Corinne Allal Essentials

Female rock songwriters and performers were scarce in Israel in the mid-'80s, when Allal's first album came out. Her boldness and ability to connect with the sounds of modern rock and pop quickly established her as one of the most important musicians of her generation. Allal preferred to pick lyrics by others—mainly poets—for her songs, though her music transformed the words into the most delightful and accessible pure pop. In later years, she became famous as one of the first Israeli artists to come out as gay, which gave courage to others.