background	solo_singer
birth name	Joseph Ira Dassin
birth date	November 05, 1938
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, United States
death place	Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
death date	August 20, 1980
origin	New York City
genre	ChansonFrench pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1966–1980
label	CBS Records
notable instruments	}}

Joseph Ira Dassin (November 5, 1938 – August 20, 1980), more commonly known as Joe Dassin, was an American singer-songwriter best known for his French songs of the 1960s and 1970s.

Biography

Joe Dassin was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin (1911 - 2008) and Béatrice Launer (1913–2005), a New-York-born violinist, who after graduating from a Hebrew High School in the Bronx studied with the British violinist Harold Berkely at the Juilliard School of Music. Both parents were Jewish. His father was of Russian and Polish Jewish extraction, his maternal grandfather was an Austrian Jewish immigrant, who arrived in New York with his family at age 11.

He began his childhood first in New York City and Los Angeles. However, after his father fell victim to the Hollywood blacklist in 1950, he and his family moved from place to place across Europe.

Dassin studied at the International School of Geneva and the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, and graduated in Grenoble. Dassin moved back to the United States where he earned a doctorate in ethnology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

He moved back to France where he worked as a technician for his father and appeared as an actor in supporting roles in a number of movies directed by his father, including ''Topkapi'' where he played the role of "Josef".

On December 26, 1964, Dassin signed up with CBS Records, making him the first French singer to sign up with an American record label.

By the early 1970s, Dassin's songs were on the top of the charts in France and he had become very well known in that country. He was also a talented polyglot, recording songs in German, Spanish, Italian and Greek, as well as French and English.

Dassin married Maryse (whose real first name is Yvette) Massiéra on January 18, 1966, in Paris. Their son, Joshua, was born two and a half months before term, September 12, 1973, and died 5 days after. Devastated, Joe and Maryse split, but did not divorce until 1977.

On January 14, 1978, Joe married Christine Delvaux Pavlopoulou. Joe and Christine moved to Athens, Greece on March 15, 1978. They had two sons, Jonathan (born September 14, 1978) and Julien (March 22, 1980). Christine died in December 1995.

Joe Dassin died of a heart attack during a vacation to Tahiti on August 20, 1980. He is survived by his two sons, both living in France, as well as his two younger sisters, Richelle (b.1940) and Julie (b.1945). His body is interred in the Beth Olam Mausoleum section of Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Discography

! Album

! Year

! Songs

''Je change un peu de vent''

1964

# Je change un peu de vent

# Il a plu

# Dis-moi, dis-lui

# Ce n'est pas une fille

# Je vais mon chemin

# Isabelle, prends mon chapeau

# Mâche ta chique

# Les jours s'en vont pareils

# Bip-bip

# Guantanamera

''À New York''

1966

# Excuse me lady'''

# Sometime lovin'

# Je change un peu de vent

# Celle que j'oublie

# Comme la lune

# Petite mama

# Joli minou

# Dans la brume du matin

# Vive moi

# Katy cruel

# Ça m'avance à quoi ?

''Les Deux Mondes de Joe Dassin''

1967

# Les Dalton

# Pauvre Doudou

# Tout bébé a besoin d'une maman

# The last thing on my mind

St. James Infirmary>Saint James Infirmary Blues

# L'Ombre d'un amour

# Paper Heart

# Marie-Jeanne (Ode to Billie Joe)

# Hello hello!

# My Funny Valentine

# Viens voir le loup

''Les Champs-Élysées''

1969

# Le Chemin de papa

# Le Petit Pain au chocolat

# Les Champs Élysées

# Siffler sur la colline

# Mon village du bout du monde

# Mé que mé que

# Un peu comme toi

# Ma bonne étoile

# La Violette africaine

# La Bande à Bonnot

# Le Temps des œufs au plat

# Sunday Times

''La Fleur aux dents''

1970

# La Fleur aux dents

# L'Équipe à Jojo

# C'est bon l'amour

# Le Portugais

# Le Grand Parking

# Un garçon nommé Suzy

# Au bout des rails

# Un petit air de musique

# La Luzerne

# Un cadeau de papa

# Je la connais si bien

# L'Amérique ("Yellow River")

''Elle était oh!...''

