Aster Aweke
አስቴር አወቀ
Aster Aweke performing at a 2012 concert in Melbourne, Australia.
Aster Aweke performing at a 2012 concert in Melbourne, Australia.
Background information
Born1959 (age 64–65)
Gondar, Begemder Province, Ethiopian Empire (now Amhara Region, Ethiopia)
OriginGondar, Ethiopia
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1970s–present
Labels

Aster Aweke (Amharic: አስቴር አወቀ; born 1959)[1] is an Ethiopian singer-songwriter. Aster's voice has attracted broader public popularity, especially tracing back in 1990s singles and her single "Abebayehosh" in Ethiopian New Year. She is best known for her 1999 album Hagere and her 2006 album Fikir. She moved to the United States in 1981, and she returned to Ethiopia in 1997.[2][3]

Early life

Born in Gondar in 1959,[4] she moved to Addis Ababa as a child with her father, who was senior civil servant in the imperial government of Haile Selassie.[5] Aster hails from the Amhara ethnic group.[6]

In a 1990 interview with Amy Duncan of The Christian Science Monitor, Aster told the opposition of her music ambition from her parents: "My family opposed me, but i just kept going and going....That's my life. I tried everything, but music makes me so happy."[7]

Career

Aster enjoyed listening to Ethiopian musicians like Tilahun Gessesse and Bizunesh Bekele, as well as American musicians like Donna Summer and Aretha Franklin.[8][9] When she was thirteen years-old, she decided to join Hager Fikir Theatre and auditioned by singing Bizunesh's song to join the theater as a dancer and vocalist.[8][10]

In her teen years, she performed through clubs at Addis Ababa with famous bands including Shebelle Band, Roha Band, Ibex Band and Hotel D'Afrique Band.[11] Her style gradually influenced by Bizunesh Bekele and performed songs by Donna Summer and Aretha Franklin. She began as a solo career in 1977 through the release of her debut album, and followed with three more albums within the year.[12]

In 1981, she moved to the United States. She temporarily settled in the San Francisco Bay Area of California and then within two years moved to Washington, D.C. She briefly attended Northern Virginia Community College, specializing in computer science, as well as learning formal musical education, which she took a distaste towards.[13] During her time in the D.C. metropolitan area, she performed in restaurants and clubs. During her time in Washington, Aster released her U.S. major label debut Aster. Aster was released by Columbia Records in 1990 after a 1989 release by British independent label Triple Earth.[13]

In 1997, after more than 15 years abroad, Aster returned to Ethiopia, where she was warmly welcomed by thousands of fans awaiting her at Addis Ababa airport.[14]

Aster Aweke owned and operated a cafeteria in Addis Ababa called Kabu, which was named after her song "Kabu". The cafeteria ceased operations in 2015.[15] On 3 January 2023, Aster released Soba. The album comprises a collabrative work of other artists.[16]

Discography

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2021)
Albums
Title Year Label
Aster 1990 Triple Earth, Columbia/CBS Records[2]
Kabu[2] 1991 Colombia/CBS Records
Ebo 1994 Barkhanns
Live in London 1995 Barkhanns
Hagere 1999 Kabu Records
Sugar 2001 Kabu Records
Asters Ballads 2004 Kabu Records
Fikir 2006 Kabu Records
Checheho 2010 Kabu Records
Ewedhalew 2013 Kabu Records
Musica 2017 Kabu Records
Sebebu 2017 Kabu Records
Chewa[17] 2019 Kabu Records
Soba[16] 2023 Kabu Records
Contributing artist
Featured singles

References

  1. ^ Aga, Mark T. "50 of the Best Old & New Amharic Music: Songs and Singers — allaboutETHIO". allaboutethio.com. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  2. ^ a b c "Aster Aweke". Discogs. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
  3. ^ "All-Music "Aster Aweke:- Artist Biography by Craig Harris"". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Briggs, Philip (2018). Ethiopia. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 58. ISBN 9781784770990.
  5. ^ "Aster Aweke Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  6. ^ Thompson, Clifford (2020). Thompson, Clifford (ed.). Contemporary World Musicians. New York: Routledge. p. 61. doi:10.4324/9781315062419. ISBN 9781315062419. S2CID 190618981.
  7. ^ Thompson, Clifford (2020-10-07). Contemporary World Musicians. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-135-93961-8.
  8. ^ a b Insight, Addis (2019-06-22). "Aster Aweke Making a Comeback With a New Album". Addis Insight. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  9. ^ "Aster Aweke to perform live at 'Ewedhalew' concert". Music In Africa. 2015-08-26. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  10. ^ Samuel, Rahel. "Ethiopian Music: Aster Aweke continues to rock the stage". Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  11. ^ Magazine, Tadias. "Aster Aweke Live at SOB's in New York – February 4th at Tadias Magazine". Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  12. ^ "ART REVIEW: FROM VINYL TO CLOUD: THE INDEFATIGABLE ASTER AWEKE". Addis Standard. August 2, 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  13. ^ a b Harrington, Richard (October 11, 1990). "ETHIOPIAN SOUL". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  14. ^ "All-Music "Aster Aweke:- Artist Biography by Craig Harris"". AllMusic. By 1981, Aweke had become disillusioned by Ethiopia's oppressive political climate and relocated to the United States. Temporarily settling in the Bay Area of California with plans to pursue an education; within two years, Aweke continued on to Washington, D.C., the site of the largest Ethiopian population in the U.S. ... When she arrived in her homeland in 1997 for the first time since she'd left in 1981, {she} was greeted by thousands of loyal followers awaiting her plane.
  15. ^ "Ethiopian celebrity expanding into coffee export". capitalethiopia.com.
  16. ^ a b Insight, Addis (2023-01-03). "Aster Awoke's Highly Anticipated 25th Album 'Soba' Set to Drop on Ethiopian Streaming App Sewasew". Addis Insight. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  17. ^ Insight, Addis (2019-06-22). "Aster Aweke Making a Comeback With a New Album". Addis Insight. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  18. ^ "PRESS RELEASE-YEGNA RELEASES NEW MUSIC VIDEO FEATURING ASTER AWEKE". debirhan.com. Archived from the original on 2015-01-12.

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