International Israeli singer crossword puzzle. Dana international before surgery

In 1998, a bright and very beautiful singer from Israel performed at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Diva. Both the winning song and the singer instantly became very popular. For example, in Russia, Diva was covered by Philip Kirkorov, an old friend of the singer. Today, probably, everyone already knows that she was a man. After Eurovision, this information shocked many: it is hard to imagine that such a beautiful woman was born in a male body. However, it is. This is what Diva looked like (the name of the first hit became the second name of the singer) before the sex change operation.

Both photos show Dana International before surgery.

Dana International (birth name Yaron Cohen) has been mistaken for a girl since childhood. But only at the age of 15, after visiting a gay club, the young man finally realized his feminine essence. Interestingly, the youthful breaking of the voice did not touch Yaron. Few transsexuals can boast of this. "New" women, as a rule, have rough male voices. The voice of Dana International sounds like a woman, moreover, with a beautiful sexual timbre. The young man underwent sex reassignment surgery at the age of 21. Moreover, Yaron's family fully supported him in this difficult issue and do not remember that Dana International was a man before the operation, and this is very rare in such cases.

Dana is very upset that it was precisely the “surgical” facts of her biography that brought her world fame and interest. She still wanted to prove to everyone that she was a singer first and foremost. In 2011, Dana International tried to repeat its success at Eurovision, but this time the song did not even reach the final. Today, the sexy singer is forgotten. Occasionally she gives small concerts, performs at closed parties. St. Petersburg hosts an annual trans culture festival that bears her name. And despite the beautiful voice and bright appearance, Dana International became famous only because of her unusual life story.

Dana International is perhaps one of the most famous transgender singers in the world. The popularity of a deafening tsunami fell on the head of an outrageous lady after participating in the international song contest Eurovision in 1998. When the news about the bright winner spread around the world, it became known that "the girl is not quite a girl." Public outcry prompted a more detailed study of the personality of the singer.

Dana International in a past life

In the Jewish city of Tel Aviv on February 2, 1972, a dark-skinned boy named Aaron (Yaron) Cohen was born. The whole dignified family rejoiced, because the future successor of the family was born. However, all conscious childhood the child felt out of place. He loved to play with dolls, deliberately hating cars and railroads. From the age of eight, he began to get involved in music, and from the age of 14 he went to sing in the municipal choir.

In the boy's life, it was at this moment that the first love named Daniel met. Yaron adored his beloved, but soon Daniel was taken away by a car accident. After the stress experienced, all the contradictions within the boy sharpened. Contrary to strict religious laws and public opinion, the boy already dreamed of a female body and male attention. And at the age of 16, the boy was far from interested in studying, but in spending time in nightclubs, including many places for homosexuals.

The guy loved to dress up in bright women's dresses and voluminous wigs for performances. In 1988, a pomaded Aaron was spotted by DJ Ofer Nissim in one of the entertainment venues. Since then, cardinal changes began in his appearance and fate, because this acquaintance brought him a new job and the opportunity to realize himself in the coveted role of a woman on the big stage.

Aaron-Dana's stellar career

Dana International is Aaron's stage name. According to him, this name was chosen in memory of his first beloved boyfriend, Daniel. After the release of the first parody of the Whitney Houston song “My Name Is Not Susan”, the cult composition “Dana International” appeared, and over time, the album of the same name appears, which becomes gold in Europe, but in the homeland, a creature of an incomprehensible sex is called only a “prostitute” and "a disgrace to the nation."

At the international music contest "Eurovision" shocking singer presented the song "Diva". Talents were appreciated and diva-Dana successfully overtook all competitors. Over time, an equally resounding success in this competition fell on the "bearded woman". After the whole world learned the ins and outs of the winner, she was accepted with a creak in her native Israel.

Plastic Dana International

The path of Aaron's transformation into Dana was long and thorny, because in the 90s they did not chant slogans to transsexuals and were not proud of the absence of genitals and homosexual inclinations.

Sex change. In 1993, the boy went to London and performed the most important operation in his life - a sex change. Looking at the photo of this person before and after plastic surgery, you understand that in front of you is not an effeminate guy, as it is fashionable to call “androgynous” now, but an elegant woman with a waxy face and a slender figure.

After the operation, the name Aaron turns into Sharon, but the singer is still a man in her passport. And all because in order to recognize the sex, doctors must examine in detail all the bulges and concavities on her new female body. “I will never allow this,” the singer says.

