Shlomo Artzi - The Ultimate Israeli Superstar
Shlomo Artzi (Hebrew: שלמה ארצי) has long been one of Israel’s most popular singers, if not the most popular of them all. Artzi composes and writes his own songs, and performs them with an ensemble of musicians which have become household names in the Israeli music scene, including Avi Singolda the guitarist and Meir Israel the drummer. Artzi is well known for his marathon live concerts, which may continue for over three hours! During these performances he engages the crowd in his unique way, a way, which no other artist in the world has been able to emulate. He actually gets off the stage, microphone in hand, and mingles with the crowd while singing! Needless to say, it is these moments in his concerts which the crowd enjoys the most!
Artzi, despite having won the Israeli Song Festival as a young soldier in 1970, had to work hard to achieve the wide following he has today. In fact, if he is the number one singer in Israel, it is only because he has worked harder than all the other artists together. Artzi, together with his friend Echi the bassist, at times with a small band, at times just the two of them, would tour the country, performing everywhere they could – sometimes in front of half empty halls, sometimes in front of just four people! However, most people that went to his shows were amazed and taken away by the immense amount of energy he would put in to his performances. Word spread, and as time passed, year by year, album by album, Artzi would become bigger and bigger and gain a wider following, until the late 80’s, when he would perform his first mega-concert, in the Yarkon Park, the likes of which Israel has never seen before.
Artzi achieved absolute superstardom in 1996, with the release of his double-album “Shnaim” (Two), which included a duet with another Israeli superstar, Rita. His previous albums were bestsellers and achieve gold and platinum status; His albums after Two achieved success unprecedented in Israel, going triple-platinum. He is the only artist in Israel able to time and time again pack the largest venues, including the mythological Caesarea Theater. Tickets to his concerts sell out weeks ahead – sometimes even on the same week the show is announced!
What is Artzi’s secret? His songs? His lyrics? His energetic performances? His engaging the crowd and communicating with them at eye-level? Maybe it is all of these combined which make him the ultimate Israeli superstar. Unlike many superstars, he never stands “in front” of his crowd – rather, he “sits with them”, as he describes well in a famous line from one of his songs: “In a big stadium, overflowing with people, I sit together with them, waiting for the concert to start”.
With a career spanning over three decades, his new album “Shfuim” (Sane) the year’s best selling album, and still packing the largest venues in Israel with large crowds, you can be sure there is more to come from Shlomo Artzi – Israel’s most beloved and popular artist!
Filed by admin at December 8th, 2007 under General