Gali Atari is an actor and singer-songwriter. In 1971, when she was only 17, she released her first hit single, You have Sunshine (‘yesh lecha shemesh’). Atari’s career truly started taking off towards the end of the 1970s when she entered the Israel Song Festival with her song, Valentino (aka ‘nasich hahalomot’, ‘prince charming’ in Hebrew). On the heels of her festival success, Atari released her debut album in 1978, also titled Valentino.
In 1979, Atari and her band, Milk & Honey, represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest that was held in Jerusalem that year with their song, Hallelujah. However, winning the competition with their entry would not stop the band from breaking up the following year. Following Milk & Honey’s demise, Atari went on to have a highly successful solo career, in the course of which she recorded over 10 studio albums. Several of her songs have since become staples of Israeli culture including Red Sun (‘shemesh aduma’), I have no Other Country (‘ein li eretz acheret’), Nepal, and The Song that will Bring you Love (‘hashir sheyavi lach ahava.’)
Whilst making a name for herself as a singer, Atari also landed the role of Mali in director, Avi Nesher’s debut feature, The Band (1978). Atari would become a regular collaborator of Nesher’s in his early years as a filmmaker, appearing in his 1985 film, Breaking, and in the 1979 cult classic, Dizengoff 99, where she played gifted musician, Miri, and performed the hit single, Long Road (‘derech aruka’).
Atari is the surviving sister of late singer and actor, Yona Atari, and late radio and TV presenter, Shosh Atari.