Breast plastic. After the sex change, reconstructive mammoplasty followed. Before plastic surgery, due to the use of hormonal drugs, the mammary glands were already enlarged, but not enough. With the help of expanders inserted under the skin, into which several milliliters of fluid were injected every day, the skin on the chest was stretched, and small implants were inserted into the resulting pouches. This is far from the impressive size of transsexuals and (former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner), but small balls have become visible to the naked eye.

The identity of the star who cut off manhood has become known and discussed, along with eminent politicians and athletes. The reaction of the public was ambiguous, but over time the moral side of the issue was distorted, so we can say that Dana is now in the fashion trend. Remember only the appearance of a blogger or a model.

The singer can sing in Hebrew, English, Arabic, Spanish, Russian and Italian.
In 2000, the film "Lady D", dedicated to Dana, was released in the singer's homeland.

As a boy, she went to school in tight trousers, blouses and bright boots, so that it was easy to guess about her unconventional orientation.
When admitted to the army, the medical board wondered why the boy refused to serve his homeland. Aaron's chest, rounded from taking hormones, put an end to it.

Who is she, the mysterious artist Dana? After Eurovision, she got lost behind the "wars of cultures" and fights between the champions of traditional and innovative views. The bright diva was turned into an image, a symbol of this war, although the girl herself remains very religious and reads prayers before each stage appearance.

So it was on that significant day of glory, when the fragile singer, dressed in a silver dress, forgetting about her complexes, entered the big stage of Eurovision.

Video: Dana International - Diva (live sound)

Dana's biography, like the biography of any transsexual, will shock a simple layman a little, but, like any woman, she still has a lot of secrets in store even from the most curious paparazzi.

On February 2, 1972 (according to other sources, at the end of 1970), a boy was born in a poor family living in a working-class suburb of Tel Aviv. They named him Yaron Cohen - in honor of his uncle, who died a year ago during a terrorist attack. His father (Eliyahu) worked as a private secretary for a judge, and his mother (Bat-Galim (Gali)) was a housewife. He was the youngest child in the family - his sister Limor is 4 years older and his brother Nimrod is 3 years older. Often in various articles we can see a photo of a small swarthy boy with a doll in his hands. It, as it were, personifies his attachment to women's things from early childhood. He liked to play in the same company with the girls.

In 1979, he was greatly inspired by the victories of Ofra Haza (Israeli singer) at the Eurovision Song Contest. Yaron started playing music at the age of 8. From the age of ten he sang in the municipal choir, and at fourteen he took part for the first time in a real musical, Joseph and the Amazing Living Veil of Dreams. At school, he had to endure a great loss: his best friend Daniel died in a car accident. After graduating from elementary school, he continued his studies at Ironi Alef, where he met two brothers (Lior and Schmulick Sa'adia), who later became his backup dancer. Favorite subjects at school were "English" and "history". He was a diligent student ... but the internal contradictions, fueled by puberty, also became completely unbearable. His grades crept down, and his popularity in nightclubs went up. There he began to perform at the age of 16, dressing in bright women's outfits and wigs. To his great happiness, the parents reacted to the "strangeness" of their child with understanding.

One day, in 1988, at a nightclub, Yaron met Ofer Nissim, who was organizing a revue called Le La Lu and had difficulty finding a soloist. A parody of Whitney Houston's "My Name Is Not Susan" soon appeared. Nobody expected the song to become so popular!

First performed on the stage of the Opera club, the song was spun around the dance floors of Israel. By the way, with this song a new name appeared - Dana! The next song "Dana International" has already managed to break into the American charts - they learned about it abroad.

Now that Yaron has not only popularity, but also money, he takes the next important step in his life - he goes to the UK for a sex change operation (May 1993). And, fortunately, his parents were able to make this decision. Especially his sister Limor, with whom they always shared their secrets.

You can forget about Yaron, Sharon appeared instead. After recovering from the operation, Dana releases her first album, Danna International. Dana wants people to react to the operation as if it were an insignificant detail in her biography, like a change in hair color or nose plastic surgery: “First of all, I am a singer, only then other things come - character, beauty and past.” But will they let you forget about it when you are spinning at the top of the business show? Therefore, Dana does not turn away from her past. There is a lot of ambiguity in her songs and she is not shy about performing at gay festivals.

