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Dafna Dekel is an Israeli singer born in 1966 in the city of Ashdod, in the south of Israel. She was discovered while she served in the Israeli Army as a singer from 1986 to 1988, moving on to work in the Israeli musical Salah Shabati, as well as record her first, self-titled, album. Trying to "sell" her as a sex bomb, chubby Dekel was sent to go on a diet and have a plastic surgery to fix her nose. After losing 16 kelos and having her nose fixed, Dekel was marketed as Israel's newest star and became one of the country's most beautiful women of all time.
Dekel studied acting and dancing and also wrote and composed 4 songs on her debut album, but her biggest hit was "Hatzilu" (Help). She participated in the 1989 children's holiday show "Festigal" with the song "Ma kore li?" (what's happening to me?) which became a 1990's classic.
Dekel turned down her agent's suggetion to particiapte in the 1992 Israeli "Kdam" (the pre-selection to the Eurovision song contest), but after being promised that she would not win the competition she agreed to sing "Ze rak sport" (it's just sports). The song, an uptempo samba-style piece, won the Kdam and Dafna, in spite her lack of motivation, went on to represent her country in Sweden, gaining 85 points and reaching 6th place. "Ze rak sport" became her biggest hit to date and one of Israel's most successful and memorable pop songs of all time. A few scandals accured after the song was picked: the song was 3:17 minutes long, 17 seconds too long, which drove the Kdam's runner up and Dafna to court. The judge ruled in Dafna's favor. Also, the arrangement on stage had Dafna spin with her skirt flying up, revealing her legs. Dafna, who wasn't too keen on showing off her legs all over Europe, had asked her stylists to design special shorts, which she wore to her dressing rehersal that was shot by dozens of reporters. The PJ's-like shorts caused embaressment to the Israeli team, and eventually Dafna performed without them.
For the next three years Dafna was a refular on "Pilei Klaim" (stage wonders), a well respected children show, which later on turned out to be her informal entrace to "the children world". She released her second self-titled album in 1994 which wasn't as successful as her debut. Dafna took part in the 1995 "Festigal" (and got 3rd) and also in the 1999 Festigal. That year she also hosted the Eurovision song contest that was held in Jerusalem, along with Yigal Ravid and Sigal Shachmon. She appeared on a few children's video tapes which got her even more popular among children. The natural move for her was towards "Dafna and Doo-Di-Doo", one of Israel's most successful children shows in the country. Dafna starred in and composed the songs for the musical "Shilgiya" (snow white) which was critically acclaimed. Towards the end of the run Dafna's mother passed away and bravely enough Dafna went on to finish the run of the musical in spite her personal grief.
After being in the "children world" for more than a decade Dafna took a "grown up" part in "Agadat Deshe'" (a grass tale), a drama series which was picked for a secong season in 2007.
After no releasing any original songs for adults, in March 2008 Dafna Dekel released the single "Yoman yakar" (dear diary), the first song from her third album "Yoman" (diary) which she wrote all the lyrics to and composed most of it, along with her two musician brothers.
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