Although Rahel Yohannes is a formidable singer who has performed professionally for more than 20 years, her entrance into the music business was almost by coincidence. As the manager of an Ethiopian restaurant, Rahel would frequently entertain her customers by singing acappella for them. Her patrons began to look forward to her impromptu performances and, one evening, one of these admirers brought the late Ketema Mekonnen,a well-known singer and player of traditional musical instruments, to the restaurant and asked Rahel to join him in a song. She performed the haunting ballad “Tizita,” and a couple of years later released her first album. Since then, she has released nine recordings as a professional singer.
In addition to being an accomplished entertainer, Rahel is an entrepreneur who has owned and operated various nightclubs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Presently, she entertains ever-growing audiences at the Fasika Restaurant and Nightclub in Addis Ababa.
"Menelik", a tribute to the late emperor of Ethiopia, is Rahel’s tenth album.
Tamrat Desta (born 1978) is an Ethiopian singer and vocalist.Desta was born in the small town of Tiqur Wuha near Awassa, Ethiopia. He is the second of three children, all boys. After a few years, his family moved to Shashemene and later back to Awassa, where he finished high school. All three towns are located approximately 250 kilometers south of the capital Addis Ababa.
In 1998, Desta moved to Dire Dawa, situated 515 kilometers east of Addis Ababa, to live with his guardian and work at Cherqa Cherq Yekenet Buden. There, he received basic training in performing with a band and as a vocalist.
In 1999, Desta relocated to Addis Ababa to pursue his music career. He released his first album Anleyaym in 2004, for which he received wide acclaim. Most of the lyrics on this CD were written by Habtamu Bogale, and the melodies of six tracks were composed by Tamrat.
Teshome Mitiku has had a legendary 40-year career at the heart of Ethiopian music, forming the massively popular Soul Ekos Band in Addis Ababa in the 1960s. The Soul Ekos Band was the first to combine traditional Ethiopian music with the sounds of electric soul and popular music from the West. They were absolute superstars, playing regularly in front of crowds of 60,000 in Ethiopia, Sudan & Kenya.
Teshome Mitiku is featured on volumes 1, 4 and 10 of the celebrated Ethiopiques series from Buda Records, featuring thrilling discoveries from the vibrant Ethiopian music scene of the 1970s. His songs have also appeared on the popular Rough Guide series of world music compilations.
In 2002, Boston's popular Either/Orchestra released Afro-Cubism, a six-track album that contained Teshome Mitiku's "Yezemed Yebaed."
Teshome Mitiku's 1995 release Yegna Neger was voted the Best Ethiopian Album Recorded Since 1990 in a recent poll by Netsanet, Le Ethiopian Radio, of Ethiopians living worldwide.
Now based in Washington DC, Mitiku formed the first Ethiopian Music Association in 1996. About forty artists from the association performed in front of 3,000 people at the Kennedy Center for a benefit concert that raised money for two orphanages in Addis Ababa and Debra Berhane.
Topia's Deluge is essentially a mainstream pop recording. Its synth lines and other melodic instrumentation, its orchestrations and beats -- both danceable and smooth -- will sound familiar to any listener of contemporary radio, and Mitiku's robust yet subtle vocals and rounded-edges production is easily accessible. English translations are provided, allowing the listener more of an opportunity to understand that these songs of love and spirituality, equality and freedom from hate and war, are universal, language barriers be damned. Mitiku's clear and strong voice, and these uncomplicated songs, would no doubt translate beautifully to a live situation as well.
01. Teshome Mitiku - Ambati (Ere Ney, Ere Ney) (5:12) 02. Teshome Mitiku - Topia's Deluge (Egzio) (8:11) 03. Teshome Mitiku - Love Me As I Am (6:23) 04. Teshome Mitiku - Song of Songs ("Wubnesh Mahaleye Mahaleye Ze Solomon") (7:57) 05. Teshome Mitiku - Senseless War (Badme Shiraro) (6:57) 06. Teshome Mitiku - Hallelujah (Hallelujah) (5:44) 07. Teshome Mitiku - Song for Alem (Alemeye) (6:20) 08. Teshome Mitiku - Lies (Mot Yalesh Manew) (5:40) 09. Teshome Mitiku - Ballad of Amariah (Menew Zem A (5:38) 10. Teshome Mitiku - Leader-Less People (Ande Sew) (6:10) 11. Teshome Mitiku - Far Away But Near (5:52) 12. Teshome Mitiku - Why (Ere Menew) (6:41)
Born and raised in Merkato, the largest open market in Africa, where the primary merchandise passing through is locally-grown agricltural products such as Coffee and chat. Merkato also happened to be home to the biggest hustlers in Addis Ababa, the shottest slang and new fashion. Reggae and Hip Hop arrives in Merkato first, then it hits the other parts of the city. When the entire Addis Ababa city goes to sleep, Merkato is always up.