So, her debut album went gold, and the next, "Umpatampa" (1994), went platinum. In the same 1994, she becomes the best performer of the year in Israel. Pirated copies of her songs are a huge success abroad, especially in Egypt.

In 1995, Dana tries her hand at entering the Eurovision Song Contest. But participation in the Kdam-Eurovision (Israeli preliminary competition) brought her only second place. She did not despair at all and released a new album, EPtampa, in which trance and house music were mixed in disco.

With her work, Dana did a lot to ensure that the word "transsexual" did not cause unpleasant emotions in people. She is not just a great singer, singing in several languages, but also a wonderful person with versatile talents. Besides, she is a very beautiful girl.

More information about Dana International, media files at http://danainternation.do.am

Dana's biography, like the biography of any transsexual, will shock a simple layman a little, but, like any woman, she still has a lot of secrets in store even from the most curious paparazzi.

On February 2, 1972 (according to other sources - at the end of 2014), a boy was born in a poor family living in a working-class suburb of Tel Aviv. They named him Yaron Cohen - in honor of his uncle, who died a year ago during a terrorist attack. His father (Eliyahu) worked as a private secretary for a judge, and his mother (Bat-Galim (Gali)) was a housewife. He was the youngest child in the family - his sister Limor is 4 years older and his brother Nimrod is 3 years older. Often in various articles we can see a photo of a small swarthy boy with a doll in his hands. It, as it were, personifies his attachment to women's things from early childhood. He liked to play in the same company with the girls.

Favorite subjects at school were "English" and "history". He was a diligent student ... but the internal contradictions, fueled by puberty, became completely unbearable. His grades crept down, and his popularity in nightclubs went up. There he began to perform at the age of 16, dressing in bright women's outfits and wigs. To his great happiness, the parents reacted to the "strangeness" of their child with understanding.

Dana International has been mistaken for a girl since childhood. But only at the age of 15, after visiting a gay club, the young man finally realized his feminine essence. Interestingly, the youthful breaking of the voice did not touch Yaron. Few transsexuals can boast of this. "New" women, as a rule, have rough male voices. The voice of Dana International sounds like a woman, moreover, with a beautiful sexual timbre. The young man underwent sex reassignment surgery at the age of 21. Moreover, Yaron's family fully supported him in this difficult issue and do not remember that Dana International was a man before the operation, and this is very rare in such cases.

In 1979, he was very inspired by the victory of Ofra Haza (Israeli singer) at the Eurovision Song Contest. Yaron started playing music at the age of 8. From the age of ten he sang in the municipal choir, and at fourteen he took part for the first time in a real musical "Joseph and the Amazing Living Veil of Dreams." At school, he had to endure a great loss: his best friend Daniel died in a car accident. After graduating from elementary school, he continued his studies at Ironi Alef, where he met two brothers (Lior and Schmulick Sa "adia), who later began to work for him as a backup dancer.

First performed on the stage of the "Opera" club, the song was spun around the dance floors of Israel. By the way, with this song a new name appeared - Dana! The next song "Dana International" has already managed to break into the American charts - they learned about it abroad.

You can forget about Yaron, Sharon appeared instead. After recovering from the operation, Dana releases her first album - "Dana International". Dana wants people to react to the operation, as to an insignificant detail in her biography, as to a change in hair color or nose plastic surgery: "First of all, I'm a singer, only then other things come - character, beauty and past." But is it really about this let you forget when you're at the top of show business? Therefore, Dana does not turn away from her past. There is a lot of ambiguity in her songs and she is not shy about performing at gay festivals.

In 1998, Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Diva"

Danu is very upset that the "surgical" facts of her biography brought her world fame and interest. She still wanted to prove to everyone that she was a singer first and foremost. In 2011, Dana International tried to repeat its success at Eurovision, but this time the song did not even reach the final. Today, the sexy singer is forgotten. Occasionally she gives small concerts, performs at private parties. St. Petersburg hosts an annual trans culture festival that bears her name. And despite the beautiful voice and bright appearance, Dana International became famous only because of her unusual life story.

social event

Hard Times Dana International

They call her Diva, because the song with that name became the hallmark of Dana International, the famous Israeli transsexual who won first place at the Eurovision Song Contest a few years ago, causing a sensation in the world press. But lately, little has been heard about Diva. What happened to her?

He never asked indiscreet questions to those who were interviewed. And intimate topics, of course, did not touch. Firstly, I do not consider myself a fan of peeping through keyholes, and secondly, I understand that most normal people do not want to let strangers into the secrets of their alcove.

