Ivri Lider

It’s been a big year for openly gay Israeli pop star Ivri Lider. His first U.S. single, "Jesse," was released, exposing the singer to an entirely new fanbase and the music video has been in constant rotation on Logo (AfterElton.com’s parent company) ever since. He also performed a song in The Bubble, for which the singer also composed the score. If that weren’t enough, he was also selected as one of Out Magazine’s "Out 100" last month.

Gay blog Hunk du Jour scored an interview with the singer, in which he talks a bit about his upcoming Hebrew and English language albums and his ongoing professional relationship with director Eytan Fox. The singer addresses the fairly liberal attitude towards LGBT people in his native country and how things have changed since he first publicly came out in 2002:

I can definitely say there has been a shift. I think famous people coming out is an extremely important thing that helps to change lots of peoples' views. It also helps a lot of young people who are dealing with their sexuality and the feelings of being isolated and alone in the world. With regard to Israel, or at least Tel Aviv, you could probably call it one of the gayest cities in the world. For most people here, it's just not an issue.

The singer has also apparently found love since the last time we mentioned him on this blog:

I have a boyfriend for over a year now. His name is Mike Phifer and we met in New York. He moved to Israel nine months ago and now we live together here in Tel Aviv. I suppose I want the same thing everyone else wants in a man, someone who's smart, kind, cuddly, and really great in bed.

It’s definitely nice to see someone who’s managed to find worldwide success while making no apologies for being an out and proud gay man. Here’s hoping that Lider’s success continues when his new albums drop later this year. A U.S. tour is planned to begin sometime in March, before the album’s release.

You can watch the video for "Jesse" below:

*AfterElton.com