Shlomo Artzi was born on Moshav Alonei Abba. Artzi's parents were Holocaust survivors and their memories deeply influenced him and his sister Nava Semel, a playwright. His father, Yitzhak Artzi, a Zionist activist in Bukovina, Romania in his youth, was later a member of the Knesset. His maternal grandmother was the sister of Rabbi Meir Shapiro. When Artzi was eight years old, his family moved to north Tel Aviv. Artzi's schoolmates thought he would become an actor, not a musician, as he was known for his acting skills at elementary school. However, at the age of twelve, he started playing the guitar and singing in a boy scouts group and at friends' parties. Artzi has been married twice and has three children from his first marriage: Ben Artzi (singer), Shiri Artzi (author married to Yiftach Klein), and Jonathan Artzi. Artzi resides in Ramat Gan. He is a fan of the football club Maccabi Netanya and composed its championship song in 1971.