Tamrat Desta

Tamrat Desta (born 1978) is an Ethiopian singer and vocalist. He was born in a small town called Tiqur Wuha, located between the two larger towns of Shashemene and Awasa, the second of three children, all boys. After few years, his family moved to Shashemene, and he again moved to Awasa where he finished high school. All three towns are approximately 250 kilometers south of the capital Addis Ababa.

In 1998, he moved to Dire Dawa, located 515 kilometers east of Addis Ababa, to live with his guardian and work at "Cherqa Cherq Yekenet Buden" where he received basic training as a vocalist and playing with a band.

In 1999, he moved to Addis Ababa to pursue his music career. In 2004, he released his first album "Aneleyaleym", for which he received wide acclaim. Most of the lyrics on this CD were written by Habtamu Bogale, and six of the tracks' melodies were by Tamrat.

External links

* [http://www.addislive.com/content/view/12/41/ A conversation with Tamrat Desta by AddisLive.com (audio file)]