publishing worldwide
With a career that began in the 1970s and continues today, Aster Aweke is a national treasure for all Ethiopians, whether at home or abroad. Born in 1960 Aster was just 17 when she began recording, and in her early 20s when she had her first run of hits. Moving to the USA in '82, she continued to record and perform in Washington DC, home to one of the largest expatriate Ethiopian communities, and it was there at the end of the decade she met the UK independent label, Triple Earth.
This resulted in two albums released in the States via Sony Music. But these are just two of more than thirty albums and singles Aster has released, most of them under her own steam. From very early days Aster became and remains her own boss. In 1997, after more than 15 years away, she returned to Ethiopia for a series of concerts on the historic Jan Meda fields, scene of Haile Selassie's coronation. When Ethiopia, according to its own calendar, ushered in the new millennium, it was Aster whose performances were broadcast across the nation.
Today she divides her time between Ethiopia and America and her clips and music, not least her most recent album released in 2023, are viewed by millions. But Ethiopian popular music conforms to no Western preconception, and Aster Aweke conforms to no preconception at all. Charismatic in person and powerful in performance, she is a true voice for her people.