Ethiopian Music 2021
Tewodros Kassahun Germamo[1] (Amharic: ቴዎድሮስ ካሳሁን ገርማሞ; born 14 July 1976),[1] known professionally as Teddy Afro, is an Ethiopian singer-songwriter. Known by his revolutionary songs and political dissent sentiment, Teddy is considered one of the most significant Ethiopian artists of all time.[2] Teddy has had a huge cultural impact on the Ethiopian music industry and has been a big influence on many young artists.
Ethiopian Music 2021
Tewodros Kassahun Germamo was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 14 July 1976 to a singer and songwriter Kassahun Germamo and dancer Tilaye Arage. Tewodros is of ethnic Amhara descent.[3] Despite involving with the entertainment industry, his parents discouraged him to pursue his music career.[4]
Teddy Afro made his debut in 2001 with the album Abugida, quickly establishing himself as a prominent voice in his native country. Mixing reggae, traditional Ethiopian styles, and pop music, his sophomore LP, 2005's Yastesereyal yielded a major hit in its controversial title track, which criticized corruption in the country's government. The song "Hab Dahlak" talks about the division of Ethiopia and Eritrea in terms of couples separating. Four of the album's songs were subsequently banned from media outlets, though "Yastesereyal" sales and influence remained controversial.
After his breakthrough, Teddy released his fourth album, Tikur Sew on 14 April 2012. The album Tikur Sew is dedicated to Emperor Menelik II and the Battle of Adwa, the war of colonial resistance between the Ethiopian forces and the Italian Empire in 1896. The album was the most expensive and most widely sold album in Ethiopia after his fifth album Ethiopia. The album saw huge sales via music markets. According to AdikaRecords' producer Ashenafi Zeleke, the music markets required 500,000 CDs and 200,000 cassettes and the album was in process for sale.[7]
On 22 August 2014, Teddy released "Be 70 Dereja", with 9.1 million views on YouTube within two years. The music video set in 1970s-themed black-and-white scenarios in Ethiopia, including several monuments and places.[8]
On 3 August 2020, Teddy released "Demo Be Abay", a song dedicated to the Abbay river, known in English as the Blue Nile River.[12] The song is a critique of Egyptian attitudes, or "Egypt's shamelessness", in regard to its claims over the waters of the river Nile; Egypt had claimed that the filling of the reservoir for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam would endanger its water supply.[13] On 2 November 2021, he released "Armash", which reflects the ongoing situation in Ethiopia especially the Tigray War and calls for unity of Ethiopians.[14] On 21 June 2022, a song titled "Na'at" was released following a massacre of 600 Amharas in Gimbi district in West Wollega Zone of Oromia Region. "Na'at" was critical for Abiy Ahmed government over ongoing civil conflict in the country.[15]
The Amharic language is the official language of the Republic of Ethiopia. It is also spoken in Eritrea. The Amharic language is popular with many reggae musicians, who are Rastafarians. They learn Amharic because they consider it to be a sacred language. Musicians like Lincoln Thompson and Misty in Roots have written songs in Amharic. 041b061a72