Alabina, Ishtar

Ishtar, born Eti Zach on November 10, 1968 in Israel, rose to fame as the lead singer of Alabina, a band that mixed musical traditions as well as languages, and racked up chart hits in various countries. Ishtar launched her solo career in 2000 with the album La Voix d’Alabina, adding a pronounced Asian musical influence to the hybrid of Arabic and dance music that had made Alabina a success. The single “Last Kiss” proved to be a club hit. Her 2003 follow-up, Truly Emet, found her attempting to forge a connection between Arab and Israeli culture by singing songs in both Arabic and Hebrew. The single “Ce’est La Vie” was another huge dance hit. For her third album, 2005’s Je Sais D’où Je Viens, swapped out dance rhythms for more hip-hop leaning syncopation, and she had another club hit with “Habibi (Sawah)”, which featured rapper JMI Sissoko. She stepped back from music to start a family, giving birth to twins in 2007. She returned with the album 7 in 2012, and paid tribute to her adopted country of France on the 2016 LP Baila.