1971

# La ligne de vie

# La mal-aimée du courrier du coeur

# Bye bye Louis

# Allez, roulez!

# Sylvie

# Les joies de la cuisine

# Elle était oh... !

# Le Chanteur des rues

# À la santé d'hier

# Pauvre Pierrot

# Si tu peux lire en moi

# Le général a dit

''Joe''

1972

# La Complainte de l'heure de pointe (À vélo dans Paris)

# Un peu de paradis

# Louisiana

# Julie, Julie

# Le Roi du blues

# Taka takata

# Le Moustique

# Salut les amoureux ("City of New Orleans")

# Ma nana

# Vaya-na-cumana

# C'est ma tournée

# S'aimer sous la pluie

''13 chansons nouvelles''

1973

# À chacun sa chanson

# On s'en va

# Dédé le kid

# Pourquoi pas moi ?

# Allons danser, Valerie

# Les Plus Belles Années de ma vie

# La Dernière Page

# Qu'est-ce que j'ai pu faire hier soir?

# Quand on a seize ans

# Oh la la !

# Ton côté du lit

# Quand on a du feu

# Fais-moi de l'électricité

''Si tu t'appelles Mélancolie''

1974

# Si tu t'appelles Mélancolie

# Vade retro

# Messieurs les jurés

# Six jours à la campagne

# L'Amour etc.

# Entre deux adieux

# Le Service militaire

# Annie de l'année dernière

# Marie-Madeleine

# Je te crois

# Ce n'est rien que du vent

# Ma dernière chanson pour toi

''À l'Olympia''

1974

# L'Amérique ( ouverture )

# À chacun sa chanson

# Salut les amoureux

# Le Moustique

# On s'en va

# Quand on a seize ans

# Ton côté du lit

# Le Berger ( sketch )

# Sweet Georgia Brown (duo de flûtes à nez avec Jean Hebrard)

# Pot-pourri américain

# Les Plus Belles Années de ma vie

# Dédé le kid

# Quand on a du feu

# C'est la vie, Lily

# Marie-Jeanne

# Fais-moi de l'électricité

# Pot-pourri francais

# L'Amérique

''Le costume blanc''

1975

# Et si tu n'existais pas

# Il faut naître à Monaco

# Chanson triste

# Le Costume blanc

# L'Albatros

# Alors c'est qu'est-ce que c'est ? ("Harmour Love")

# Ça va pas changer le monde

# Salut

# Carolina (Sad Sweet Dreamer)

# C'est la nuit

# Ma musique (Sailing)

# Piano mécanique

''Le Jardin du Luxembourg''

1976

# Le Jardin du Luxembourg

# Il était une fois nous deux

# À toi

# Le Café des trois colombes

# Comme disait Valentine

# Laisse-moi dormir

# Que sont devenues mes amours ?

''Les Femmes de ma vie''

1978

# La Femme idéale (Angélina)

# La Première Femme de ma vie

# Noisette et Cassidy

# La Demoiselle de déshonneur

# Dans les yeux d'Émilie

# Quand on sera deux (A Cancuncella)

# Maria

# Mon copain Julie

# Marie-Ange (Fallen Angel)

# J'ai craqué

# Petit Ballon

# La Rue Marie-Laurence

''15 ans déjà''

1979

# La vie se chante, la vie se pleure (Claudja Barry's "Down by the Water")

# Un lord anglais

# Toi, le refrain de ma vie

# La Beauté du diable

# La Fan

# Côté banjo, côté violon

# Qu'est-ce que tu fais de moi ?

# Darling

# Pour le plaisir de partir

# Happy Birthday (Balletto)

''Blue Country'' (English version: Home Made Ice Cream)

