Is Israel’s best known female singer trying to cause a revolution? Rita Jahanforuz, known as Rita, was born in Iran and left for Israel at the age of eight. Songs from her recent album “My Joys” are being illegally sold in Iran, where the government forbids it because she is an Israeli singer.

“You know a lot of revolutions in the history of the world started with music,” she told The Blueprint in a phone interview from Israel.

But she said her intention with the album, which consists of Persian songs, was to make people clap, dance and enjoy. Told that Iran said she was in a “soft war” to win the hearts and minds of Iranians, she said she might win hearts and minds, but she is only about peace.

She said her plan to take Persian songs from her roots, modernize them, and make an album, made perfect sense. While there was some question as to how Israelis would react to a Persian album, she said the results speak for themselves.

“This record became a gold record in less than a month,” she said. “It makes people jump, dance and feel free.”

Jahanforuz said she’s excited for her American tour. She’ll be at UCLA’s Royce Hall on November 1 and Town Hall in New York City on November 11. She will be accompanied by nine musicians.

Jahanforuz said she was touched to hear that people in Iran were listening to her songs even though her music has been outlawed. She’s gotten e-mails praising her music and thanking her.

“This is really exciting,” she said. “I hear it’s a big hit in Iran and a lot of females love it and they want to thank me that I’m showing the world something different. The history is colorful and beautiful and I’m very happy that somehow we can connect through music.”

Jahanforuz said her family left Iran in 1970, nine years before the revolution there.

“My sister was 14 and was in a Muslim school,” she said. “It was her turn to say a prayer and she didn’t know how to say it. She was very upset and felt broken. My father saw how she felt and he knew it was time to move to Israel.”

Rita has churned out hit after hit after hit over the years. But she said she doesn’t take anything for granted. The singer said she felt a lot of pressure after her first album.

“My first record was like a Cinderella story,” she said. “It was a huge hit. But for the second album, I was very, very nervous. They said the second album will show if you’re the real thing…if you’re here to stay or just a one-time success. I was frightened but when it came out I was happy. I told myself that I will never be nervous again about making my music.”

Jahanforuz, who counts Barbara Streisand, Kate Bush, Stevie Wonder and Elton John as her favorite singers, said she knew she wanted to be a singer as a little girl. She said she’s not sure what would have happened if her family had stayed in Iran. She said she hopes to sing there one day, when there will be peace.

For her upcoming shows, she will perform songs from “My Joys” as well as other hits. The first hit single of “My Joys” is a song called “Shane” which can be seen on YouTube.

The beginning of the romantic song, as translated on her web site, speaks of a woman’s beautiful hair.

“Within your hair don’t comb so much/for in each of your head’s hairs my heart has settled.”

Jahanforuz said she’s learned to stay modest during all her success. And despite performing in so many shows, she said each time it’s still a thrill.

“Every time I go on stage I feel so lucky and so privileged,” she said. “I really feel blessed and I learned that you have to live in the present because everything can change in a second.”