Washington, D.C. (TADIAS) – The following is Tadias Magazine’s exclusive video interview with Ethiopian-born, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter, Wayna, about her upcoming show in New York at Drom on July 27th featuring her new album and video to be released in September.
I spoke with Wayna last week over lunch at Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant in Washington, D.C. and at her studio in Bowie, Maryland.
Video: Tadias catching up with Wayna at Dukem and at her studio in Maryland (July 2013)
New York (TADIAS) – The summer of Ethiopian music continues this weekend when the London-based Ethiopian trio, Krar Collective, make their U.S. debut appearance in New York at Summer Stage (Central Park) on Sunday July 21st. The event follows the live concert last week by the soulful duet from Ethiopia, Munit and Jorg, who performed to a full-house at Silvana in Harlem (see photos below). And stay tuned for Tadias Magazine’s exclusive video interview with Ethiopian-born, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter, Wayna, about her upcoming show in New York at Drom on July 27th featuring her new album and video to be released in September.
The new Ethiopian west coast sensation ‘Ethio Jazz Band’ made up of young musicians, ranging in age from 10 to 15, are scheduled to play during the 2013 Ethiopian Heritage Festival at Georgetown University in Washington DC next weekend. Members of the Bay Area-based group include Jacob Sirak (Alto Sax), Yonathan Estifanos (Trumpet), Paulos Thomas (Trumpet), Addis Getahun (Tenor Sax), Christian Tesfaye (Drums), Robel Gizachew (Bass), Semon Yacob (Keyboard and vocal), and Yohannis Dawit (Keyboard).
And in Los Angeles, the local Ethiopian jazz ensemble, Ethio Cali, led by trumpeter, arranger and composer, Todd Simon, and other musicians from Southern California will be joined by a special guest from Australia, Ethiopian-born vocalist and massinqo player Dereb Desalegn, aka Dereb at the Grand Performances on Friday, July 26th.
— If You Go:
Krar Collective in NYC
July 21st, 2013 | 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Central Park
More info and directions at www.cityparksfoundation.org
Young Ethio Jazz Band in D.C.
At 3rd Heritage Festival
July 26 to 28
Georgetown University
3611 Canal Street
Washington, D.C, NW 20007
More info at www.ehsna.org.
Ethio Cali in L.A.
Friday, July 26, 2013 – 8 pm
350 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90071
Free | All ages
More at www.ethiocali.com.
— Photos: Munit and Jorg at Silvana in Harlem, NYC, Friday, July 12, 2013 (Tadias Magazine)
Watch: Video of Young Ethio Jazz Band at Rasselas Jazz Club
New York (TADIAS)- Our next highlight for Women’s History Month series features Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Wayna. The Ethiopian-born artist moved to the U.S. when she was a toddler and grew up in the suburbs of D.C. After graduating from the University of Maryland where she double majored in English and Speech communication, Wayna worked for three years as a writer at the Clinton White House before launching her music career. Her debut album ‘Moments of Clarity’ was released in 2004. Five years later, she was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Wayna is currently back on tour and gearing up for another album. In honor of Billie Holiday’s birthday Wayna will be performing at the Blue Note in New York on April 6, 2012.
Below is our Q & A with Wayna.
TADIAS: What do you most enjoy about your work?
Wayna: I most enjoy writing and performing when it’s in the zone — and by that I mean the moment when you lose yourself in what you’re doing and something special happens that’s beyond you. It’s like all your daily thought and effort at honing your craft goes out the window, and you really let go in front of a crowd or in a writing session, and something better than you comes out. It’s awesome. I usually don’t sleep after days like those.
TADIAS: Who are your female role models?
Wayna: My late aunt, Yeshie Immebet Emagnu. She was a real pioneer — one of the first women to graduate from Addis Ababa University and one of the first Ethiopian graduate students to come to the States on a scholarship at a time when very few women, Black people and/or immigrants were earning advanced degrees. They urged her to study Education, because that was one of the few programs acceptable for women at the time, but her interest was in Political Science. So without her funder knowing, she enrolled in both programs and completed two masters in the amount of time allotted for one. At the end of her studies, she had to fight for them to honor the second degree. I admire that self-determination, and all while being very young and very far away from your family and all that’s familiar. I hope she passed a little bit of that down to me.
TADIAS: What challenges have you faced as a female artist? How did you cope?
