{"id":47974,"date":"2025-12-06T10:09:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T07:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/?p=47974"},"modified":"2025-12-06T10:09:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T07:09:24","slug":"a-new-voice-rising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/47974\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Voice Rising"},"content":{"rendered":"

YEMa: A young star with an old soul<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inside a restored theater at the heart of Addis Ababa University\u2019s Yared School of Music \u2014 the storied institution founded in 1954 by the celebrated Ethiopian composer Ashenafi Kebede \u2014 hundreds gathered on a recent evening to witness a new voice reshaping the capital\u2019s soundscape.<\/p>\n

A year ago, few knew her name. Now, the artist known to fans simply as YEMa \u2014 born Yemariam Chernet \u2014 has become a sensation, selling out intimate shows at premium prices and drawing a crowd eager to claim they saw her ascent up close.<\/p>\n

Young, self-possessed, and distinctly soulful, YEMa has captivated an unusually broad audience. Diplomatic staff, students, longtime culture buffs, and middle-class families all came to see the emerging star who appears remarkably aware of her moment.<\/p>\n

Over a two-and-a-half-hour performance that felt more like a celebration than a showcase, audiences embraced her warm, commanding vocals \u2014 often invoking comparisons to the generation that defined Ethiopian pop. Aster Aweke, sometimes called Ethiopia\u2019s Aretha Franklin, comes up often, as does Gigi, the transcendent 1990s vocalist who forged a global career with producer Bill Laswell, known for his work with U2.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want my music to be enjoyed by all kinds of people,\u201d YEMa told Amajambo. \u201cAnd I want it to help the world see Ethiopia as a place whose music can cross borders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crossing borders is now part of her story. Just weeks earlier, she returned from a three-month tour of France \u2014 Paris, Lyon, and more than a dozen other cities \u2014 performing for an estimated 350,000 people in both solo and collaborative productions. The experience, she says, affirmed her sense of mission as a cultural ambassador on the rise.<\/p>\n

Onstage in Addis Ababa, performing tracks from her debut album, \u201cYedega Sew,\u201d including fan favorites \u201cShonbite,\u201d \u201cLomeye,\u201d and the tender ballad \u201cBirk Birk,\u201d she appeared energized, even relieved, to finally bring these songs home. Dancers representing multiple Ethiopian regions joined her throughout the set, reinforcing the inclusive, pan-Ethiopian identity she is shaping around her art.<\/p>\n

For many in the crowd, this performance marked a milestone not only for the artist \u2014 but for the loyal supporters who watched her move from small club shows to the brink of stardom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a homecoming for me,\u201d she said with a wide grin. \u201cI\u2019m so happy to see so many familiar faces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her rise to prominence may seem meteoric, but her path was long in the making. YEMa has been singing since childhood, influenced partly by her father, who once managed the popular Zema Lastas Band.<\/p>\n

She laughs when told she resembles her idol Gigi \u2014 a comparison she accepts with awe rather than entitlement. Growing up, she listened obsessively to the legendary vocalist, often imitating her phrasing and stage presence. \u201cShe is a musical genius,\u201d YEMa says, her admiration unmistakable.<\/p>\n

Now, with her own voice asserting itself on Ethiopia\u2019s contemporary scene, she is determined to craft a new sound for a new generation \u2014 one that resists the formulaic, digitally manufactured music that dominates mainstream playlists.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is by far the most talented, dignified, and wonderful artist I have seen in two decades,\u201d said Eyob Tilahun, dancing alongside his 10-year-old son. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t need to expose herself or act outrageous to get attention. She is herself \u2014 and the talent speaks.\u201d<\/p>\n

YEMa\u2019s sound reflects multiple influences \u2014 rooted in Gamo and Bonke traditions, then sculpted by the producer and arranger she calls her lifelong partner, Eyuel Mengistu, who many fans affectionately describe as a Quincy Jones\u2013like figure in Ethiopia\u2019s evolving music industry.<\/p>\n

She recalls that after Eyuel introduced her to these textures \u2014 rarely heard in mainstream Ethiopian pop \u2014 she scrapped an entire already-finished LP.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt sounded like every other album,\u201d she says. So she started over, embracing what she describes as \u201ca blend of folk and world music\u201d reminiscent of Paul Simon\u2019s celebrated experiments in the 1980s, when African sounds reshaped global pop sensibilities.<\/p>\n

Among those drawn to her freshness is Tedros Alemayehu, a soft-spoken man in his late 60s who fondly remembers Motown classics and the golden era of Ethiopian music led by Tilahun Gessesse. \u201cShe can extend that legacy,\u201d he said, after joining yet another standing ovation.<\/p>\n

YEMa is growing accustomed to such responses. After each show, the applause stretches on, often long after the final note fades.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the ultimate satisfaction,\u201d she said, reflecting on what still feels like the beginning of a much larger journey.<\/p>\n

(This article first appeared in Amjambo Africa)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

YEMa: A young star with an old soul Inside a restored theater at the heart of Addis Ababa University\u2019s Yared School of Music \u2014 the storied institution founded in 1954 by the celebrated Ethiopian composer Ashenafi Kebede \u2014 hundreds gathered on a recent evening to witness a new voice reshaping the capital\u2019s soundscape. A year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":47975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1932],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-47974","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-speak-your-mind"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}