Ishtar (singer)

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Ishtar from the cover of the album Truly (Emet)

Ishtar is an Israeli-born singer, born Eti Zach. She was born November 10, 1968 in Kiryat Ata, near Haïfa.

Ishtar was born and raised in Israel. Her parents are Moroccan and Egyptian. She speaks and sings in Arabic, Hebrew, French, Spanish, and English; in addition, she says she "half-speaks Moroccan." Ishtar began performing in clubs at age 15 and continued even in the Israeli army, where she served as one of the first female fighter pilots. Though she was born Eti Zach, she chose the name "Ishtar," a mesopotamian goddess, because her grandmother called her Ester, which "with her Egyptian accent it sounded like Ishtar," she said.

As the former lead singer of Alabina, Ishtar frequently sang in Arabic, complementing the Spanish of Los Niños de Sara. She often sings Arabic-style, with a wavering voice and trilling. She also sings Hebrew songs, sometimes songs from her childhood, only alone, however — not with Alabina. Occasionally she joins Los Niños in Spanish. On her own, she frequently sings French. Nine out of twelve songs in her album The Voice of Alabina are in French — and she has two songs in English: "C'est La Vie My Baby," from Truly (Emet), and "Last Kiss," from The Voice of Alabina.

Ishtar is frequently featured on Alabina album covers. She has dyed blond hair, which is sometimes curly, and dark brown eyes. She has been noted for her provocative dress in pictures and at concerts.

On her own, Ishtar has produced three albums: The Voice of Alabina (2000), Truly (Emet) (2003) and Je sais d'où je viens (2005). The first is mainly composed of French songs, the second is mostly in Hebrew, and Ishtar's last album is primarily in Arabic, with four songs in French, one in Spanish and significant chunks of English dispersed throughout.

Ishtar currently lives in France.