About Ivri Lider

Ivri Lider is one of the most successful Israeli musicians of his generation, appreciated by fellow artists, critics, and the public alike. Through his lyrics, Ivri brings to life the thoughts and day-to-day encounters of a new generation of Israelis - a generation he calls "The New People." It comes as no surprise to those who follow the Israeli music scene that the combination of Ivri's songwriting and his unique voice have made him not only a star, but one of the most adored and respected people in Israel. Born on a Kibbutz in 1974, Ivri took his first musical steps while still in high school. At the age of 17, he started a group called Everyone Does It Like This, whose gigs included a performance at the legendary Roxanne club in Tel Aviv. As he continued to refine musical skills throughout his teen years, renowned Israeli modern dance choreographer Anat Danieli commissioned Lider to compose the music for two of her pieces, "Kisses" and "October." Shortly thereafter, he was tapped by Ohad Naharrin to compose the music for "Kaamos," which Naharrin choreographed for the famous Dutch dance company, NDT. And at the young age of 21, Israel's leading dance company, Bat Sheva, chose Lider to compose the entire score for Z/NA, making him the youngest person to compose an entire evening of music in the company's history. Just a few years later, one of Israel's largest record labels, Helicon Records, signed Ivri to produce his first album after receiving his demo tape in the mail. His debut album, "Caressing And Lying", was produced by Yo'ad Nevo and released in 1997. The singles "Leonardo" and "Always Love" were overnight radio hits, skyrocketing the record to Platinum status. Ivri's second album, "Better Nothing Than Almost", was released two years later. Again written entirely by Ivri, who this time co-produced with Nevo, the album included hits such as "Striped Shirt", "The Blue Glass" and the title track. Again, thanks to Ivri's haunting voice and vivid lyrics, his second album also received Platinum status. Ivri's second tour, "Better Nothing Than Almost", ran for 150 performances and won many prestigious awards, including Performer of the Year, awarded at the Israeli Music Industry Awards ceremony. The astounding success of his first two albums established Ivri as more than just another singer-songwriter, but as the voice of a new generation of Israelis. In 2001, Ivri produced Sharon Haziz's third album, "Headlights", and wrote the title song, which features a duet between the two artists. January 2002 saw the release of "The New People." This was Ivri's first solo shot at producing, and the album blended his signature style with an edgier, more electronic sound. It was around this time that Ivri came to a major decision in his personal life, and decided to speak honestly and openly about his sexuality. He gave a cover-story interview to Gal Uchovsky, for the daily newspaper Ma'ariv, which attracted widespread attention across the country. Despite the publicity it created, Ivri received warm and loving feedback from his fans, for which he is grateful to this very day. "The New People" produced a number of hits including "Coffee Shops", "At The Water's Edge" and a moving rendition of Ehud Manor's "Final Rain." Sales of "The New People" soon reached Gold status. The innovative performances that accompanied the release of this album solidified Lider's status as one of the most popular artists among students and young people in Israel. He is widely considered to be a trendsetter for the new generation. During that same year, Ivri collaborated with Idan Raichel, who was at the time a keyboard player in Ivri's band. Ivri produced and arranged the song "Come Along," which became a giant hit for Idan Raichel. Not content limiting his musical prowess to just record stores, Ivri composed original music for Eytan Fox and Gal Uchovsky's film "Yossi and Jagger." The soundtrack included a cover of Rita's 1980s hit "Come" sung by Ivri. This new interpretation of Rita's classic hit received rave reviews and became one of 2003's most popular tracks on radio throughout the country. Ivri also collaborated with actress Meital Duhan. Their show "Love and Sex During the Days of Awe" combined music, theatre and recitation that were specially created for this show. A poet at heart, Ivri also published a book of poems he had written throughout the last decade. During the summer of 2003, Ivri toured with Electro Live, a show that featured remixes of many of his hit songs, accompanied by innovative video art. And to round out an amazing year, he received the Lyricist of the Year award from ACUM, Israeli's copyright collection society. In 2004, Ivri again composed music for another Fox/Uchovsky film, "Walk On Water," the soundtrack of which included a rendition of the classic Esther and Avi Ofarim hit "Cinderella Rockefeller" sung by Rita and Ivri. The soundtrack also features a remix of Ivri's edgy rock song, "Mary Forever." Soon after, Lider co-produced Gilad Seggev's debut album "It's Okay Now", and began working on his fourth album. After writing all the songs, he decided to perform them in front of a live audience before recording them. Singing his new songs accompanied only by a piano, Ivri gave the audience a unique and intimate experience - an appetizer before the songs were arranged, produced, and recorded for the album. "It's Not The Same Thing" was released in February 2005 and immediately became a hit, again reaching Gold status in no time. In this album, Ivri decided to create a clean and completely different sound. An orchestra of 40 musicians played the string instruments heard throughout the album. Ivri's musical gamble paid off. The album's first single, "I've Known Love," was a soft, sweet piano-based single that became an instant success, further solidifying Ivri's place as a leading Israeli musician. In October 2005, Ivri was publicly rewarded for his most recent display of musical foresight and creativity. He was awarded Male Singer of the Year award from all the major national and local radio stations, and was then awarded Best Male Singer and Best Live Show at the Israeli Music Awards. In 2006, Ivri released the highly-anticipated Live DVD/CD in Tel Aviv. The live DVD and CD reached gold status immediately. In June 2006, Ivri's 3rd collaboration with Eytan Fox and Gal Uchovsky produced the score for their newest feature film, "The Bubble." This time Ivri also appeared in a beautiful cameo where he sang the Gershwin classic, "The Man I Love." By the end of the summer of 2006, Ivri was selected by Time Out Tel Aviv to be on their list of the "200 Coolest People" and was also mentioned as one of "The Most Beautiful People" on the Hip List of Israel's "People" magazine. For Lider, 2007 has been his busiest year so far. In May, Sony Music released its first GLBT compilation under their boutique label, Music With A Twist. Ivri's single, "Jesse," was one of thousands of entries received from across the world, and Ivri was the only non-American artist chosen to appear on the CD. The video for "Jesse," which was filmed in Northern Tel Aviv, has received widespread buzz in the blogosphere, even prompting Perez Hilton to post the video on his website and call it "Just Gorgeous." The video is now on rotation on LOGO's Click List and generating lots of traffic on YouTube. In June, Ivri wrapped up his 2 year, 300 performance tour for "It's Not The Same Thing." The final show, which took place in Tel Aviv, drew a record crowd and was a huge success. Ivri's guests at the final show included the first Israeli Idol winner, Ninet Tayeb, as well as the popular Israeli musical collaboration, Metropolin. The show was a perfect ending to an extremely successful and critically acclaimed tour. The following month, Ivri was named to OUT Magazine's list of the 100 most important people of 2007, which will hit newsstands in December. He was also featured on CBS News on LOGO, where he was interviewed by fellow Israeli, Itay Hod. For the remainder of 2007, Ivri plans to finish production on Rita's forthcoming album, as well as completing his first full English album, which he hopes to release in early 2008. At the same time, he will also continue working on his 5th Hebrew album, also set for release in 2008.