ein’ach Yoda’at,” most of which became enduring parts of Israeli music.[10]

The record company had told Artzi that this would be his last album, and its managing director initially advised removing the title song; Artzi ultimately released it to radio.[3] He later described the album as the point at which he first had songs he believed in and could stand behind.[9] Its success helped him move beyond the youthful pop-star image he disliked toward a more mature, candid artistic identity.[2][9] He then toured widely, including in Beit She’an, Kiryat Gat, and Dimona, meeting listeners after performances to talk and sing with them.[9]

“Ways” or “Roads” (1979) and “Midnight” (1981) continued the personal direction established by “A Man Is Lost.”[5] “Place” (1982) consisted mainly of settings of poetry, and in the early 1980s he also released an album reciting biblical stories.[5] Songs associated with this broader period included “I’ll Never Know,” “The Poppies,” “Most of the Time You’re My Wife,” and “Doesn’t Leave the City.”[13] His collaboration with producer Louis Lahav subsequently shifted his sound from melodic pop toward rock.[5]

That partnership produced “Tirkod” (“Dance”) in 1984, a successful album followed by another Singer of the Year honor.[2] “Layla Lo Shaket” (“A Restless Night,” 1986) continued the collaboration, and these records helped establish Artzi among Israel’s most popular artists of the decade.[2][5] In 1988, “Chom Yuli August” (“July–August Heat”) became the first double album by an Israeli solo artist.[2] It addressed the Holocaust’s effects on the second generation alongside love, marriage, separation, and aging, and included “Eretz Hadasha” (“A New Land”), “Nivra’ati Lach” (“I Was Created for You”), and the title song.[5]

Both “July–August Heat” and its subsequent tour were highly successful.[5] During this period, Artzi also appeared with Yehuda Poliker in a performance dealing with Holocaust memory that was not documented.[5] He later recalled experiencing another writing crisis around the age of 40, after the album, and eventually emerging from it through “Yareach” (“Moon”).[6] In the meantime, “Kartis LaLuna Park” (“Ticket to the Amusement Park,” 1990) failed commercially and renewed his doubts about his relevance.[5][14]

For “Moon,” released in 1992, Artzi worked with Yehuda Eder and adopted a more melodic, acoustic sound than on the preceding records.[5] The album became a major success and included “Ani Ba,” “Vals B’Chamesh Ushloshim,” and “Kmo Az”; its title song was chosen in various polls as his most beloved song.[5] Artzi recalled writing “Moon” while playing soccer and choosing a guitar-led arrangement despite musicians’ preference for something much larger.[3] He connected that decision to advice once given to him by a roulette croupier: “Mister, when you play roulette, play with your instincts.”[3]

“Shnayim” (“Two,” 1996) continued the acoustic approach and achieved major commercial success.[5] The 2000 album “Ahavtihem,” largely comprising new versions of older songs and works he had written for others, was his biggest seller to that point.[2][5] He followed it with original material on “Tzim’aon” (“Thirst,” 2002), a rock-pop album, and “Shfuyim” (“Sane”), released in March 2007.[5] Describing his writing process, Artzi emphasized intuition; “Tell Me” (“Tagidi”), for example, began as “Tell Her” (“Tagid Lah”) before a walk on the beach changed its wording.[3]

Live performance became a defining part of his career, with concerts commonly lasting three hours or more.[4] In 2009, he had been performing at Caesarea for approximately 25 years.[6] In a 2025 recollection, he described visiting the amphitheater in 1986 after someone suggested it as a venue, initially wondering who would attend when performances were concentrated largely in Tel Aviv.[14] He said he had performed there 300 times.[14] In 2016, he called performing “a way of life” and said he intended to continue for as long as he was able.[7]

Artzi’s first performance in Germany took place at Berlin’s Rykestrasse Synagogue during the Days of Jewish Culture Festival, with all 1,200 seats occupied.[15] It was also his first time singing from a synagogue bimah.[15] He expressed curiosity about Berlin and described the synagogue as a setting for “the connection between the souls and the people.”[15] Songs including “In Germany Before the War” and “Like a Large Yard” addressed the post-Holocaust experiences that formed part of his family background.[1][15]

His public activities have included support for Israel’s outlying geographic areas and a nonprofit organization founded with his wife, whose projects include scholarships for students in Tel Aviv.[1] In 2018, he lit a torch at Israel’s 70th Independence Day ceremony, saying that he did so for all ethnicities and denominations, calling for an inclusive Israel without racism, and affirming people’s freedom to speak their minds.[16]

After the October 7 attack, Artzi sang at funerals and shiva gatherings.[3] He recalled being asked to perform “King of the World” at the funeral of young soldier Amir Eyal and then continuing to a shiva gathering for Uri Loker.[3] Describing the invitations into grieving families’ intimate spaces, he said, “For me, this is a sacred thing.”[3]

Artzi has sold more than 1.5 million albums, and a 2019 career profile counted approximately 25 music albums and seven books across about 50 years of activity.[1][17] He has received Singer of the Year honors ten times, a total reported in that profile as exceeding that of any other Israeli singer.[17] In 2008, marking Israel’s 60th anniversary, Israel Television named him “The Singer of the 60 Years,” and in 2009 he received an ACUM lifetime-achievement award.[1][6] A 2005 vote ranked him the seventeenth-greatest Israeli of all time.[4]

His music combines rock with native Hebrew elements, while dance recurs as an image of life and vitality.[4] Across his career, his work has returned to love, family, military experience, Holocaust memory, aging, and Israeli life.[1][5] These subjects, together with his long-running popularity, placed his songs firmly within Israeli popular culture.[4][5] Among the enduring hits identified across his career are “Yareach,” “Lo Ozev et Ha’ir,” “Eretz Hadasha,” “Ahavtiha,” and “Nivra’ati Lach.”[17]

Prayer also has a place in his repertoire: “We Don’t Need,” with lyrics by Avi Koren and music by Shmuel Imberman, became a famous Israeli song about prayer and remained a hit for many years through his performances.[18] His own recollections connected his melodic sensibility with the synagogue singing he heard as a child.[3] Alongside his original songwriting, his early settings of major Hebrew poets linked his recording career to the work of Bialik, Tchernichovsky, and Amichai.[12]

Artzi’s audience extended beyond Israel: he was among the Israeli artists who became well known to American Jews during the 1970s, following the increased interest in Israeli music after the Six-Day War of 1967.[19] Music of that period had moved away from folk forms and could be difficult to perform, so comparatively few new works entered the American Israeli-song canon.[19] In speaking about his own aspirations in 2016, Artzi said he hoped his music encouraged “listening, openness, humanity, acceptance and, most importantly, love.”[7]

In 2023, Artzi declined the Israel Prize in the Hebrew Song category amid intense divisions over proposed judicial changes.[20] He said he felt uncomfortable accepting the honor while Israel was “torn and injured,” emphasized that he had sung for audiences regardless of political, religious, or ethnic background, and urged political leaders to stop and talk.[20] Describing his relationship with the public, he said, “To be part of the Israeli soundtrack — that’s the real prize I’ve won.”[20] Singer-songwriter Yosef Cohen, known as Daklon, was to receive the prize instead.[20]