Aster Aweke Bio
Aster Aweke is an Ethiopian singer known for hits like Nafkot and Teyim. At a very young age, Aster realized her passion for singing. As a teenager in a society that did not place a high premium on the singing profession, her decision to undertake a musical career was a difficult one to make.
She knew that her choice to pursue a high-profile role in music, especially as a woman, would mean traveling a long and lonely road. Aster launched her professional singing career at Hager Fikir Theater.
In the late 1970s, she began performing at Addis Ababa night clubs, cultivating her songwriting and singing technique and emulating Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer and other Western vocalists whose records were popular in the local discos.
She performed at various clubs and hotels, including Hotel D’Afrique, Wabi Shebelle, and Ras Hotel, accompanied by the Continental Band, Shebele Band, and Ibex Band (before they became known as the Roha Band).
Aster Aweke began her recording career in Ethiopia with two 45 vinyl record releases, followed by nine cassette releases. Her last cassette, Munayë, was released in 1981, coinciding with her departure from Addis Ababa to the United States.
This recording cemented her status as an enduring musical tastemaker among music lovers in Ethiopia. Upon arriving in the United States, Aster settled in northern California.
Believing that she had left her music career behind her in Ethiopia, she focused on continuing her education. Clearly, this decision was very difficult for her, as she truly loved the profession of music.
Of this period in her life, Aster says, “I was miserable!” Luckily, her friends persuaded her to return to the stage and 20 seconds into her first song, she recognized her true calling. “I found my happiness was in singing,” Aster recalls, and she moved across the country to the Washington D.C. area, which has a large and well-established Ethiopian community.
There, Aster Aweke began singing in various Ethiopian restaurants. In 1985, Aster was on the move again, performing for enthusiastic Ethiopian audiences in cities across North America.
In the late 1980s, Aster was discovered by the London-based independent label, Triple Earth, an event that marked her entrance into the World Music scene.
Shortly thereafter, she secured a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment and released two major albums, Aster and Kabu, on their Columbia label. Following her widespread popularity in the United States and Europe,
Aster appeared on several radios and TV shows, including the acclaimed Night Music on the NBC television network, where she appeared as a special guest of the host, David Sanborn, one of America’s musical trendsetters.
She has also appeared on CNN, BBC radio and television, PBS radio and television, CBC, and London’s Channel 4 Big World Café. Print appearances include Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.
Aster not only performs but also writes and arranges music in her own unique style. Her songs have become anthems to her fans in Ethiopia, as well as to Ethiopians living abroad. Moreover, several of her songs have been included on compilation CDs, alongside other major World Music artists such as King Sunny Ade, Salif Keita, Baaba Maal, Youssou N’Dour, and Angelique Kidjo.
Some of the compilation CDs containing Aster’s songs are Desert Blues, Discover the Rhythms of Africa Today, Afrika, World Dance Beat, Under the African Skies, Fruits of Freedom, and It’s a Triple Earth. Aster Aweke has topped both the Billboard and College Music Journal’s (CMJ) specialist charts.
Kabu reached and remained at the #1 position for four weeks on the CMJ New World music chart and was in the Top 10 for five consecutive charts (10 weeks) on Billboard’s World Music chart. To date, Aster has released a total of 20 albums, six of them on CD – Aster, Kabu, Ebo, Aster Aweke Live in London, Hagerë, and Sugar.
While five of the CDs were recorded in various studios, the Live CD was recorded on September 16, 1996, during a sold-out concert at the prestigious London club, Hammersmith Le Palais, celebrating the Ethiopian New Year (1989 A.D.). A music video for this concert has been made, as well.
Since her first CD release, Aster, she has performed for audiences at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, and various European festivals.
Aster has shared the stage with renowned singers and performers, including Hue Masekela, Maria Makeba, Mano Dibango, and Bradford Marsalis. Aster Aweke has just completed her seventh album on CD, a compilation of timeless songs recorded over the last 25 years. She is currently working on a new album to be released in 2004.
Aster Aweke Age
Aweke was born in Gonder, near Lake Tana, in Northern Ethiopia and raised in the capital city of Addis Ababa. She was born around 1959 and is now 60 years old.
Aster Aweke Father
Her father was a senior civil servant in the Imperial government of Haile Selassie. The daughter of a senior civil servant in the Imperial government, Aster Aweke was determined to become a musician by the age of 13.
Aster Aweke Selam New
Aster Aweke Music
By the age of 13, Aster was determined to become a musician, and began her career at Hager Fikir Theatre in Addis Ababa.
Starting in her late teens, she was performing in clubs and hotels in the capital with bands such as the Continental Band, Hotel D’Afrique Band, Shebele Band, and Ibex Band, before they became the internationally known as Roha Band.
Aster’s distinct style has been influenced by other Ethiopian singers, such as Bizunesh Bekele. Launching a solo career, she was encouraged by musical entrepreneur Ali Tango, who financed and released five cassettes and two singles of her music.
By 1981, Aster had become disillusioned by Ethiopia’s oppressive political climate following the death of Haile Selassie and relocated to the United States.
Temporarily settling in the Bay Area of California, with plans to pursue higher education within a period of two years, she settled in Washington, D.C., where one of the largest Ethiopian expat communities in the country existed. There, she became increasingly popular within the Ethiopian community, performing in restaurants and clubs.
Aster also remains popular in Ethiopia. In 1997, she performed in Addis Ababa for a crowd of over 50,000 people. In 2003, Aster also performed a two-part concert series to raise funds for relief and school initiatives in Ethiopia. The first concert was held in November on Eid Al-Fitr day at the Addis Ababa Stadium, with an audience of 40,000 in attendance.
The second performance was a gala dinner at the Sheraton Hotel. More recently, on May 9, 2009, Aster performed in front of a crowd of 10,000 spectators during the Peace Through Unity, Unity Through Music concert held in the capital’s Millennium Hall, alongside other Ethiopian music artists. She is A Rated
Aster Aweke Songs
» Nafkot» Teyim» Ayinih» Selam New
» Fasiledes» Efoy» Tiwsta
» Hagere» Ethiopia» Widdid» Tizita
» Sebebu» Sikuar» Lib Weled
» Y’shebellu» Zakere» Hid Demo
» Tchewata» Eyoha» Egir awetah
» Wishy Washy» Yedi Gosh» Munaye munaye
» Wolela» Etitite!» Wuha Wuha
» Kezira» Anteye» Bati
» Bichegna» Eshururu» Fikhr Anesgne
Aster Aweke New Album 2019 / Aster Aweke Chewa
The Ethiopian singer Aster Aweke announced yesterday that her new album ‘Chewa’ would be released on July 3, 2019.” Nevertheless, it was officially released on 23 July 2019.
Aster’s fans around the world waited for around six years to hear this news. Her last album Ewedihalehu (I love you) which was produced by one of the most known composers Abegasu Kibrework Shiota, was released in 2013.
Aster Aweke Albums
» 1989 Aster (Columbia/CBS Records)» 1990 Kabu (Columbia/SME Records)» 1994 Ebo (Barkhanns)
» 1995 Live in London (Barkhanns)» 1999 Hagere (Kabu Records)» 2001 Sugar (Kabu Records)» 2006 Asters Ballads (Kabu Records)
» 2008 Fikir (Kabu Records)» 2011 Checheho (Kabu Records)» 2013 Ewedhalew (Kabu Records
Aster Aweke Music MP3 Download
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