The album Queen in Exile marks a fascinating period in Ofra Haza’s international career, beginning with her move to the BMG record label in 1994. The project featured an innovative ethno-pop and synth-pop style, the result of a collaboration between Israeli producer Izhar Ashdot and Talking Heads members Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. Although the first single, “Mata Hari”, was a success on MTV in 1995—showcasing a mesmerizing blend of Yemenite style and modern electronic production—the entire album was shelved due to irreconcilable artistic differences. The central dispute revolved around the choice of producers and the label’s decision to release the music video without final approval from Haza and Bezalel Aloni, leading them to cancel the project’s release.

Among the album’s notable tracks are “Genesis”, “Jerusalem”, and a powerful cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”. Despite being officially shelved, the album continued to garner significant interest from fans over the years. A large portion of its songs finally saw the light of day in 2004 as part of the collection Manginat Halev 2 (Melody of the Heart 2).