THE RISING STAR OF ETHIOPIAN ARTIST ESTER RADA In less than a year, Rada has gone from popular actress to much anticipated singer-songwriter. Her culturally fluid sound has garnered international attention since the release of her self-composed 2012 EP, Life Happens. Described as, “gracefully combining Ethio-Jazz, funk, soul and R&B, with mixed undertones of black grooves,” her musical collaboration with famed producers Kuti (Kutiman/Thru-You) and Sabbo (Soulico), has only added to the eagerness. And although the leap from well-known actress to singer (and vice a versa) can be fraught with awkward hurdles, as well as grumbles about authenticity, Rada appears to be ready (and made) for the transition because music was always the goal. In 1984, Rada’s parents left Ethiopia during the mass immigration of Jewish Ethiopians to Israel called, “Operation Moses.” The grueling and perilous ordeal saw thousands make their way to Israel via Sudan. Rada is noticeably reserved when discussing what her family endured during the exodus. “They were in the refugee camp in Sudan. It was a hard time for them,” she says, without elaborating. Born in Kiryat Arba, a year after they settled in Israel, the challenging transition would ultimately take a toll on the family. “They didn’t know the language and they had many difficulties. My parents got divorced, actually, right after they came. So my mother had to raise me and my big brother alone in a country where she didn’t know the language, and it was a different mentality. Looking back, when you’re a child everything is good and you accept everything with love. But when you grow up, you see the past and say, ‘Okay, I kind of had it rough growing up,’ chuckles Rada, earnestly. While growing up in one of the toughest neighbourhoods in Tel Aviv, Rada took part in Youth Theater, and though much was left behind in Ethiopia, the family’s deep connection to their musical heritage remained. “I loved to sing from forever,” she says, the gorgeous smile returning to her slender face. “My father is actually a singer. When he came to Israel he brought a lot of famous singers from Ethiopia to Israel and threw concerts. He was kind of a promoter for the Ethiopian community. Music played all the time in our house. Ethiopian music basically.” It was the gift of music that helped Rada begin to design a different kind of life for herself. “When I look at my neighbours and what happened to their lives because of where we grew up….,” she pauses for a moment. A forcefulness adds weight to her words once she continues. “It’s a rough neighborhood. They are poor people. We didn’t have a lot of opportunities and we couldn’t see the opportunities. All we saw was the fence in our city and we couldn’t see past that. But music always took me to a different world. The imagined world. The dream world. You can see whatever you want to see [by way of music].” At 18, Rada joined the Israeli army and became one of the solo singers in the music troop. “To be part of a music group in the army in Israel is a very big thing. Not everybody can get in. So when you do get in the doors will just open for you once you leave.” Rada left service determined to pursue a music career but acting took center stage instead. “I got into the national theater of Israel [Habima Theater] after my service in the army. I was there in a big musical and started acting a bit…actually a lot. More acting than singing…” For the next few years she would appear in critically acclaimed TV shows including, “The Specialist” (The Israeli version of the U.S. HBO hit, “The Wire”), and theater productions such as the David Mamet play, Race. Despite this success, her desire to pursue music would not release its grip and last year she decided she could no longer resist it. Six months ago I said, ‘Ok. I’ve acted. But what I really want to do is sing.’ So I got myself together and said this is my…I don’t think my last chance but I really want to do it now so let’s do it. A few months ago I recorded with my two genius producers, Kutiman and Sabbo, and it was an amazing, amazing experience.” Growing up without a radio, it was religious songs that formed Rada’s beautiful voice, and now plays a profound part in her song writing. “All the music is about personal things that happened. I think that because I was in a religious family, the music that comes from religion is always about bigger things, bigger themes. It’s from the heart. That’s my inspiration when writing music. Singing makes me happy and it’s a spiritual thing. It’s about love and connecting with people.” Taking this powerful spiritual basis and enriching it with jazz and R&B to create a neo-soul all her own, the influence of celebrated musician, Astatke, the founding father of Ethio-jazz (Ethiopian Jazz) in the 1960’s is just as significant in her sound. Warm, folksy, jazzy, and rhythmic, Rada’s sound creates a reflective groove reminiscent of Les Nubians rich eclectic vibe. Citing greats like Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, and Erykah Badu, as some of her influences, she brings a similar strength to her lyrics and music. While fans await Rada’s full length album, (will it be sung completely in English? Or will there be some Hebrew and Amharic thrown into the mix?), she promises that one theme will reign supreme, “It’s going to be about love. That’s what motivates me,” she says tilting her head again in that special way. “That’s what I hope motivates the world. That’s what I hope for the world.”
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 06:13:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015