In recent years, Margalit Tzanani has become the face of "Kokhav Nolad" (A Star Is Born) the popular Israeli television show based on the "British Pop Idol" and "American Idol" model. Commonly referred to as Margol, the singer is best known for her Middle-Eastern music style that also includes rock, pop, and Arab musical influences. Margol seemed to have settled into the heart of prime-time television, and had been accepted into the hearts of the people. She was able to do so without being branded as merely a Middle-Eastern singer or affixed with that stereotype. Yet the start of her journey was a lot less glittering. Born in 1953 into a Yemenite family living in Netanya, Margol was the eldest of seven siblings and the only girl. As a young schoolgirl she already showed an interest in music. She became a choir soloist, and at the age of 17 performed as a singer and dancer in the Israeli musical production of "Hair" produced by famed singer and composer Tzvika Pik. Later, as part of the popular "Shokolada" band that performed at family events and weddings, Tzanani made a name for herself as a promising special-events singer within the middle-eastern music scene. At the time, Margol was managed by Eli Banai, who later became the manager of another Israeli songstress, Zehava Ben. Just before her big break Tzanani decided to part ways with her then-manager Banai and hire a new manager, Asher Reuveni. Her true professional breakthrough came in 1986 at the age of 33, when she was a guest on a popular Israeli television talk show. During both her interview and singing performance , Margol displayed her unique style, including the salty slang that would later become her trademark. The audience went wild when the singer declared, "I'm an original Mizrahi singer, part of the people." The show was broadcast on the country's only channel at the time, Channel One, giving Margol enormous exposure. An independent woman Over the years Margol has become known as one of the country's leading and most successful singers within the Mizrahi genre, which is generally dominated by males. Breaking away from the stereotype of a shy and subdued woman, Margol became one of the few prominent women on the Mizrahi music scene. On and off throughout her career, Margol has managed herself independently and portrayed power and strength while doing so. Within the Israeli entertainment industry Margol was understood to be tough, uncompromising, and, according to some, difficult to work with. Tzanani married in 1977 at the age of 24, and gave birth to a son, Assaf. The marriage was short-lived and ended in divorce in 1985. Margol chose to raise her son alone, never remarrying. Assaf became a graphic artist who designed album covers for his mother. He was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the police investigation into his mother's alleged crimes of extortion, violent threats, blackmail and obstruction of justice. Over the course of her career Tzanani has released 16 albums, and performed in innumerable festivals. One element that singled Margol out from the throngs of other Mizrahi singers was her ability to combine Middle-eastern styles with Western pop-rock, collaborating with many singers of that genre. In the 1990's Margol again decided to leave her management team, opting to run her career independently. Many speculated that this would signal the end of Margol's career and suggested that she was past her prime. In reality, her shining moment was yet to come. In 1993 Margol started a television career, hosting a number of shows on various channels in addition to a daily radio program. After a cluster of failed albums, Margol's 2005 release of "Tell me" finally met with popular and commercial success. It was a year later that Tzanani was selected to be one of the judges in the fourth season of the popular television singing competition "Kokhav Nolad" (A Star Is Born). She soon stood out with her unique style and original slag. Not everyone sang her praises Since her appearance on "Kokhav Nolad" Margol's career has flourished. She guest-starred in a production of the popular "Festigal" children's musical and hosted her own show "Margol Judges" on Israel's Channel 2, where she arbitrated real disputes. Yet not everyone was full of praise for the singer, with one industry insider saying, "Margol doesn't care about people in the least, when she was going through difficult times those at the 'Temaniada middle-eastern musical festival' always made sure to invite her to perform. Yet once she turned into 'Margol the brand' she abandoned them and didn't take another look in their direction." Two years ago Margol once again began to search for a new manager and found one in Assaf Atedgi, who had in past worked with singer-songwriter Amir Benayoun. Allegedly the recent dispute between Tzanani and Atedgi revolved around the management of Omer Adam's career, Adam being a former contestant on "Kokhav Nolad" (forced to leave the program due to his lying about his age). Tzanani had been part of Omer Adam's management team together with Atedgi, both overseeing the young singer's rapidly rising career within the middle-eastern music genre. Margol and her former manager organized large-scale concerts for Adam, ultimately leading to financial troubles. Months ago industry sources were already speaking of tension between Tzanani and Atedgi, and were not surprised by the case made public Tuesday.
