I am a singer, originally from Ethiopia and now living in London. I've performed solo and with several bands and am now ready to take the next step and make a recording that can properly showcase my voice.

I will work with Arts on The Run, Konimusic world music development agency and Platforma to make the recording, collaborating with wonderful musicians from around the world. We also plan to produce a video to help me reach new audiences with my music.

Thank you so much for your support!

https://www.facebook.com/haymanot.tesfa

A review from critic Catriona Troth:

"Haymanot Tesfa's range is extraordinary – at times deep and powerful, underpinning the rest of the music, and at times dancing across the top of it. [Her] voice wraps itself around table after table, drawing them into her spell. People close their eyes, the better to listen and pick out the different strands of the music."

About my music

All my songs are in the Amharic language from Ethiopia where I come from. Most of the time I sing in pentatonic scale. Songs like Tizeta and Ambassel are old and public songs which were played by many people. 

When I sing these songs I always sing them differently depending on what I get from the musicians I play with, and the whole atmosphere. 

I do a lot of collaborations with musicians who play music differently and improvise, so what I do is to find a place to fit my voice in. That gives me a lot of freedom to do whatever I think the best for that music. I like to be free! So the way I play is always new even if I’m playing on the same scale and using the same words. 

Sometimes I play something new which I don’t even remember when I leave the stage. I want to give my audiences the new me always. What makes me happy is that I know that I gave them something they can take with them. 

I remember it was in Manchester, after I played a gig a man said to me “Now I want to go home and sleep while having your voice with me. I don’t want any other distraction” . I imagined he is carrying my voice somewhere in his brain and looking after it on the journey.  

People tell me that my singing is therapeutic for them and they thank me for singing, but the truth is that I am also happy while I’m singing.