Aster Aweke

Date of birth	1961
Country	Ethiopia
Genre	Pop

Aster Aweke (born 1961, Gondar, Ethiopia) is an Ethiopian singer-songwriter, often called Ethiopia’s Aretha Franklin for her soulful voice and emotive style. Raised in Addis Ababa, where her father served as a senior civil servant, she discovered her passion for music early, influenced by Ethiopian icons like Tilahun Gessesse and Bizunesh Bekele, as well as American artists like Donna Summer and Aretha Franklin. Despite familial opposition, she began performing at 13 at the Hager Fikir Theatre and, by her late teens, sang in Addis Ababa clubs with bands like the Continental Band, Shebele Band, and the Roha Band.In 1981, disillusioned by Ethiopia’s political climate after Haile Selassie’s death, Aweke moved to the United States, settling in Washington, D.C., among a large Ethiopian diaspora. Her career flourished with albums like Aster (1989), Kabu (1991), Hagere (1999), and Fikir (2006), blending traditional Ethiopian sounds with jazz and pop.

Her single “Abebayehosh” and albums like Soba (2023) cemented her global popularity. She returned to Ethiopia in 1997, performing for over 50,000 fans, and moved back permanently in 2009. Aweke also ran a cafeteria in Addis Ababa named Kabu until 2015 and has contributed to humanitarian efforts, including 2003 benefit concerts. With 23 albums, her music, available on Spotify and Boomplay, remains beloved for its intimacy and cultural resonance. She has one daughter and lives in Addis Ababa, continuing to shape Ethiopian pop music.