1979

# Blue Country ("Home Made Ice Cream")

# Faut pas faire de la peine à John ("You Don't Mess Around with Jim")

# Un baby, bébé ("My Kind of Woman")

# On se connaît par cœur ("Promises")

# La Saison du blues ("The Change")

# Polk Salad Annie

# La Fille du shérif ("High Sheriff")

# Joe Macho ("Lustful Earl and the Married Woman")

# Si je dis je t'aime ("I've Got a Thing About You, Baby")

# Le Marché aux puces ("The Guitar Don't Lie")

''Little Italy''

1982

# Ouverture : Le Hold-up (introduzione: rapina)

# Joe : Regarde-toi (La corte)

# Marcella : Et l'amour (E l'Amore)

# Joe : Quand la chance passe (Casino)

# Marcella : La Mer (Mare)

# Marcella : Tant pis pour moi (Giusto o no)

# Joe : Je viens comme un voleur (Il posto giusto)

# Duo : La Fête (la festa)

# Joe : Sandy (Sandy)

# Duo : Après la fête (Jesus)

# Joe : C'est fini

# Joe : À mon fils (Sebastian)

# Duo : Martine (Martina)

References

External links

, Another French entry

Category:1938 births Category:1980 deaths Category:American expatriates in France Category:American folk guitarists Category:American Jews Category:American male singers Category:Songwriters from New York Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:French-language singers Category:French people of American descent Category:French people of Russian descent Category:French people of Polish descent Category:Jewish singers Category:People from New York City Category:University of Michigan alumni

az:Co Dassen be:Джо Дасэн be-x-old:Джо Дасэн bs:Joe Dassin bg:Жо Дасен ca:Joe Dassin cv:Джо Дассен de:Joe Dassin es:Joe Dassin fr:Joe Dassin hr:Joe Dassin it:Joe Dassin he:ז'ו דסאן ka:ჯო დასენი kk:Джо Дассен la:Iosephus Dassin lv:Džo Dasēns nl:Joe Dassin no:Joe Dassin oc:Joe Dassin pl:Joe Dassin ro:Joe Dassin ru:Дассен, Джо sl:Joe Dassin fi:Joe Dassin tr:Joe Dassin uk:Джо Дассен

name	Vicky Leandros
office	Deputy Mayor of Piraeus
term start	15 October 2006
background	solo_singer
birth name	Vassiliki Papathanasiou
alias	Vicky Leandros
birth date	August 23, 1949
origin	Palaiokastritsa, Corfu, Greece
genre	Pop
occupation	Singer, politician
years active	1965–present
website	Hey! Vicky LeandrosVicky Leandros' Greek website }}

Vicky Leandros (born Vassiliki Papathanasiou, , 23 August 1949, now legally Vassiliki, Baroness von Ruffin) is a Greek singer with a long international career. She is the daughter of singer, musician and composer Leandros Papathanasiou (known as Leo Leandros – composer pseudonym Mario Panas). She achieved worldwide fame after winning the ''Eurovision Song Contest'' in 1972 with the song "Après Toi" (representing Luxembourg).

Early career

Leandros was born in Palaiokastritsa, a resort on the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. Her father wanted to expand his career and went to Germany while she grew up at her grandmother's house until the age of eight. In 1958 her parents took her to Germany where she stayed with her father permanently after her parents' divorce. She revealed her talent at a young age while taking guitar, music, dance, ballet and voice lessons.

In 1965 Leandros released her first single "Messer, Gabel, Schere, Licht". This was the beginning of a successful career for her with her father as composer, manager and producer. In 1967 she received an offer to sing for Luxembourg at the ''Eurovision Song Contest'' with the song "L'amour est bleu". She finished in fourth place but the song became one of the biggest worldwide hits of the year and was covered by many artists. She was shortly singing in eight languages with her albums, singles and EPs being sold all over the world. She became particularly successful in Japan and Canada.

The 1970s

In 1970 her first TV show, ''Ich Bin'' was broadcast in 13 European countries. It received many awards for its originality and thought-provoking contemporary graphics including in 1971 the world famous Bronze Rose of Montreux. It was also the first time that Vicky used the same stage surname as her father (actually his real Christian name) and became known from then onwards as Vicky Leandros having been known simply as Vicky during the 1960s. Guests appearing were Julien Clerc and Deep Purple. The show has been repeated over the years and is seen as a classic piece very evocative of the era, though at first it was not well received in all quarters owing to its surprising, even shocking, imagery, in an age when songs were not generally accompanied by visuals for marketing purposes. Throughout the 1970s other film portraits by prominent film makers were to follow which attracted interest around the world. She later went on to host a television series in the UK for the BBC, entitled ''Music My Way''.

