Dana International is the alter-ego of Israeli pop singer Sharon Cohen (born Yaron Cohen), currently one of her country's top artists. She was the first openly transgender artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest, which helped to pave the way for greater LGBT visibility in the contest.
Born male, she came out as transgender at the age of 13, underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1993 and released her first album later that year. It was a success, and more success followed with her next two albums.
She won the honor of representing Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 in Birmingham with the song Diva, winning with 172 points. She was best remembered for the parrot-feather dress she wore during her reprise. The song went on to become a hit across the continent.
In 2011, she returned to the Eurovision stage in Düsseldorf with the song Ding Dong. However, she failed to qualify from the semi-final, finishing 15th.
She was a guest at the 2019 contest in her hometown of Tel Aviv, performing as the interval act during the first semifinal and as part of the opening flag parade during the grand final.
Eurovision Song Contest 1998 | |||
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Trivia[]
- Due to the controversy over her selection in 1998, Dana International was put up in a hotel in Birmingham with bulletproof windows to guarantee her safety. Her Jean-Paul Gaultier parrot-feather dress worn during the winner's reprise was reportedly kept under armed guard.