Ishtar Alabina

Born in Israel, Ishtar was raised by an Egyptian mother and a Moroccan father with Spanish roots. She spoke both Arabic and Hebrew and was surrounded by music from an early age. When Ishtar began performing professionally in her country, she was only 14. At the age of 20, she visited a number of countries including Australia and boosted her traveling funds by performing in local clubs. On her return trip to Israel Ishtar stopped off to visit a friend in France and decided to stay there. The singer wasted no time in getting her music career up and running abroad, working as a backing singer for a host of well-known artists including the group Kaoma, Tonton David and Julien Clerc. But Ishtar’s big breakthrough came when producer Charles Ibgui came to see her in concert. Impressed by Ishtars extraordinary voice, he introduced her to a group of Gypsy, 'Los Niños de Sara'. Ishtar became the group’s frontwoman and, under the name 'Alabina', the fivesome went on to create a catchy multi-cultural fusion sound.