In 1972 she represented Luxembourg at Eurovision for the second time and won the contest with the song "Après Toi". Translated into English as "Come What May" it was also a hit in the UK reaching #2 on the UK Singles Chart. Globally it sold over six million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Leandros recorded the song in seven languages. Later in the year she released her version of the Theodorakis composition "O Kaymos (Sorrow) (The Love in Your Eyes)" which became a hit all over the world in various language versions. It peaked at #40 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1973, "When Bouzoukis Played" became another massive selling world hit in several languages, reaching #44 in the UK chart. In 1974 she recorded "Theo, wir fahr'n nach Lodz" a song that was a #1 hit in Germany. She also found much success in South Africa during the 1970s.

In Japan she reached her peak during late 1960s and early 1970s and recorded many times in Japanese. Her second Japanese single "Watashi no Sukina Chocolate" (The Chocolate That I Like) became a notable hit. She also recorded many cover versions of songs, "Mamy Blue", "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" and "My Sweet Lord" among others.

In 1975 she recorded an album, ''Across the Water'' in Tennessee and Miami. The album was a departure for her, combining country, rock and soul, gaining her good reviews on release in the US. In 1976 she signed a multi-million contract with CBS Records for albums in the US and started working in Hollywood with Kim Fowley. This did not last long however as Leandros felt a lack of support from her record company and returned to Europe.

After her American adventure Leandros released albums of German folk songs, Christmas songs and a Spanish album which became a success in Spain and all over Latin America. The first single "Oh Mi Mama" was a minor hit, but the second single "Tu Me Has Hecho Sentir", although not promoted by Leandros or CBS due to differences between the two and a reported health scare, was a big hit in Spanish-speaking countries in 1979. It regularly appears on compilation albums and is easily the most famous and remembered song by Vicky Leandros in Spanish . A new album, ''Wie am Allerersten Tag'' went unreleased and Leandros became pregnant and took time off over the next 18 months.

The 1980s

In 1981 she recorded the album ''Love is Alive'' including duets with Demis Roussos, Johnny Hallyday and US star David Soul for a United Nations Benefit. Also in 1981, she released the album, I''ch Gehe Neue Wege'' and its Greek version, ''Irtha Yia Sena''. This comeback was consolidated in 1982 by the success of the song "Verlorenes Paradies" from the same titled next album which saw Leandros back in the upper reaches of the singles charts in many territories after a few years absence. It was also recorded in Dutch . In 1983 came the album ''Vicky'' containing the popular song and single "Gruesse an Sarah" which is regularly still sung in concerts often a cappella with the other musicians and vocalists making the sounds of the beats and instruments vocally to combine with Leandros' main vocal. Also later in 1983 she recorded again in Dutch a song specially for the Dutch-speaking market; "Ver Van Het Leven". In 1984, the French version - "A l'Est d'Eden" - was a big success in France, reaching #2 on the singles chart. This single and corresponding album (''Vicky'') gave Leandros a notable comeback in Canada and she toured there after a gap of many years in 1985. Two more single releases from the album also became Canadian hits - "Tu as sept Ponts a traverser" and "Salut bien Sarah" the French version of "Gruesse an Sarah".

In 1986 following the success of her 1985 album ''Eine Nacht in Griechenland'' Leandros again took time off to concentrate on her private life. The album achieved Gold status in the Benelux and German speaking countries. It was early 1988 before the next album release "Ich Bin Ich" on which she worked with Klaus (Nick) Munro. This album contained many new rhythms and was more rock orientated . Leandros did not tour though and made very limited appearances during this period concentrating mainly on her family life and her ( by now three ) young children . Nevertheless two singles were released from the album "Du hast schon laengst Goodbye gesagt" and "Oh Oh Oh" in a remixed version .

