Eténèsh Wassié (born 1971) is an Ethiopian jazz singer, renowned for her collaborative approach to music and performance.
Biography
Wassié was born in 1971 in
Gondar
Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...
to an Ethiopian Orthodox family.
She began performing in the 1990s in
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
in azmaribèt - a crossover between cabaret and the
Azmari
An Azmari (Amharic: አዝማሪ) is an entertainer who sings and plays traditional string instruments of the Ethiopian Highlands. Its comparable to medieval European minstrels or bard or West African griots.
''Azmari'', who may be either male ...
vocal tradition.
She is renowned for singing in Amharic and is a leading blues singer in Addis Ababa where she lives.
In 2007 Wassié began a collaboration with
Mathieu Sourisseau, which fused together her knowledge of traditional music and his jazz guitar, known as Ethio-jazz. She performed at Seine-Saint Denis Festival in 2018, celebrating twenty years of '
''Éthiopiques.
Discography
* ''Zeraf!'' (2007, album with Le Tigre des Plantanes)
* ''Belo Belo'' (2010, album with Mathieu Sourisseau)
* ''Yene Alem'' (2018, album with Mathieu Sourisseau)
* ''Hagir Fikir'' (2020, single with Ozferti)
References
External links Eténèsh Wassié on Spotify
QWANQWA feat. Etenesh Wassie
Ambassel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wassié, Eténèsh
1971 births
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians
People from Gondar
Living people
21st-century Ethiopian women singers
Women jazz singers
Amharic-language singers