As for Dana International, she is a special case, completely extraordinary. And, of course, the point is not that Dana is a famous singer, literally a diva of show business. It wouldn't even occur to me to ask a woman about her love affairs, knowing that she... was born a man.

Once, after Dana's concert, I found myself in a crowd of fans and journalists surrounding her. And I asked her a question, which, in my opinion, could not embarrass her in any way. Judge for yourself: I asked why she chose this stage name - Dana. And the singer said: “Because I loved and until the end of my life I will remember the boy, whose name was Daniel.”

* * *
The one that today is called Dana International was born on February 2, 1972 on the outskirts of Tel Aviv in the Coen family, immigrants from Yemen. At the birth of the child, they named the male name Yaron - in honor of his uncle, who died a year earlier in a terrorist attack. There was no question of a female name, for the future Diva was born in a male guise. As expected, according to Jewish tradition, on the eighth day Yaron was circumcised.

The father of the future pop star - Eliyahu - served as a secretary in court, and his mother was engaged in housekeeping. From childhood, Yaron developed a very trusting relationship with his sister Limor and brother Nimrod, who were three and four years older than him, respectively.

At school, Yaron Cohen was considered a capable and diligent student. His favorite subjects were history and English. However, internal contradiction settled in him at an early age. In family photographs, little Yaron Cohen often appears with a doll in his hands and even in a girl's dress. His affection for women's things was considered by his parents as an oddity, which they nevertheless put up with, considering it a whim of a child with creative inclinations.

And in fact, from the age of eight, Yaron began to study music. From the age of ten he sang in the municipal choir, and at 14 he already participated in the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Living Veil of Dreams."

A few years will pass, and Yaron Cohen, turning into Dana International, will say: “In terms of creativity, Ofra Haza, who won second place at the Eurovision Song Contest in Berlin in 1983, had a huge influence on me.” Then the famous Israeli singer sang the song "I'm Still Alive", which became an instant hit. Haza, an ethnic singer (her parents, like Dana's, are from Yemen), pioneered Israeli pop music.

In 1988, in one of the nightclubs, Yaron met Ofer Nissim, the famous Israeli DJ who became the manager of the future star. Nissim organized a transvestite show in which Yaron imitated many famous singers, including Ofra Haza and Whitney Houston. Overnight, Yaron became a famous pop singer.

As a teenager, the future Dana International fell in love for the first time. It is this love that she still considers the most important in her life. His name was Daniel. They studied at the same school. In their free time, they liked to sit by the sea and dream. Dana, who was then Yaron, assured her friend that the day would come when they both would become famous. But Daniel did not live up to the days of glory. Tragedy happened. One evening he invited Yaron to ride bicycles. But on that day, a rehearsal was waiting for the future star, and Yaron could not go. And Daniel got hit by a car...

Yaron took the name "Dana" in memory of his first love. “Daniel has remained not only in my name,” says Dana International, “his presence is felt in my heart and in my voice.” According to the singer, it was thanks to the meeting with Daniel that she fully realized herself as a woman.

In Israel, both boys and girls are drafted into the army, but Yaron Cohen, who felt his belonging to the female sex, did not want to serve with the guys, and the draft board, for obvious reasons, could not enroll him in the women's battalion. The military doctors explained to Yaron Cohen that he was a transsexual.

WITH From a medical point of view, transsexualism is a disease, a discrepancy between biological and mental states. Today, the only possible treatment in this case is a surgical intervention, referred to in the language of the Aesculapians as sex correction, since hormonal and shock therapy rarely help in this case. Globally, the prevalence of transsexuals ranges from 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 100,000.

Transsexualism is a tragedy for any person. To resolve the internal contradiction, Yaron Cohen decided on an operation. It was May 1993 outside. Dana claims that she would have gone for the operation before, if ... not for the surname received at birth. According to Judaism, people with the surname Cohen belong to the family of priests, who have a special responsibility to the people.

The father of then-Yaron Cohen became seriously ill when he learned that his son was going to have a sex change surgery.

