Kirya (an ancient Hebrew nickname for Jerusalem) was Ofra Haza's 1992 follow-up to the internationally successful Shaday (1988) and Desert Wind (1989). Building on her successful blend of European pop and traditional Middle Eastern sounds, the album was a logical next step for Haza. Musically, it applied the sensibilities of pop producer Don Was to traditional song writing and instrumentation; lyrically, it delivered powerful themes of longing, joy, and the plight of the downtrodden in several languages, much like Haza's earlier work.
Along with producer Was, Haza was joined by other Western musicians, including a featured duet with Iggy Pop on "Daw Da Hiya", a song about a girl sentenced to death for becoming pregnant out of wedlock while the man responsible remains free. Music videos were made for two of the album's tracks, "Daw Da Hiya" and "Innocent" - "A Requiem for Refugees".
In 1993, the album was nominated for a Grammy[2] in the "Best World Music Album" category,[3] an achievement which to this day has not been matched by any other Israeli singer.