In 1989 she returned to her music career and charted highly in Greece with her comeback album, ''Piretos tou Erota''.

The 1990s

In 1990 Leandros released the album "Starkes Gefuehl" (Strong Feeling) which notably contained a new version of "Apres Toi" her Eurovision song contest winner of 1972 . The album also contained the German version of Piretos tou erota now "Suchtig nach Geborgenheit" which was the first single cut . The early 1990s saw her scoring successful albums in Greece with "Prosexe" in 1991 ( Nur Einen Augenblick in Germany ) and "Andres" ( unique album for Greece ) in 1993 and in Europe in 1994/5 with singles "Du Bist Mein Schoenster Gedanke" and a duet with Tony Christie, "We're Gonna Stay Together".

The resurgence of popularity in Greece saw first the re-release on vinyl of Leandros' early albums (with different sleeves) and later a CD release of them all with bonus tracks.

From 1995 to 1998 she collaborated with German hit-maker Jack White and released three Top-10 albums, as well as the German version of the ''Titanic'' song "My Heart Will Go On". This song "Weil mein Herz dich nie mehr vergisst" gave Leandros her highest charting record since Verlorenes Paradies in 1982.

Recent career

In 2000 she started producing her own records. The album ''Jetzt'' / ''Now'' was a success and her own compositions received critical praise. Her duet with Chris De Burgh was one of the highlights of the album. Following this she featured again on the charts of several countries such as Canada, China, Japan, Belgium and South Africa due to the many greatest hits collections that several companies released.

In 2003 she recorded a new album, ''Tragoudi Alliotiko'' with songs by Mikis Theodorakis accompanied by the Kamerata Orchestra under Theodorakis's supervision. The album became a success in Germany, central Europe and in Greece. TV stations and tabloid newspaper reviewers celebrated her comeback while other publications and reviewers questioned the rationale behind Leandros' performance of songs from a political composer like Theodorakis. Around this time Leandros appeared in many TV shows on German and Greek television including galas with José Carreras. The album made it to the 100 best selling records of 2003 and Theodorakis wrote that he considered "her among the two or three most important interpreters of [his] work". In 2003 Leandros received two prestigious awards from the Greek government for her promotion of Greek culture and music abroad and the other from the Greek Orthodox Church in recognition of her work for poor children in Africa. The latter award was presented to her at a classical concert held at the Herod Atticus amphitheatre in October 2003 and is the highest honour that the Greek Church can bestow. Leandros is one of only a few to receive it and the only female.

2005 saw the release of a double album, ''Ich Bin Wie Ich Bin'' containing new recordings of Leandros's songs. The album charted in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Leandros' Jubilee Tour of Europe started in February 2006.

In March 2006, Leandros took part in the German pre-selection for the ''Eurovision Song Contest'' - 34 years since "Après Toi". Her song, "Don't Break My Heart" which had already entered the charts, failed to win the most votes from the televoting public.

Leandros released a CD in March 2009 titled ''Möge der Himmel''. This album contained soul elements combined with some R&B; flavour, hip hop and rap. The change in direction was headline news and the album received mixed reviews. The next album ''Zeitlos'' in 2010 returned to the idea born in 2008 of recording a collection of French songs and World hits in the German language.

In 2011, Leandros re-recorded her hit "L'amour est bleu" as "C'est Bleu" for the Scooter album ''The Big Mash Up''. The unusual collaboration was named a highlight of the record and was released as a single on December 2, 2011.

Personal life

From 1982 until 1986 Leandros was married to Greek entrepreneur Ivan Zissiadis. He is the father of her son Leandros Zissiadis (Leo) (born 6 June 1980). In 2005 Leandros and her second husband Enno von Ruffin separated after 19 years of marriage. The couple has two daughters: Maximiliane von Ruffin (Milana) (born 31 January 1985) and Alessandra von Ruffin (Sandra) (born 6 December 1986). On 15 October 2006, Leandros (as Vassiliki von Ruffin) was elected town councillor of the Greek harbour town of Piraeus on the Pasok list. Her task concerned the Cultural and International development of Piraeus. She was also Deputy Mayor of Piraeus.

