Meklit Hadero

Meklit Hadero (aka "Meklit) is a singer and songwriter based in San Francisco, California. She is known for her soulful performing style, and for combining jazz, folk, and East African influences in her music. Born in Ethiopia, Meklit was raised in the U.S. and attended college at Yale, where she studied political science.

Shortly after graduation, Meklit moved to San Francisco and became immersed in the city's thriving arts scene. "[Meklit] is an artistic giant in the early stages," wrote a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle after witnessing an early performance in the city's Mission District. "She sings of fragility, hope and self-empowerment, and exudes all three. What's irresistible, above all, is her cradling, sensuous, gentle sound. She is stunning."

Named a TED Global Fellow in 2009, Meklit has served as an artist-in-residence at New York University, the De Young Museum, and the Red Poppy Art House. Currently a fellow of the Wildflowers Institute, Meklit has also completed musical commissions for the San Francisco Foundation and for theatrical productions staged by Brava! For Women in the Arts. She is the founder of the Arba Minch Collective, a group of Ethiopian artists in diaspora devoted to nurturing ties to their homeland through collaborations with both traditional and contemporary artists there.

Albums

Meklit has released two records to date. The first is an eight-song EP entitled "Eight Songs" (2008). The second is a full-length LP "On a Day Like This...," released by San Francisco's Porto Franco records in April 2010. Recorded with a number of the Bay Area's leading musicians, the record was hailed by Filter magazine for "[combining] New York jazz with West Coast folk and African flourishes, all bound together by Hadero's beguiling voice." Meklit and "On a Day Like This.." also gained feature stories from NPR, PBS, and National Geographic.

External Links

www.meklithadero.com
www.portofrancorecords.com