Izhar Cohen

Izhar Cohen was born in 1951 in Tel Aviv

Izhar Cohen was born in Tel Aviv on 13 March 1951 and grew up in Givatayim. His family were singers of Yemenite-Jewish descent, including his parents Sarah and Shlomo Cohen and his siblings Hofni, Pini and Vardina Cohen. At age 5 he joined the family singing troupe and later became its lead singer.

He served in the IDF's Nachal entertainment troupe. Soon after his release, in 1972, he put out the song "Illusions". In 1973 he sang in a quartet that performed for soldiers during the Yom Kippur War.

His songs were often played on Israeli radio in the 1970s, and his first album came out in 1976. In 1978 he won the Israel Song Festival and then the Eurovision Song Contest with the group Alphabeta and the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi". He was the first Israeli to win the contest.

He represented Israel again at Eurovision in 1985 with "Olé, Olé". He released more albums, acted at the Haifa Theatre and took part in musicals. He also tried to represent Israel in 1982, 1987 and 1996.

In later years he also makes and sells jewelry in his shop on Dizengoff Street. He appeared on The Singer in the Mask in 2020 and on Dancing with the Stars in 2024. In 2025 he received a lifetime achievement award.