SONGBIRD

By Melissa CzarnikPhotos courtesy of Rus Anson

THE{COVER}

or most musicians, five years may not seem like enough time to hone a craft well enough to perform around the world, but for Meklit Hadero, it proves to be more than a possibil-ity, it is her reality. If you

are among the lucky that have heard the musical sophistication of the singer, songwriter and musician, you might be surprised to find out that Hadero is fairly new to per-forming and had no formal musical training until 2005, after moving to San Francisco. Since then, Hadero, a native Ethiopian, released her debut album, On a Day Like This (Porto Franco Records, 2010) and has toured the U.S.A and abroad.

F

“People want to be free...and when I am free, they are free… people mimic what

they see.”- Meklit

“I’m a bit obsessive,” Hadero said, “Musical obsession is very important, it is what helps me grow.” Hadero’s con-sistent and daily rehearsals are proof of this obsession and how it has allowed her to steamroll her musical career. She is a poet and songwriter with a natural stage presence, carrying the poise of Nina Simone and the humility of Lau-ryn Hill MTV Unplugged.

Her voice carries like silk over the jazzy-worldly vibe that accompanies her, and somewhere in between the re-lease of her words and the ears of the audience, time seems to stop. When asked how this might be possible, Hadero said, “I try to be as unearthed as possible...People like seeing other people be free.” In this way she cre-ates an environment that is open and pleasurable. “People want to be free,” she said, “And when I am free, they are free… people mimic what they see.”

Meklit was photographed by Rus Anson.

Hadero is not only a musician, but also a “cultural activist” as her business card reads. She has lived in more than a dozen locations throughout the world, including Brooklyn , New York and Ethiopia. Her music thrives on this cultural exchange and multiplicity. She has a heart the size of the world and knowledge of several languages: including Spanish, French, English and Amharic; her original language of birth. While listening in on On a Day Like This you can catch Hadero singing mostly in English; a touch of French on her track “Soleil Soleil” and in Amharic on the traditional Ethiopian tune “Abbay Mado.”

Her songwriting process is just as buried in this multiplicity and free-dom as her stage presence is. “Every song has a self genesis,” she said, “sometimes I’m walking down the street and a melody comes into my head... other times I’m sitting with a friend and we begin to improvise a song... The main thing is to just to do it alot.” And that’s what she does, obsessively and dedicated. Her music and words are her proof and her success is her reward.

You can follow Meklit Hadero’s tour schedule and purchase her new album, On a Day Like This at her website:.meklithadero.com