It was announced in June 2008 that Leandros decided to leave her position in Greek politics with immediate effect stating that she had under estimated the work load and time needed to fulfill her political obligations and that it had become impossible to combine those duties with her singing career .

Awards and collaborations

Leandros has received innumerable awards including gold and platinum records from all around the world for discs that have sold in excess of 150 million copies.

She has worked with many composers and producers such as Kim Fowley, Leo Leandros, Brad Shapiro and Michel Legrand and also with conductors such as Herbert von Karajan and Claude Denjean. She has been awarded with the "Bronze Rose of Montreux", "Goldene Europa", "Record Award of USA", and "Song Statue of Japan".

Selected discography

Albums

Many variations of Leandros's albums were released around the world and a huge amount of compilations which still continue to be released on a regular basis . The following list is of original albums she recorded. In Japan a few albums also contain some songs mainly in Japanese or English which were not released elsewhere though the majority of tracks were recorded in Europe and featured also in various languages on albums already listed here. {|class="wikitable" |- !Date!!Album title!!Language |- |October 1966||''Songs und Folklore''||German/English/French/Greek |- |July 1967||''A Taste of...Vicky''||German/French/English/Greek |- |October 1967||''A Taste of Vicky International''||English/French/Greek |- |October 1967||''L'amour est bleu'' || French |- |October 1967||''Love is Blue''||English |- |July 1968||''A Taste of Vicky''(First US release) || English/French |- |August 1968||''Summertime Forever'' || German/French/English |- |August 1968||''Vicky'' (''To Mistiko Sou'') ||Greek/French/English |- |December 1968||''Le Temps Des Fleurs'' || French |- |August 1969||''Ich Glaub' An Dich'' ||German |- |October 1969||''I Mikri Mas Istoria'' ||Greek |- |October 1969||''Zoom Sur Vicky''|| French |- |September 1970|| ''Vicky'' ( Je Suis )|| French/Greek |- |January 1971|||''Ich Bin'' || German/French/Greek |- |February 1971||''Vicky'' (''Pes Mou Pos Boreis'')||Greek/French |- |March 1971||''I Am''(First UK release) || English |- |April 1972||''Vicky Leandros'' || German/English |- |May 1972|| ''Apres Toi'' ||French |- |May 1972||''Mono Esi''||Greek/French/English |- |May 1972||''Vicky Leandros'' || English/French |- |May 1973||''Meine Freunde Sind Die Traume''||German |- |August 1973||''Itan Mia Vradia''||Greek/English |- |September 1973||''Dreams Are Good Friends'' ||English/French/Greek |- |September 1973||''Ceux Que J'aime''||French/Greek |- |July 1974||''Mein Lied Fur Dich''||German/English/Greek |- |August 1974||''My Song for You'' ||English/Greek |- |October 1974||''Ma Chanson Pour Toi'' ||French/English/Greek |- |December 1974|| ''Your World - My World'' || English/Greek |- |August 1975||''Ich Liebe Das Leben''||German/English |- |September 1975||''Across the Water'' ||English |- |September 1975||''J'aime La Vie'' ||French |- |January 1976||''I Zoi Einai Oreia''||Greek/French |- |February 1977||''V.L.''||German/English |- |April 1977||''V.L.'' ||Greek/English |- |April 1977||''Vicky Leandros'' ||French/English |- |September 1977||''Omorfa Chronia''||Greek/English |- |October 1977||''Du Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen''||German |- |October 1977||''Suesser Die Glocken Nie Klingen''||German |- |February 1978||''Vicky Leandros'' (Recorded in USA) ||English |- |March 1978||''Ich Bin ein Mädchen''||German/English |- |April 1978||''Poso S'agapo'' ||Greek/French/English |- |October 1978||''Oh Mi Mama'' ||Spanish/English/Greek/German |- |October 1980||''Singt die schönsten Deutschen Volkslieder''||German |- |April 1981||''Ich Gehe Neue Wege'' ||German/English |- |October 1981||''Love is Alive'' ||English |- |January 1982||''Irtha Yia Sena''||Greek/English |- |October 1982||''Verlorenes Paradies''||German |- |October 1983||''Vicky'' ||German |- |May 1984|| ''Vicky'' ||French |- |October 1985||''Eine Nacht in Griechenland''||German/Greek |- |February 1988||''Ich Bin Ich'' ||German |- |October 1989|| ''Piretos Tou Erota'' ||Greek |- |September 1990||''Starkes Gefuhl''||German/French |- |September 1991||''Nur Einen Augenblick''||German |- |November 1991||''Prósehe!''||Greek |- |February 1993||''Andres'' || Greek |- |October 1995||''Lieben Und Leben'' || German/English |- |April 1997||''Gefuehle''||German |- |August 1998||''Weil Mein Herz Dich Nie Mehr Vergisst''||German |- |February 2000||''Jetzt!''||German/English |- |May 2001||''Now!'' ||Greek/French/English/German |- |October 2001||''Mit Offenen Armen'' ||German/Greek/English |- |November 2002||''Weihnachten mit Vicky Leandros'' (CD&DVD;)||German/Greek/French/English |- |September 2003||''...Singt Mikis Theodorakis''||German/Greek |- |December 2003 ||''Tragouthi Alliotiko''||Greek/English |- |March 2006||''Ich Bin Wie Ich Bin'' ||German/French/English |- |March 2009 || Möge der Himmel ||German/English/French |- |September 2010 || Zeitlos ||German |- |}

References

External links

Official Homepage of Vicky Leandros

Greek Official Political Homepage of Vicky Leandros

German Homepage and Fanclub of Vicky Leandros

Official Homepage of Vicky Leandros′ daughter Sandra Ruffin

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:English-language singers Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1967 Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1972 Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners Category:French-language singers Category:German-language singers Category:German people of Greek descent Category:Greek female singers Category:Greek pop singers Category:Greek women in politics Category:Luxembourgian Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Modern Greek-language singers Category:Musicians from Corfu Category:Panhellenic Socialist Movement politicians

de:Vicky Leandros el:Βίκυ Λέανδρος es:Vicky Leandros fr:Vicky Leandros fy:Vicky Leandros it:Vicky Léandros he:ויקי לאנדרוס hu:Vicky Leandros nl:Vicky Leandros ja:ヴィッキー no:Vicky Leandros pl:Vicky Leandros pt:Vicky Leandros ro:Vicky Leandros ru:Леандрос, Вики sl:Vicky Leandros sh:Vicky Leandros fi:Vicky Leandros sv:Vicky Leandros tr:Viki Leandros

Name	Ishtar
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Eti Zach
Birth date	November 10, 1968
Origin	Sephardic
Genre	Arabic pop music, pop, dance, rock, World Music, flamenco
Occupation	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1996–present
Label	Atoll Music Paris, Warner Music Group
Website	Official site }}

Ishtar (born Esther (Eti) Zach, on 10 November 1968) is an Israeli-born pop singer who performs in Arabic, Hebrew, Bulgarian, French, Spanish, and English. She is best known for her work as the front vocalist of the French-based band Alabina, and her solo pop hits such as ''C'est La Vie'', ''Last Kiss'', and ''Habibi (Sawah)''.

Biography

Early life

Eti Zach was born on 10 November 1968 in Kiryat Atta, near Haifa and was raised in Israel. She was born to an Egyptian-Jewish mother and a Moroccan-Jewish father, both of Sephardic heritage, who had immigrated to Israel earlier.

She speaks and sings in Arabic, Hebrew, French, Spanish, Russian, and English; in addition, she says she "half-speaks Moroccan".

Ishtar began performing in clubs at age 14 and continued even while enrolled in the IDF. Though she was born Eti Zach, she chose the name 'Ishtar', a Mesopotamian Goddess, because her grandmother called her Ester, which "with her Egyptian accent it sounded like Ishtar", she said.

It was around this time a friend asked her to join them in France. She soon fell in love with the country and decided to make it her home.

