Sayat Demissie ( am, ሳያት ደምሴ; born 1986) is an Ethiopian singer, songwriter, actress, model and fashion designer. She debuted as a model at age 17, placing her in the top 20 in the 2004 Ethiopian Beauty Queens. She began acting in the film ''Sara'' (2006). Sayat released her debut album in 2011 and has acted in a number of movies and television series since. She returned to music with a critically acclaimed music video for her song Eskesher in 2019.

Early life

Sayat Demissie was born in 1986 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is the last of four children in the family. In 2006, she completed high school.

Career

Sayat began her modeling career at age 17. She placed in the top 20 in the 2004 Ethiopian Beauty Queens. Sayat entered the film industry in 2006 film ''Sara'' while working with Tilahun Zewege. She acted in films such as ''Laundry Boy'', '' Selanchi'' (2009), ''Adamt'' (2013) and German film ''Der weiße Äthiopier'' (2015). Afterwards, Sayat began a musical career after releasing her album ''Kifel Sost Volume 1'', containing her hit "Tew Maneh". In 2011, she released "Hasabun Mesrek". After a hiatus, Sayat released a comeback track titled "Eskesher" on 1 November 2019. The song recapitulates her musical career; reflecting on the hardships of life. In 2021, Sayat joined musicians like Fikiraddis Nekatibeb,

Zeritu Kebede Zeritu Kebede (born 19 February 1984) is an Ethiopian singer, songwriter and actress. A prominent figure in modern Ethiopian music, her songs often incorporate rock and gospel music. Early life Zeritu Kebede was born in Addis Ababa on 19 Febr ...

, Lij Michael, Kuku Sebsebe, and released a single "Yehager Kasma". From 2021 to 2022, she played as Enana on television drama series '' Eregnaye.'' In 2022, the show was recognized by both the Guma and

Leza Awards Leza Awards (Amharic: ለዛ ሽልማት) is an Ethiopian annual film and music award held in Hilton Hotel, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), i ...

broadcast on

ARTS TV African Renaissance Television Services (ARTS TV) is an Ethiopian free-to-air entertainment, and news television channel based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ARTS TV was created to provide Ethiopia with a television station with no party affiliation ...

Personal life

Sayat is a vocal supporter of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

. She has spoken openly about the lack of safety for women, as well as the importance of women supporting other women. In her interviews she has opened up about how much hard work and versatility her work requires and the need for self acceptance. In a February 2020 interview with Rakeb and Hanna on ''EBS Show'', she spoke about the passion she puts into her music, and her collaboration with her sister for her symbolic music video for "Eskesher"

Selected discography

;Albums ; Singles

Filmography

Television

References

External links

Sayat Demissie
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Sayat Demissie
on Yageru {{Authority control 1986 births Living people 21st-century Ethiopian actresses 21st-century Ethiopian women singers People from Addis Ababa Ethiopian female models Ethiopian women activists