From San Francisco to Addis Ababa with Meklit Hadero

The rising Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter, Meklit Hadero, is to showcase her works in Addis Ababa at the Alliance éthio-française on January 11. The young artist who is known for her fused beats of Tizzeta and Jazz which she describes as emanating from “in-between spaces”. She will also perform at Selam Festival on January 12 which will be held at Atse Tedros Stadium in Bahir Dar.
Meklit is also known for her Nile Project, founded along with Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis, in which she set out to explore the music of the Nile basin, pulling influences from countries along the river, from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, and finally to Egypt. The project brings together hip-hop, traditional and contemporary music, with instruments and traditions old and new. As she says, “My work on a lot of levels is about multiplicity.” Their new record is Aswan.
Meklit, who sings in English and Amharic, born in Addis Ababa, fled with her doctor parents to the United States in hopes of escaping the years of violence that followed Ethiopia’s 1974 revolution. She was raised in Iowa and Brooklyn.
Meklit’s album – When the People Move, the Music Moves Too – was released June 2017 receiving rave reviews and quickly reaching #4 on the iTunes World Music Charts, #1 on the NACC World Charts and #12 on the World Charts in Europe. It was also named one of the 100 Best Albums of 2017 by the Sunday Times UK, one of the Best Soul Albums of 2017 by Bandcamp and amongst the 10 Best Bay Area albums of 2017 by KQED. These 11 songs were deeply inspired by Mulatu Astatke (the Godfather of Ethio-Jazz). The entrance is free and the show will be at 8 pm.
Feedback about her songs:
“Meklit is one of those rare artists with the power to bridge genres, geography, and generations.” – Google Music
“Soulful, tremulous and strangely cinematic, Meklit’s voice will implant scenes in your mind – a softly lit supper club, a Brooklyn stoop, a sun-baked road. Close your eyes, listen and dream.” – Seattle Times
“Meklit… combines N.Y. jazz with West Coast folk and African flourishes, all bound together by her beguiling voice, which is part sunshine and part cloudy day.” – Filter Magazine