Rihanna in Jerusalem

R&B singing sensation Rihanna took to the stage in front of an Israeli audience for the first time Sunday night as part of her latest world tour.

It’s the first time in the Holy Land for the 22-year-old Barbados native. The concert was part of her Last Girl on Earth tour, which began three weeks ago in Europe.

Rihanna spent the two days prior to her show touring Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, holding press conferences, and meeting some of her fans. She said her time in Israel was an “amazing, amazing experience.”

On Saturday evening, Rihanna held a press conference at the “Kfir” Scouts center in Tel Aviv. She helped paint the building’s walls, took part in the creation of a wall painting and posed for photos with the young volunteers.

The concert’s organizers invited the audience to take part in various volunteering activities for four hours in order to be eligible to buy tickets for the show. Apart from the right to watch the concert, the many volunteers got the chance to join he singer at the “Kfir” center.

In addition to her tour of Jerusalem, Rihanna’s first visit to Israel also included a taste of hummus in Abu Gosh. She refused to tell the reporters what she wrote in the note she hid in the Western Wall, saying it was between her, God and the wall.

The reporters were asked not to ask the singer about her personal life or about the cancellation of the Elvis Costello gigs in Israel. Most of the press conference was devoted to the volunteering project, with Rihanna expressing her delight over the success of the campaign.

Tel Aviv is Rihanna’s last destination in her current European tour, which was launched following the release of her latest album, “Rated R”. In the past two months she performed in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland and Scotland. Her US tour will be launched in about two months.

[via Ynet]

Breaking barriers for women in rap, the one-woman hip-hop machine maintained a string of hit albums and singles throughout the next decade, including collaborations with Pink, Busta Rhymes and Lil Kim.

Her albums include Da Real World (1999), Miss E…So Addictive (2001), Under Construction (2002), This Is Not A Test (2003) and The Cookbook (2005).

[via JPost]

Legendary British heavy metal rocker and former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne is to perform in Israel in September, his official website has announced.

The performance will apparently take place on September 28, at Park Hayarkon in Tel Aviv, as part of a tour which begins in Folkstone, Britain on June 29.

Other destinations on the international tour include Moscow, Athens and Istanbul, as well as numerous stops in the United States.

Osbourne joins a rapidly expanding list of global music stars who will be performing in Israel this summer. Those set to appear include Elton John, The Pixies and Rod Stewart.

Last year, Israel hosted an array of world famous performers, including The Pet Shop Boys, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Leonard Cohen, Depeche Mode and Morrissey.

[via Haaretz]

Detailed proposals have already been handed to the three aging artists, and Israel is impatiently awaiting their responses.

Add to this list Paul Anka, Elton John, and Rod Stewart – who have or will perform in Israel as well – and a certain golden oldies trend may be perceived.

Paul McCartney and Leonard Cohen, who also stood on Israeli stages this year, are other examples of artists who peaked long ago. Their shows drew large crowds, however, and were largely praised.

Of the artists being asked to perform Sir Cliff Richards, who will hit 70 soon, is perhaps the most prestigious. The British knight had a dazzling music career that began in the late fifties and lasted around 20 years, and he put on a show in Israel in the early seventies.

The man who invited him this year is the same who secured his appearance way back then, Shmuel Tzemach. He has already booked the Nokia hall in Tel Aviv for two September shows and awaits the star’s arrival.

But Richard is also being courted by another music-savvy Israeli, businessman Kobi Sidi, who is simultaneously propositioning Diana Ross.

[via Ynet]

No confirmation has yet been received from Israeli producers.

The singer will arrive in the Jewish state after visiting Turkey as part of his July European Tour. It has not yet been reported whether he will be accompanied in Israel by his wife, German supermodel and TV presenter Heidi Klum.

Seal, 47, is best known for two chart-topping hits from the 1990s: “Crazy” and “Kiss from a Rose”. He has won multiple Grammy awards over the years for his achievements in music.

The singer has three children with Klum and has also adopted her daughter from a previous marriage.

His latest album, “Soul,” a collection of renditions of famous soul classics, was released two years ago. Last year he released a hits compilation as well as a DVD documenting one of his live shows in New York.

International superstar Rihanna is rumoured to be performing in Tel Aviv in the end of May. RihannaDaily.com report that she’s been invited to perform at a show organised by Orange at the Bloomfield Stadium on May 30th. The performance is expected to be a part of a giant Orange production by company Sofrfos.

More when we get it…

Moyet, who will sing a selection of her new and old songs, began her career in the 1980s as the lead singer of electronic pop duo Yazoo with Vince Clark. Together, they led the electropop music genre which was very popular in clubs in Britain and spread to the entire world. After the duo was disbanded, she launched a solo career.

In 1984 she released the solo album “Alf” with hit single “Resurrection Love”. In 2001 she returned to the stage after a long break with a new album.

The festival will also host performances by Israel’s best modern female artists, including an evening an honor of pioneer stage director Nola Chelton, which will be attended by Gila Almagor, Oded Kotler, Liora Rivlin, Yehoshua Sobol, Moni Moshonov and others.

Additional performances will mark the 25th anniversary of the album “Motek” by Corinne Allal and the Gan Eden band, the 50th anniversary of the Mowtown record company (with Ninet Tayeb, Efrat Gosh, Yael Dekelbaum, Rona Kenan, Mika Sade, Gal De Paz and the Funkenstein band) and Gosh’s new album. The festival will also include an exhibition in honor of actress and dancer Dvora Bertonov on the occasion of her 95th birthday.

Source: Ynet

Source: Globes

This will be Stewart’s second concert in Israel. His previous one was also held at the Ramat Gan Stadium in July 1983, when he was at the peak of his career.Stewart, 65, is considered one of the most popular singers in the history of the British music industry. He has sold 300 million albums so far, making him one of the most successful singers in the world.