Career

Alabina years

Once she moved to France, Ishtar began working as a backup vocalist for several flamenco type acts. It was here she was discovered by Charles Ibgui who, enamored with her voice, introduced her to Los Niños de Sara. She joined the group as a lead vocalist and together they performed under the name Alabina.

Alabina soon became a worldwide success charting in the top 10 and top 40 several times in the US alone.

Alabina had found success mixing Flamenco, Arabic, Pop, and Dance sounds. Los Niños de Sara usually sang in Spanish while Ishtar would sing in Spanish, Arabic, French, Hebrew, or a mix of the languages – several songs were sung in Spanish and Arabic.

Solo career

Despite Alabina's success, after two albums Ishtar decided to do a solo project of her own (though still a member of the group); Los Niños de Sara also began to release CDs of their own.

In November 2000 ''La Voix d'Alabina (The Voice of Alabina)'' was released. It stepped up the Oriental pop sound while mixing in some traditional Arabic sounds and dance beats. Nine out of the twelve songs were mainly in French though Arabic, Spanish, English, and Hebrew were mixed in on various songs (for example ''Last Kiss'' was in English). Several of the tracks found dance floor success, including ''Last Kiss''.

Ishtar also paid a visit to her fans in Israel, where she hosted a few television shows, singing duos with local stars such as Pavlo Rosenberg, Avihu Medina, and David D'Or.

Ishtar continued to tour the world with Alabina for the next few years as she worked on her second album, ''Truly Emet'', which was released in August 2003 this time with most of the songs being in Hebrew. However she decided to sing more songs in mixes of Arabic and Hebrew to show that there could be harmony between the two cultures. ''Truly Emet'' was again a dance floor success especially the songs ''C'est La Vie'', and again ''Last Kiss''.

A few more performances were done with Alabina, though as of 2005, the group had seemed to disband by no longer actively performing or releasing new music.

Ishtar's third album, ''Je Sais D'où Je Viens (I know where I come from)'' was released in November 2005. This time the music was still Oriental pop, however much less dance. More hip hop-type beats were stirred in with the Arabic music. Most of the songs were sung in Arabic, four were sung in French, and a few in English, while Spanish and Hebrew could be found throughout the album. Again she found dance success with such singles as ''Habibi (Sawah)'', which for the first time in her career featured a rapper JMI Sissoko.

Shortly after a greatest hits CD, ''The Alabina Years'', was released, featuring a mix of Ishtar's solo hits, her Alabina hits, and some new English tracks as well.

Ishtar currently lives in France and is working on promoting her album "Best Of".

In 2005, Ishtar released her fifth album, which was recorded in Paris, New-York and Turkey, In this album, Ishtar adapted Arabic music from her childhood with various strains of Spanish and Western Pop music and featuring the artist Jimmy Sissoko.

After this album, she decided to take a break to give birth to her twins in 2007.

In 2009 she recorded the song ‘Yahad’ in duet with Kobi Peretz, which was awarded as ‘Song Of The Year’ at the Apple Music Awards in New York.

Discography

Albums

(Only solo CDs are listed)

''The Voice of Alabina''

''Truly Emet''

''Je Sais d'où Je Viens''

''The Alabina Years''

''Best Of Ishtar Alabina''

Singles

''Last Kiss''

''C'est La Vie''

''Habibi (Sawah)''

''Yahad''

DVDs

''Alabina On Tour 1997–2000'' (released 2002)

See also

Alabina

Los Niños de Sara

References

External links

Official web site

Ishtar biography, from RFI Musique (in French)

English translation of RFI Musique biography

Think Flamenco-Arabian music. Think ALABINA!, from eStart News

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Arabic-language singers Category:Dance musicians Category:English-language singers Category:French female singers Category:French pop singers Category:Israeli emigrants to France Category:Israeli Jews Category:Israeli people of Moroccan origin Category:People from Haifa District Category:Sephardi Jews Category:Spanish-language singers

es:Ishtar (cantante) fr:Ishtar Alabina he:אישתאר pt:Ishtar (cantora) ru:Иштар (певица)