Yair Nitzani (; born August 22, 1958) is an Israeli musician, songwriter, TV host and comedian.

Early life

Yair Nitzani was born in

Beersheba Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most p ...

in 1958. He is of Italian-Jewish descent. After serving in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

as a broadcaster on

Galei Zahal Israeli Army Radio ( lit. IDF waves) or Galei Tzahal, known in Israel by its acronym Galatz (), is a nationwide state funded Israeli radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces. The station broadcasts news, music, traffic reports and educa ...

in the 1980s, he joined the rock group T-Slam as a keyboardist and songwriter. Nitzani wrote some of the band's most famous songs, among them "Radio Chazak" (Loud Radio), "Partzufa Shel HaMdina" (The Country's Face), "Tnu Li Rokenrol" (Give Me Rock n' Roll), "Od Pgisha" (Another Date) "Chatzavim Porchim" (The Sea Squills are Blooming), and LirOt Ota Hayom (See Her Today). His identifying mark in the band was a faucet glued to his forehead.

Career

After T-Slam disbanded, Nitzani joined

Erez Tal Erez Moshe Tal (; born 27 July 1961) is an Israeli television host. Early life Born as Erez Moshe Ben-Tulila in Tel Aviv, Israel, to Jewish parents. His father, Aharon Ben-Tulila, immigrated from Algeria, whereas his mother Edna is Israeli-bor ...

and

Avri Gilad Avri Gilad (; born 21 November 1962) is an Israeli media personality. Avraham Kwastler (later "Avri Gilad") started his professional career in the mid-1980s as a host on Israel Defense Forces Radio. He has hosted many television game shows, incl ...

on the show ''Ma Yesh'' (What's Up) on

Israeli Army Radio Israeli Army Radio ( lit. IDF waves) or Galei Tzahal, known in Israel by its acronym Galatz (), is a nationwide state funded Israeli radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces. The station broadcasts news, music, traffic reports and educa ...

, and joined ''HaOlam HaErev'' (The World Tonight) on Israeli Channel 2. As CEO of the

Hed Artzi Hed Arzi Music (, meaning: ''Echo of My Country'') is an Israeli record label founded in 1946. History The company was founded in Tel Aviv in 1946 as a partnership of Zvi Levin (also known as Hirsch Lewin) with Josef Grossman, Alexander Borowi ...

recording company, he discovered new musical talent in Israel, such as the band Ha-Chaverim shel Natasha and the singer

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

. It was Nitzani's idea to mix

Ofra Haza Ofra Haza (; 19 November 1957 – 23 February 2000) was an Israeli singer, songwriter, and actress, commonly known in the Western world as " the Madonna of the East", or "the Israeli Madonna". Her voice has been described as a "tender" mezzo-sop ...

's Yemenite songs with a modern beat. He persuaded Izhar Ashdot to produce Galbi and Im Ninalu. Nitzani was voted to the board of directors of Acum (Israel's copyright society). In 2002, he was a consultant of content to Comverse. He was an adviser to Tunewiki, a leading app for lyrics. As a solo artist, he gained fame with his comedic hip hop song "Hashem Tamid" and a parody version of Brother Louie by

Modern Talking Modern Talking was a German pop duo consisting of arranger, songwriter and producer Dieter Bohlen and singer Thomas Anders. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the to ...

called "Shir Hamangal" (The Barbecue Song) with the actress Gani Tamir. From 2003 to 2005, Nitzani wrote and hosted three seasons of ''Ahorei HaChadashot'' (literally, "The Behind of the News") on Israeli Channel 10. He is the owner of a music company, Yair Nitzani Music. In February 2011, Nitzani was scheduled to join the judges of the reality show ''

Kokhav Nolad ''Kokhav Nolad'' (; meaning "A Star Is Born") was an Israeli reality television show searching for talented new vocalists, based on the British ''Pop Idol'' model. Since its debut on Israeli Channel 2 in 2003, Kokhav Nolad has become popular and ...

'', the Israeli version of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

''. Nitzani is the host of ''Yanshufim'' on channel 8 on Israeli cable TV. It was named the best TV show of 2011 and 2012. He is the host of ''A Bit High'', a weekly culture show on channel 10 in Israel. He also wrote a weekly satiric column for ''Israel Today'', Israel's most popular newspaper, until announcing that his column on August 24, 2023 would be his final one.

Discography

* T-Slam – ''Loud Radio'' * T-Slam – ''T-Slam 2'' * T-Slam – ''For Collectors Only'' * ''T-Slam with the Symphonic Orchestra of Rishon le Zion'', live * Singles – "Hashem Tamid" and "Shir Hamangal" * "Shiro Shel Shafshaf", performed by

Meir Banai Meir Banai (‎; 5 July 1960 – 12 January 2017) was an Israeli musician, singer, and songwriter. Biography Meir Banai was born in Beersheba in 1960, the son of Yitzhak Banai, to a traditional Jewish family which has produced various actors ...

, lyrics by Nitzani

Filmography

* ''Shovrim'', directed by

Avi Nesher Avi Nesher (Hebrew language, Hebrew: אבי נשר; born 13 December 1952) is an Israeli film producer, film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography Avi Nesher was born and raised in Ramat Gan, Israel. The child of a Romanian-born diplomat ...

(1984) * ''Avoda BaEnaim'', directed by

Yigal Shilon Yigal Shilon (Hebrew: יגאל שילון; April 23, 1946 – November 6, 2024) was an Israeli television producer, screenwriter, director, and host, best known for his role in creating popular Israeli prank shows. Biography Yigal Shilon was ...

(1989) * ''Kvod HaShagrir'' (1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nitzani, Yair 1958 births Living people Israeli Jews Israeli male singer-songwriters Israeli singer-songwriters Israeli people of Italian-Jewish descent

Early life

Career

Discography

Filmography

See also

References