Abdu Kiargrew up listening to music, he fell in love with Roots Reggae, Hip Hop, Tilahun Gessesse and Mahmoud Ahmed. He was always listening and imitating his favorite Reggae's singers and Hip Hop artist such as Biggie Smalls, Mase, and others. He was doing the imitations while adding his own Amharic lyrics to them. He began performing in night clubs around Addis Ababa, audiences loved his style of mixing these different generes of music. He was approached by many producers to record and release an album. However, Abdu Kiar wanted to finish his school and get a degree. He never thought of music as away to make a living, he was doing music for the love of it and he continues to do so to this date. He began attending College and doing music on the side as a hobby. However, the Ethiopian and Eritrean war broke out in 1998. Many Eritreans were deported from Addis Ababa including some of Abdu Kiar's family members. He escaped and went to Saudia Arabia where he became a salesman. It was hard for him, being away from the people he loved and his neighborhood. He was feeling like a motherless child, because Merkato was his home and Ethiopia was the only mother he knew. That war left some scars and deep on wounds on his soul. When the war settled down, he managed to go back home and the first thing he did was write down all his pain and expressed all of his emotions the best way he knew how through music. Accompanied by his producer Dagmawi Ali, he wrote and entire album at one of his favorite stores in Merkato. Twenty days later, the entire album was recorded and released.
Afterward, Abdu Kiar Had to go back to Saudia Arabia and report to his job. The album included the track "Merkato Sefere" meaning merkato my home, dedicated to Merkato, Addis Ababa and Ethiopia. The song opens with a Reggae skank and Abdu begins to sing asking Addis Ababa, "Did stop looking after the ones whom you raised and got lost, did you stop wondering where did they go? Your humble and great children are scattered all over the world suffering, missing you and everything about you, please call them back and and unite them again, when they get together you are their biggest topic and favorite subject. He goes on and says "I don't have any mother beside you, you are my everything, My beloved home, which I don't have any other one". The song became an instant classic and biggest Ethiopian hit of the new century. The most requested song in radios, clubs, and everywhere Ethiopians reside. It became a national anthem, Ethiopians outside of their country related to his words so much. Abdu Kiar himself didn't expect that kind of respond from the song, when the news reached him, he quitted his day job and decided to make music as his full time occupation. He began an extensive world tour for the next three years. Fans declared him the unofficial mayor of Merkato and the proud son of Addis Ababa. He put Merkato on the map and gave it a new face: State of mind. Before the song, Merkato had a negative image and bad reputation. It's a place where find stick-up kids roaming the streets non stop looking for something to rob and hardcore thugs ruled the street. Abdu Kiar showed the softer side of his neighborhood, the caring, sharing and how they take good care of each others; One of them was equal all of them.
Abdu Kiarbegan working on his second album, writing full time and co/producing it with Dawit Tilahun.Fiker Be Amarignawhich means love in Amaharic was one of the top selling albums of 2006. Each song was a huge hit in there, his fan base grew and he came to the USA in 2007. He's constantly pushing the envelope in his music, trying new ideas and playing by his own rules. Ethiopian's live shows in America used to be a singer accompanied by a keyboard player and sometimes a bass player. Live drummers were no longer needed to cut the cost for the promoters and generate huge pay day for the singers. Abdu didn't agree with that, he brought in Tefferi one of the best Ethiopian drummers on the scene, Yohannes Tona "bass", and Behailu Agonafir "keyboard" with him. His message was clear "take the entire band or leave it. That cost him some gigs and beef with promoters, but he stood his ground and said "Music is not about paying my bills and making huge amount of money, it's a message and one must do the best he or she can to delivered it, we need to bring our Ethiopian sound to its highest form".
Abdu Kiar's live shows are considered to be some of the best Ethiopian shows. The energy between him and his band is incredible. "Basically you get your money worth" as one critic noted.
