Biography
Upon returning to Ethiopia in 1997—her initial visit since departing sixteen years earlier—Washington, D.C.-based vocalist Aster Aweke, born in that country, encountered thousands of devoted fans assembled at the airport to welcome her aircraft. Over the ensuing thirty-day series of concerts she sang for audiences exceeding eighty thousand, confirming her status as one of the nation’s most cherished artists.
Aweke achieved comparable recognition internationally. Her follow-up release, Kabu, held the number-one slot on the CMJ New Music Charts for a month and registered ten weeks inside the Top Ten of Billboard’s World Music Charts during 1990.
Born in Gondar, a modest settlement beside Lake Tana, she grew up in Addis Ababa, where her father served as a senior civil servant under the Imperial regime. Resolved on a musical path by age thirteen, she spent her late teenage years performing in the capital’s clubs and hotels alongside the Continental Band, the Hotel D’Afrique Band, the Shebele Band, and the Ibex Band, the last of which later achieved global notice as the Roha Band. Musical entrepreneur Ali Tango supported her move into solo work by funding and issuing five cassettes together with two singles. Disheartened by the country’s restrictive political atmosphere, Aweke left for the United States in 1981. She first took up residence in California’s Bay Area intending to study, yet within two years relocated to Washington, D.C., home to the largest Ethiopian community in America. After attracting listeners through appearances at neighborhood Ethiopian eateries, she embarked on U.S. and European tours in 1985.
Aweke achieved comparable recognition internationally. Her follow-up release, Kabu, held the number-one slot on the CMJ New Music Charts for a month and registered ten weeks inside the Top Ten of Billboard’s World Music Charts during 1990.
Born in Gondar, a modest settlement beside Lake Tana, she grew up in Addis Ababa, where her father served as a senior civil servant under the Imperial regime. Resolved on a musical path by age thirteen, she spent her late teenage years performing in the capital’s clubs and hotels alongside the Continental Band, the Hotel D’Afrique Band, the Shebele Band, and the Ibex Band, the last of which later achieved global notice as the Roha Band. Musical entrepreneur Ali Tango supported her move into solo work by funding and issuing five cassettes together with two singles. Disheartened by the country’s restrictive political atmosphere, Aweke left for the United States in 1981. She first took up residence in California’s Bay Area intending to study, yet within two years relocated to Washington, D.C., home to the largest Ethiopian community in America. After attracting listeners through appearances at neighborhood Ethiopian eateries, she embarked on U.S. and European tours in 1985.
Albums
