Ethiopian veteran vocalist and songwriter Alemayehu Eshete has clarified reports about him quitting music, emphasizing that he is not retiring. “There is some misunderstanding here. I think some people have misconstrued my words when I said I would no longer sing. I meant I was not henceforth going from one nightclub to another. I didn’t mean I stopped singing altogether,” the 76-year-old singer said in an interview with Dereje Tizazu, editor of the monthly Taza, an Amharic magazine focusing on arts and culture.

Rumours about Alemayehu’s retirement from music have been circulating for some time, since he was admitted to a hospital in Italy in June 2016 for heart failure, undergoing surgery to fix blocked arteries. In an interview with a radio show, Tadias Addis, in May 2017, the singer himself indicated that the curtain was finally falling, prompting his fans to lament his farewell.

However, Alemayheu now says he has fully recovered and his earlier comments were not about stepping away from the stage for good. “When I sing in nightclubs, men young enough to be my grandchildren come and throw their arms around me and say “Let us have a glass of whiskey”, which could be a humiliating experience. I let this happen to me because I agreed to sing in places that lower my dignity. So it was right for me to decide against singing in nightclubs instead of complaining of unfair treatment,” Alemayehu said in an interview with the magazine that hits newsstands on Saturday, December 1.

“However, as for the serious job and what I should properly do, it is my duty. What else am I going to do? Steal? I have always supported my family through singing. I will continue to sing not just for my pleasure but to earn my keep. I respect the interest of people. As long as my admirers and well-wishers want me to, I am committed to my duty,” the singer said. “Sitting idle will only lead a vegetative life. As long as I am sound in health and fit as long as it is the will of God, I will continue to support myself by singing,” he said.

Describing his current health situation, the veteran singer said he can’t maintain a normal routine like in his young days. “As I recovered from the heart attack, I get tired just after walking for a kilometre. Other than that, I don’t have any problems. I eat well, I dance a little, I can perform. I am healthy. I am immensely grateful for those who have shown concern and affection for me. After having ups and downs, I am still here,” he said.

Alemayehu Eshete, at times called the “Ethiopian Elvis”, is one of the most popular singers to emerge from the golden age of music in the capital Addis Ababa. His “rock n roll funk” stylings and Elvis mode in dressing and way of acting have given him “dint of rampant Americanism,” in the words of Francis Falceto who reissued his earlier collection in his Ethiopiques CD series.

Main Image: Alemayehu Eshete with long-time collaborator and friend Girma Beyene at Leza Music Award in Addis Ababa, October 2015.

Extracts of the interview provided to Ethiopia Observer by Dereje Tizazu, editor of Taza magazine. The Amharic version of it would be available on the Facebook page of Ethiopia Observer.

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