Aster Aweke (; born 1959) 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 Enkutatash ( Ge'ez: እንቁጣጣሽ) is a public holiday in coincidence of New Year in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It occurs on Meskerem 1 on the Ethiopian calendar, which is 11 September (or, during a leap year, 12 September) according to the Greg ...

. She is best known for her 1999 album ''Hagere'' and her 2006 album ''Fikir''. She moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1981, and she returned to Ethiopia in 1997.

Early life

Aster Aweke was born in

Gondar Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on ...

in 1959. She moved to

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

as a child with her father, who was senior civil servant in the imperial government of

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or ''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Lij, Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles, Rege ...

. Aster hails from the Gurage ethnic group. In a 1990 interview with Amy Duncan of The Christian Science Monitor, Aster discussed how her parents disproved of her musical ambition: "My family opposed me, but I just kept going and going... That's my life. I tried everything, but music makes me so happy."

Career

Aster enjoyed listening to Ethiopian musicians like

Tilahun Gessesse Tilahun Gessesse (; 27 September 1940 – 19 April 2009) was an Ethiopians, Ethiopian singer regarded as one of the most popular Ethiopian artists of the 20th century. Noted by his tenor voice, he was nicknamed "The Voice" during his country's "E ...

and

Bizunesh Bekele Bizunesh Bekele (; 1936 – 25 June 1990) was an Ethiopian soul singer who was popular in the 1960s and 1970s of Golden Age. She was referred to as "Aretha Franklin of Ethiopia" due to similitude of musical style. Her songs were released in her ...

, as well as American musicians like

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

and

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

. When she was thirteen years-old, she decided to join

Hager Fikir Theatre The Hager Fikir Theatre () is a theatre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. One of the oldest and foremost theatre in Ethiopian history, it served as a multipurpose venue for artistic performances over half decades. History Previously a nightclub, the ...

and auditioned by singing Bizunesh's song to join the theater as a dancer and vocalist. 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. 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. In 1981, she moved to the United States. She temporarily settled in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and then within two years moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

She briefly attended

Northern Virginia Community College Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC and, informally, NOVA) is a public community college with six campuses and four centers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. It is the third-largest multi-campus community college in t ...

, specializing in computer science, as well as learning formal musical education, which she took a distaste towards. 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 Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in 1990 after a 1989 release by British independent label Triple Earth. 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. Aster Aweke owned and operated a

cafeteria A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...

in Addis Ababa called Kabu, which was named after her song "Kabu". The cafeteria ceased operations in 2015. On 3 January 2023, Aster released ''Soba''. The album comprises a collabrative work of other artists.

Discography

;Contributing artist *''Ethiopian Groove'' (1994) ''- The Golden Seventies'' (

Buda Musique Buda Musique is a French record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1987 by Gilles Fruchaux and Dominique Buscall. After Buscall died in 1990, Fruchaux became the sole owner. The label is especially known for its '' Éthiopiques' ...

) *'' Unwired: Acoustic Music from Around the World'' (1999) - (

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competi ...

) *'' The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia'' (2004) - (World Music Network) ;Featured singles * Taitu (2014) ''-''

Yegna Endegna (Amharic: እንደኛ), previously known as Yegna (), is an Ethiopian five-piece girl group, originated in Addis Ababa. The group gained prominence after releasing two singles, "Abet" (2013) and "Taitu" (2014). Their earlier lyrical con ...

References

External links

Abesha.com - Aster's Ballad's (Review)
* Allmusic - Aster Awekebr> African Legends Aster Aweke World Music

zefen.com - Aster Aweke

Interview with Aster Aweke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aster Aweke 1959 births Living people Buda Musique artists Columbia Records artists Ethiopian emigrants to the United States 20th-century Ethiopian women singers Musicians from Addis Ababa People from Gondar 21st-century Ethiopian women singers