Amain Berhane, better known as Berhana, is an American singer-songwriter.

History

Amain Berhane was born near

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

in an

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

n family. Growing up, he wrote songs and sang in church. He studied screenwriting at

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and there started to realize music was something he wanted to pursue more seriously. His self-titled EP was self-released in 2016. His song "Grey Luh" from the album was featured on Donald Glover's ''

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

''. During this time Berhane was also a Japanese chef for several years. Berhana was listed in Variance Magazine as one of the "10 acts we can't wait to see at

Pitchfork Festival Pitchfork Music Festival was an annual music festival in Union Park (Chicago), Union Park in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the online magazine ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork.'' Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris ...

2018."

Artistry

Berhana grew up listening to his Ethiopian parents' music as well as

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

, and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. He was also greatly influenced by Michael Jackson's

Moonwalker ''Moonwalker'' is a 1988 American experimental film, experimental anthology film, anthology musical film starring Michael Jackson. Rather than featuring one continuous narrative, the film expresses the influence of fandom and innocence through ...

and Rock With You. About his EP he said, "I wanted something that felt like the inside of my mom's house—almost like a documentary." In two of his songs, ‘‘Wade Green’’ and ‘‘Brooklyn Drugs’’ he introduced

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

vocals. Two years later, in 2018, Berhana followed up with Hunger TV, saying "I think that seeps in to all my music – I want people to feel like they’re there with me, in the moment, while I’m thinking the things that I’m singing about." Berhana released his debut album, ''Han'', on October 18, 2019 via EQT Recordings. The project features singles "Health Food", "Lucky Strike", and "I Been (ft.

Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...

)." In November 2020 he released a remix of song "Golden" titled "Golden Pt. 2 (with

Mereba Marian Azeb Mereba, known mononymously as Mereba, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Early life and education Mereba was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and raised in Pennsylvania. Her father is from Ethiopia. Her m ...

)." In October 2023, he released ''Amén የዘላን ህልም (The Nomad’s Dream)''.

Discography

EPs

* ''Berhana'' (2016)

Albums

*''HAN'' (2019) *''Amén: የዘላን ህልም (The Nomad’s Dream)'' (2023)

References

External links

* http://www.berhana.com * https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/07/18/629910947/berhana-struggles-with-the-trappings-of-success-in-wildin
{{Authority control 21st-century American musicians Living people Singers from Atlanta The New School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American male singers American people of Ethiopian descent 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers