The Wonderful Music of Shlomo Artzi

Shlomo Artzi has long been one of Israel's most popular singers. 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. 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, 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!Despite having won the Israeli Song Festival as a young soldier in 1970, Artzi had to work hard to achieve success. If he is the number one singer in Israel, it is only because he has worked harder than all the other artists combined. When he started off, Artzi toured the country, performing everywhere he could – sometimes in front of half empty halls, sometimes in dark bars. 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 super stardom in 1996, with the release of his double-album "Shnaim" (Two). 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!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!