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Music Sin Fronteras

Meklit gives us A Piece of Infinity, released this month

Meklit Hadero, known simply as Meklit, is the perfect example of Music Sin Fronteras. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, her family became refugees, and she moved to the United States as a young child. She grew up mostly in Brooklyn before finding her artistic home in San Francisco, California. Her music is a rich tapestry that draws together influences from jazz, soul, folk, and the varied traditions of East Africa.

After earning a degree in political science from Yale University (not your typical music training!), she dove into the thriving San Francisco arts scene, quickly gaining attention for her soul-sated vocals and lyricism that touches on hope, fragility, and empowerment. She evolved into a composer, songwriter, and singer with a vibrant stage presence and innovative fusion of musical styles Her fame soared in Ethiopia after she gave a TED talk, “The Unexpected Beauty of Everyday Sounds,” that explored how ordinary sounds from nature, language, and daily life can be sources of musical inspiration and joy – decentering Western music. The talk went viral, and her music became a staple on national TV in Ethiopia. She is now a household name who regularly returns to perform in Addis Ababa.

It is not surprising that Meklit is widely recognized for her deep commitments as a cultural activist and advocate for underrepresented voices. Her music, public projects, and community work frequently center on social issues, migration, cultural identity, and empowerment, especially for immigrant and diasporic communities.

She has co-founded major initiatives like the Nile Project, which unites musicians from across the Nile Basin to encourage cross-cultural dialogue and environmental awareness, blending music with activism on issues of water and resource sharing in East Africa. Meklit also leads community art programs, speaks out on immigrant rights, and has been visibly involved in advocacy and protests.

In her latest album, A Piece of Infinity, released earlier this month, Meklit draws from the folk traditions and languages of Ethiopia—Amharic, Oromo, Kembata—while infusing jazz and poetic imagination into every song. Known for crafting music that swings between continents, Meklit’s artistry is a global concoction that combines resilience with an unending curiosity for the beauty found in everyday sounds.

Streaming the 9 songs of her new album is a geographic as well as a musical adventure.   She blends US and Ethiopian musical traditions into music with lyrics in English, Amharic, Kembata. The  richness of her voice, the  genre-defying sound, and the poetic quality of her lyrics can be compared to Joni Mitchell -she goes beyond easy categorization.

 Meklit has worked alongside legends like Pee Wee Ellis, the Kronos Quartet, and Angelique Kidjo, and has been recognized as a TED Senior Fellow and National Geographic Explorer. Her albums, including On a Day Like This, and We Are Alive, (and soon, I am sure A Piece of Infinity), have consistently topped world music charts. She has the unique ability to make her songs both personally intimate and culturally resonant.  Truly a boundary-pushing artist who creates music without borders. Stream her music on Bandcamp and other major platforms

Patrick O’Heffernan

Patrick O’Heffernan, PhD., is a music journalist and radio broadcaster based in Los Angeles, California, with a global following. His two weekly radio programs, MusicFridayLive! and MusicaFusionLA are heard nationwide and in the UK. He focuses on two music specialties: emerging bands in all genres, and the growing LA-based ALM genre (American Latino Music) that combines rock and rap, blues and jazz and pop with music from Latin America like cumbia, banda, jarocho and mariachi. He also likes to watch his friend drag race.

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