(ማስታወቂያ)
Being a celebrity and maintaining a life that is out of controversies is not an easy job. Once the spotlight is on them people tend to be targets of hate, whether they deserve it or not. In a country like Ethiopia where the societal diversity is vast and the people want to preserve their religious and cultural values intact, it is very difficult not to offend some group of people or get mixed up in some controversy. Especially for the generation of Ethiopian celebrities that emerged after the 2000 Ethiopian calendar, things have been difficult as the country has been going through a lot of ethnic-based political instabilities. Besides, keeping up with the global trend whilst respecting Ethiopian values is a bit tricky, and many have failed to succeed at it. Let’s also not forget that celebrities could get hated for the decisions they make in their personal lives. But, there are some celebrities who managed to stay out of trouble and got basically zero haters. Let’s look at some of the new generation musicians that managed to have practically zero haters and keep being loved by most Ethiopians! Well, that’s until this article is posted, we’ll see what the future holds. . . We’ll also look at their most viewed music clip on YouTube.
Dawit Tsige is a humble and very talented musician who never shows the slightest intention to hide his rural background. His only album so far titled የኔ ዜማ (Yene Zema, translation – “My melody”) which was released in January of 2020 was accepted very well by the Ethiopian music-loving community. Here is his most viewed video on YouTube, it is titled እትቱ በረደኝ (Etitu beredegn) and it’s got around 5 million views so far.
Abush Zeleke is a well-loved and exemplary musician. He delivers music in Oromiffa and Amharic languages and is admired for his excellent music and his firm stand against racism and violence. He is a proud Oromo and has shown this through some of his music clips that show the original Oromo culture. He is a dearly loved musician by all Ethiopians. His most watched music on YouTube is titled “Fullaanneey” It has around 4.5 million views – I love this music, enjoy!
Rophnan is a precious and unexpected gift to Ethiopians that he is treasured dearly. Due to his ability to mix traditional Ethiopian music with modern styles, his works have been a sensation throughout Ethiopia and the world. Just recently he signed a deal with Universal Records, which goes to show his global acceptance. His songs about Ethiopia ignite the feeling of patriotism in all Ethiopians that they often leave us with goosebumps. Rophnan is not just a Musician but also a DJ, singer, songwriter, and audio engineer. His most liked YouTube video clip is a 10-minute recording of his live performance on EBS’ channel’s most liked TV show called “Ehudin be EBS” it has been watched around 5 million times so far. This performance was not lip-synced.
I actually feel Bisrat is like the favorite child of the Ethiopian music community. We can listen to him no matter the mood we are in. Maybe that has got something to do with his cheerful voice. All his singles are adored very much, and the music community is eagerly waiting for his first album. Hopefully, he is working on it. . . Bisrat’s most viewed video on YouTube is titled ትሆን ወይ (Tihon woy), it was released on May 28, 2021, and so far it has got around 8.8 million views.
Esubalew Yetayew is a young sensation in the Ethiopian music-loving community. He is a well-talented musician and songwriter whose acceptance is very high that each of his music clips on YouTube is viewed millions of times. His single music titled “ማሬ ማሬ” (Maré Maré) which was released six years ago now has 9.8million views on YouTube, but his newest single titled “ቻው ትልና” (Chaw tilna) which was released just a month ago has already accumulated 9.3million views. This shows just how talented and well-accepted he is. Esubalew’s only album titled ትርታዬ (Tirtayé) was also a massive hit in the Ethiopian music industry, leaving his fans with incredibly nice songs hard to choose a favorite from. His most viewed music clip on YouTube is my personal favorite too and I am happy to put it in my article, enjoy “ማሬ ማሬ” (Maré Maré)!
Buzuayehu is one of the least talked about celebrities on media. But his music album titled ሳላይሽ “Salaysh”, which was released on 2014 is still being listened to all over the country. He doesn’t make video clips for his music or tries to promote them much. They are so good they pick up on their own. It was difficult to find a music clip on YouTube that was watched enough times to reflect how much he is loved by the people, I believe this is because he never made video clips for his music and people keep posting his music everywhere. Buzuayehu’s most viewed YouTube video is a song from his album “Salaysh”, and the song’s name is የህልሜ ንግስት “Ye Hilme Nigist”, with around 1 million views.
It is impossible to find anyone who doesn’t love Jambo Jote from the Ethiopian music-loving community. His lovely songs coupled with his humbleness, patriotism, and open stand against ethnic-based violence have earned him a special place in the hearts of Ethiopians. His most viewed music on YouTube named “Belba” is a favorite of all Ethiopians once it is opened everybody gets taken away by it. The music has 10.2 million views. Enjoy Belba!
Cuteness with talent, Veronica has got it all. Even though those are not enough to win the hearts of all Ethiopians she has also got the key requirements of the people, which are humbleness with proper respect to the country’s values. I can dare to say nobody hates her. I am a little sad my favorite song of hers, ተው (Tew) is her second most viewed video on YouTube, cause now I can’t include it in my article. Veronica’s most viewed video is ጥፍጥ አለኝ (Tifit alegn) with more than 10 million views just ten months after its release.
Hayleyesus is another musician whose songs receive great acceptance throughout Ethiopia while he kept his hater count low. His single works have been so great so far that I have no doubt his Album, hoping he will release one, will be a great success. His most viewed YouTube music video has almost 15 million views and it is titled ፍቅር ተወደደ “Fikir Tewedede”. . .
Ethiopia’s beloved musician and songwriter Betty G is a point of agreement to all Ethiopians. She is so talented that she performed at the 2019 noble peace prize award ceremony, an event at which she won the hearts of the global community by elegantly introducing the beautiful Ethiopian cultural look and song. Her 2 albums, ማነው ፈጹም “Manew Fitsum” and ወገግታ “Wegegta”, released in 2015 and 2018 respectively have been greatly accepted and were bestselling albums of the time. Her most viewed YouTube video is ገርዬ (Gerye), with around 2.5million views.
The Wolayta traditional dance is a bit difficult and I cannot dance to anything AT ALL, but I just simply refuse to leave the club without hopping to any of Didi’s songs. I can dare to say I am not the only one who feels like this. Nobody knows what his secret trick is but his songs go viral every time he releases one and we are in love with them. Didi has released singles both in the Wolayta and Oromiffa languages. He has also done some featuring. We just hope he will keep doing what he is doing. . . With 4 million views his song titled “Woze” is his most viewed video on YouTube.
Dawit Nega was a famous Tigrigna musician and songwriter. He sadly passed away on Sunday, June 12th, at the age of 34, a few days after being admitted to a hospital in Addis Ababa. Sad to even think that Dawit is no more with us, but we will always keep him in our hearts through his timeless songs! May his soul rest in peace! His songs are watched millions of times on YouTube and they are a sensation to all Ethiopians, that they are played on all occasions. Dawit’s most viewed video is “ወዛመይ” (Wezamey), with 20 million views!
These, according to a survey I did, are the top 12 musicians from the new Ethiopian generation that got basically zero haters. . .Who would you add to the list? Who do you think does not belong in this list?? Please let me know in the comments section... Please Share this blog and Thank you for reading!
