Biography
Who is Rita?
Early life and real name
Rita was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1962 to a family of Persian Jews. Her full birth name is Rita Jahan-Farouz. In 1970, when she was eight years old, her family immigrated to Israel and settled in the city of Ramat HaSharon.
During her compulsory military service in the early 1980s, she began singing professionally as a member of a musical band in the Israel Defense Forces. In 1982, she attended the Beit Zvi School for the Performing Arts and Theater in Ramat Gan.
Career highlights
Rita released her self-titled debut album in 1986, which went triple platinum and sold over 120,000 copies. That same year, she starred in a theatrical production of the musical My Fair Lady and gained widespread attention at the Pre-Eurovision Song Contest with her song Shvil haBrichah.
In both 1988 and 1989, she was chosen as Singer of the Year by Israel's national radio station. She represented Israel in the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest by singing Shara Barkhovot.
Over the course of her career, Rita has released 12 studio albums, including Yamey Ha-Tom and Ahava Gdola, and sold over a million albums in total. She also voiced Pocahontas in the Hebrew-dubbed version of the Disney animated film and acted in the 2025 film Reading Lolita in Tehran.
Persian language music and reception
In 2011, Rita released pop records in her native Persian language, starting with the single Shaneh. These releases brought her significant fame in Iran, where fans downloaded or bought bootleg copies of her music despite Westernized popular music being banned.
Her Persian albums, including All My Joys, were also successful in Israel. She has often been described as a cultural ambassador between Israelis and Iranians, expressing a desire to bridge the gap between the two countries through her music.
Family and personal life
In 1988, Rita married Israeli singer and composer Rami Kleinstein. The couple had two daughters together, Meshi Kleinstein born in 1992 and Noam Kleinstein born in 2001. Rita and Rami performed together on stage before announcing their separation in 2007.
Her niece is Israeli actress and singer Liraz Charhi. In 2022, Rita received honors as a torchbearer in the national Israeli Independence Day ceremony and published her debut novel titled Rain-Soaked Chador.
Birthday and age
Rita was born on March 24, 1962, which makes Rita 64 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Rita shares the date with 32 other famous people.
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