Kiros Alemayehu ( Ge'ez: ; 26 July 1948 – 13 October 1994) was an Ethiopian singer.The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,National Archives and Library Agency,"Biographical Bibliography of Senior Artists",Vol. 25, No.4, 2008, page 30
/ref> He was born in

Tigray region The Tigray Region, officially the Tigray National Regional State, is the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama people. Its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray is ...

Saesi Tsaedaemba Saesi Tsaedaemba () is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi Zone at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands, Saesi Tsaedaemba is bordered on the south by Kilte Awulaelo, o ...

and was the only child to his parents.

Biography

Early life

Kiros was born to his father Girazmach Alemayehu Meles and Qeleb Gebremeskel in the eastern part of Tigray region, in a village known as

in 26 July 1948. He went to school in the nearby city of

Wukro Wukro (Tigrigna: ውቕሮ) (also known as Wukro Kilte Awulaelo; Tigrigna: ውቕሮ ክልተ ኣውላዕሎ) (also transliterated Wuqro; is a town and separate woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia. Wukro is located along Genfel River, in the Misraqaw ...

and then joined

Atse Yohannes High School The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century ...

Mekelle Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a List of zones of Ethiopia, special zone and capital city, capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta province, Enderta Awrajj ...

Professional career

Kiros was a prolific songwriter and singer. He popularized

Tigrigna (; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. History and literature ...

songs through his albums to the non-Tigrinya speaking Ethiopians. Before joining

Ras Theatre Ras or RAS may refer to: Arts and media * RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label * Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service * Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station * Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...

in 1975 E.C (circa 1982-1983) where he published his first album, Kiros had worked as assistant trainer of Tigray Musical Troupe (ትግራይ ኪነት). Some of his songs include "Anguay fisis", "Fililiy","Selam Hawa", "Suwur Fikri" "Adey Mekele". Kiros is well known for his songs that highlighted the ups and downs of everyday human life including songs that reflected the social and political atmospheres of his time. Many admire Kiros for his unique writing style and poetic abilities making him one of the best artists of his day. His music remains impactful till this day as his songs are made popular through steaming services such as Spotify and Apple. Kiros along with other musicians had played in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

and other middle eastern countries. A memorial library is under construction in Wukro near his birthplace.

Death and funeral

Kiros died from intestinal complications in 13 October 1994. It is widely believed that the government was behind his death.

Biography

Early life

Professional career

Death and funeral

See also

References

Further reading