Rita Jahan-Farouz, known mononymously as Rita, was born on March 24, 1962, in Tehran, Iran. She is a singer and actress who immigrated to Israel with her family in 1970, settling in Ramat HaSharon. Rita began her career in 1980 as part of a musical troupe in the Israel Defense Forces. Her breakthrough moment came in 1986 when she participated in the Pre-Eurovision Song Contest with "Shvil haBrichah" and released her self-titled debut album Rita, which went triple platinum. In 1987, she released her English-language album Breaking Those Walls. Rita represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990 with "Shara Barkhovot (Singing in the Streets)" but only charted at number 18. Notable albums include Ahava Gedola (A Great Love) (1994), Tahanot Bazman (Stations in Time) (1996), and Time For Peace (2000). In 2011, Rita gained popularity in Iran with her Persian-language pop records. Her album All My Joys, released in 2012, went gold in Israel within three weeks. Rita has also acted in various productions, including Chicago and a film adaptation of Reading Lolita in Tehran.