However, Yaron could no longer and did not want to retreat. He made the decision to become a woman irrevocably. It remained to choose where to do the operation. In principle, it could be held in Israel. But Yaron Cohen's medical record included a diagnosis made back in his school years: mental hermaphroditism. To determine a new diagnosis, it was necessary to go through several consultations. Friends advised the future Dana International: go to England. Firstly, they were ready to immediately make a woman out of Yaron, regardless of the diagnosis made by psychiatrists. Secondly, it was England that was and remains the leader of such operations. After all, it was there in 1953 (for the first time in the world!) that the British sailor Christian Jorgensen became Christina.

In May 1993, Yaron Cohen underwent sex reassignment surgery in England. And at the end of the same year, Dana International's album went on sale, which became "gold". She immediately received invitations to perform in Los Angeles and Miami. The next album, released in 1994, received a "platinum" nomination. Then Dana was recognized as the best Israeli performer. In 1995, she took second place in the Eurovision Song Contest, and three years later she won with the song "Diva" in this prestigious creative competition. Upon learning of Dana's success, the youth of Tel Aviv filled the streets - crowds of teenagers danced, sang, shouted her name.

Recently, sharing her memories of sex reassignment surgery with Naama Lenski, a journalist for the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahranot (Latest News), Dana said: “During the process of physical transformation, I felt quite normal. You rediscover yourself, soar above the ground. Only I had a hard time with breast augmentation. On a mental level, nothing has changed in me: thoughts, feelings, character traits, my former personality. The attitude of society towards me has changed, because I have grown boobs.

After such a statement by Dana, the journalist asked a completely frank question: “Tell me, did you cut it off or did you not cut it off?” For if you “cut off”, then you are “at” (address in Hebrew to a woman), and if you didn’t cut it off, then you are “ata” (address to a man). And this is how Dana International answered: “I would even show you everything if we were better acquainted. Everyone is interested in this question. I take it easy. My men know."

Speaking on one of the Israeli radio channels, Diva admitted: “I feel special, and I really like it. I wouldn't want to be a real woman, of which there are billions." Dana is well aware that she will never be able to become a mother, but is happy to babysit her sister and brother's children. And the most famous Israeli transsexual claims that she has a normal sex life, but she often remembers Daniel, misses him.

According to Dana, Israel is a country with a high degree of sexual freedom, "no less than in Germany, Holland and France." “I have been to many countries of the world,” Diva says, “and I vouch for my words.” However, in Israel, cities with a predominantly religious population of Dane are not allowed to enter. It is indicative that Jewish, Christian and Muslim orthodoxies act as a united front against her concerts. This is a rare case of coordinated actions of representatives of confessions, which are not always friendly towards each other.

E still remaining in a male guise, the future Diva did not hide the fact that she dreams of earning a lot. As a matter of fact, for this, she went up on stage. Frankly speaking with the same Naama Lensky, Dana says: “Darling, I can tell you that for half an hour of work I get ten of your monthly salaries.” True, immediately realizing that a considerable amount of arrogance and rudeness slipped in such a statement, Diva condescendingly apologized: “Forgive me if this sounds defiant, snobbish. But if I were you, I wouldn't ask, "Where have you disappeared to in recent years?"

However, Dana is disingenuous. Of course, she must comply with the image she created and maintain the image of an enchanting woman, flirting with everyone, always cheerful, always happy. But in fact, in recent years, her demand as a pop singer has declined. She herself does not hide the fact that she no longer “appears under every palm tree and under every birch”. Dana believes that popularity is far from a permanent phenomenon, and seeks to catch luck again, reassuring herself with reasoning: “You are climbing to the top, which is difficult to stay on. It is impossible to stay permanently on Olympus. Each artist has his own stellar year, when all the spotlights are directed at him.

The Israeli diva is convinced that the audience will go on a rampage at the concerts of the world's most famous pop stars, at whatever age they take the stage. As an example, she cites Madonna and Alla Pugacheva. Dana speaks rather modestly about herself: “Of course, I am not Madonna. But hardly any of the Israeli artists travels the world with tours more than me. Fact".

Of course, Dana is afraid that with age, the ranks of her fans will thin out. She laments with no small measure of worldly wisdom: “Doctors or lawyers gain reputation over the years, the cost of their services increases. In show business, it's the other way around. The older you are, the fewer clients you have.”

One of the first songs that made Dana International famous back when she was Yaron Cohen was called Fata Morgana. This song contains these words:

“Everything is really nothing.
Everything is just spells and magic.
Punishment and mercy.
And meanwhile…”

Indeed, "in the meantime" sometimes determines a lot. As with Dana International...

Zakhar GELMAN
Jerusalem