Kiros Alemayehu (Ge'ez: ኪሮስ ዓለማየሁ)(1948–1994) was an Ethiopian Tigrigna singer. He was born in Tigray region, Saesi Tsaedaemba and was the only child to his parents.
Kiros was born to his father Girazmach Alemayehu Meles and Mrs. Qeleb Gebremeskel in the eastern part of Tigray region, in a village known as Saesi Tsaedaemba in 1948 (1940 EC). He went to school in the nearby city of Wukro and then joined Atse Yohannes High School in Mekelle.
Kiros Alemayehu - Aymenekuwan
Kiros was a prolific song writer and singer. He popularized Tigrigna songs through his albums to the non-Tigrinya speaking Ethiopians. Before joining Ras Theatre in 1975E.C (circa 1982-1983) where he published his first Album, Kiros had worked as assistant trainer of Tigray Musical Troupe (ትግራይ ኪነት). Some of his songs include "Anguay fisis", "Fililiy","Selam Hawa", "Suwur Fikri" "Adey Mekele". Kiros along with other musicians had played in Libya and other middle eastern countries. A memorial library is under construction in Wukro near his birthplace.
Ayalew Mesfin, being seemingly one of the underdogs of his time, he was extremly funky. His tunes from the Ethiopiques series can prove that, listening to‘Feker Aydellem Wey’or‘Hasabe’you might see why. He first started his career in the 70's and is comparable to the style of Alemayehu Eshete. His Fetan BandandThe Black Lion Bandhad definetly an approach to western funk.
Probably the most fuzzed out track on all of Buda Musique‘s sprawling twenty some odd volumes of their Éthiopiques series, has to be Ayaléw Mèsfin & Black Lion Band’s song Hasabé. That song can be found on the eighth volume, but Mèsfin and his band have been featured on the 13th and 24th volumes, as well as a Rough Guide compilation called The Rough Guide to African Blues.
Ayalew Mesfin - Hasabé
Ayaléw Mèsfin got his start playing with a band calledFetan Band – or Speed Band– at the Patrice Lumumba Bar in Addis Ababa. According to his biography, he has released “about twenty singles and a dozen tapes released since 1974. He also opened the Ayaléw Music Shop in Addis Ababa, that he still owns even after moving to America.
In January 2008, he performed with the Dutch band The Ex at the Hager Fekir Theatre in Addis Ababa.
