From Prince's symbol to the dog that became a lion: The artists who changed their names

A culture article reviews international and Israeli artists who adopted new stage names, from Miley Cyrus who became 'Miley', through Prince who adopted an unpronounceable symbol in a fight for his rights, Arkady Dukhin who became Sugar Pain, David Bowie and the band Tin Machine, Chaim Tzinovitz 'The Burnt', Uri Kumai as Dudu Faruk, Rotem Shefi as Shefita, and Snoop Dogg who became Snoop Lion.

A wide-ranging culture article examines a recurring phenomenon in the music world: artists who choose to change their names, sometimes as an image move, sometimes as a protest, and sometimes as an attempt to break free from their familiar persona. The article covers several prominent examples, from Miley Cyrus who dropped her surname and became simply 'Miley', through Prince who in the early 1990s adopted an unpronounceable symbol in a legal battle with Warner Bros. Records over control of his music. In Israel, Arkady Dukhin adopted the name Sugar Pain at age 55 when he turned to hip hop, after previously trying the name Dootz in a trance project. David Bowie formed the band Tin Machine in 1988 in an attempt to frame himself as an equal band member. Chaim Tzinovitz created the character 'The Burnt' - a supposedly disabled and burned person - which was exposed as a marketing hoax. Uri Kumai became Dudu Faruk and Rotem Shefi became Shefita, two characters that sparked a debate about ethnic stereotypes. Snoop Dogg became Snoop Lion following his rapprochement with Rastafari.