Gigi (singer)
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Ejigayehu Shibabaw, or Gigi as she is popularly known, is one of the most successful contemporary Ethiopian singers worldwide. Coming from an ancient tradition of song originating in the Ethiopian Church, she has brought the music of Ethiopia to wider appreciation and developed it in combination with a wide variety of styles.
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[edit] Recording career
She moved to San Francisco about 1998 and recorded two albums for the expatriate Ethiopian community. But it was her 2001 album titled simply Gigi that brought her widespread attention. In San Francisco she had been noticed by Palm Pictures owner Chris Blackwell, who had years earlier introduced Reggae music to the mainstream through his earlier label Island Records. He and her husband, producer Bill Laswell decided to use American jazz musicians (including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders and others) to play backup for the new album. The result was an exciting fusion of contemporary and traditional sounds. The album was a critical success internationally and generated controversy in her home country for such a radical break with tradition.[1][2][3]
2003 saw the release of Zion Roots, under the band name Abyssinia Infinite. Bill Laswell played bass, and several of Gigi's family members contributed vocals. The album was a return to a mainly acoustic sound for Gigi, incorporating instruments such as the krar and the tabla. The track "Gole" is in Agewña, the language of Gigi's father's village.
Gigi's voice may be heard in the Hollywood film Beyond Borders (2003), in which Angelina Jolie portrays an aid worker during the 1984 - 1985 famine in Ethiopia.
She released her sixth album, Gold and Wax in 2006.
[edit] Controversy
Gigi has been criticised by some conservatives in Ethiopia for breaking out of the traditional role of women in the Ethiopian Church. For instance, the song "Adwa" on her album Gigi is a cry of mourning for soldiers who died in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. This type of song is traditionally sung by men in Ethiopia.
[edit] Discography
- Tsehay, 1997
- One Ethiopia, 1998
- Gigi (Guramayle), 2001
- Illuminated Audio, 2003
- Abyssinia Infinite: Zion Roots, 2003
- Gold & Wax, 2006
Featured on:
- Future 2 Future by Herbie Hancock
- Sacred System: Dub Chamber 4 (Book Of Exit) by Bill Laswell
- Realize by Karsh Kale
- Live at Stern Grove by Tabla Beat Science
- Enter The Chicken by Buckethead
- Radioaxiom by Bill Laswell and Jah Wooble