Wayna: Sometimes, people will welcome your opinions about vocals or what you’re going to wear, but not about which drum sound you want in the song or how you want the video edited. Because I’m executive producing my albums, I have to be involved in all kinds of decisions, and it was striking to me in the beginning how frequently people thought they could talk me out of my opinions or how often they assumed the good choices were someone else’s — something I don’t see a lot of male artists or producers encountering. In fact, it seems like women at every level of success in the industry still experience this, no matter how accomplished. So I had to learn very early on to trust my instincts and to not look for validation for everything. I more than welcome input, and I take advice that feels right, but at the end of the day, its my call, and I am comfortable with that and with accepting whatever comes as a result.
TADIAS: What are some practical tips you can give for young females who want to follow in your footsteps?
My best advice for young women pursuing music is to really find themselves personally and creatively and to figure out what absolutely unique thing it is they have to give, whether it’s the story they’re telling or something about their voice or their background or the way they play. Above all, it should be unique and honest. That takes experimentation and trying things out of the comfort zone, and not protecting our ego. You can’t grow and inspire anybody if you’re not willing to be vulnerable. So everyday try to give yourself the gift of imperfection and to dig a little deeper into who you are. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it, because at the end of the day, none of this is really even about how well we do what we do, it’s about who we’re become along the way.
TADIAS: Please tell us briefly about yourself (where you were born, grew up, school and how you developed your passion for your work?)
Wayna: I was born in Addis Ababa, I immigrated with my mom to the U.S. when I was a toddler and grew up in the suburbs of D.C. I graduated from University of Maryland and worked for 3 years as a writer in the Clinton White House. I stayed there because I felt like I owed it to my family, who made a lot of sacrifices to raise me in the States and give me the best opportunity at a stable life and “a real job.” But one thing I was always clear on, from as early as I can remember, was that I wanted to sing. It took a while before I was willing to risk disappointing my family to make music my main goal, but once I did, I found that it came as no surprise to anyone and that everybody was really excited and pulling for me.
TADIAS: Is there anything else you would like to share with Tadias readers that we have not asked you about?
Wayna: My third album is the culmination of a tremendous amount of musical and self-exploration, coming off the biggest highs and challenges of my career and the birth of my daughter. I was determined to make something honest and unique, so I got out of my element and went to Toronto, where a friend had encouraged me to come and jam with some musicians. These guys were from all over the world and understood every genre of music from habesha to arabic to reggae to rock. A year later, we’re putting the finishing touches on the LP, ‘Freak Show,’ a blend of african and reggae-infused soul mixed with alternative rock. I am going to be offering some of these songs for free soon and playing them live at the Blue Note Friday April 6th at 12:30am, so please join us if you’re in NYC and/or follow me on Twitter @waynamusic or find me on Facebook, so you can hear and have the new material. I hope you love it as much as I do.
TADIAS: Thank you so much and Happy Women’s History month from all of us at Tadias!
Wayna: Thank you Tadias, for all your support over the years.
— Video: In honor of Billie Holiday’s birthday Wayna performed in NYC on April, 6, 2012
Above: Grammy-Nominated singer Wayna is expecting her
first child. (Courtesy photo)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Monday, November 16, 2009
New York (Tadias) – Grammy-nominated singer Wayna says she is looking forward to a new challenge – motherhood. “The most important news of my life these days is that my husband and I are expecting our first child next May,” Wayna shared in her exclusive interview with Tadias Magazine. “This is a dream come true, and I’m enjoying every moment of becoming a mom. It is an amazing feeling.”
Wayna has also been collaborating with up-and-coming Ethiopian-American artists on an album to be released at the end of the month. Here is the interview:
Tadias: What’s on your plate these days?
Wayna: I am part of a collective of Ethiopian and American artists called the Kaffa Beanz. It includes myself, the Prophet of BurntFace, B Sheba, Gabriel Teodros, and AP. We did a collaboration album called Andromeda using traditional Ethiopian samples and hip hop beats. It started out as a project we were doing for fun. But one by one, the songs starting coming together so well that by the time we were finished, we felt like we’d created something special and uniquely Ethiopian-American — something that reflected our taste as soul and hip hop artists, but that also showcased our culture.
On November 20th, we are all coming together from all parts of the country to do a special performance/release party at Zanzibar on the Waterfront in Washington, DC. It’ll be the first and maybe the only time we’ll all be under one roof, so I want to invite everyone within reach to come out. We’ll be performing and selling the album which is a limited release, and the concert will also feature a performance from me and from, Togolese rapper, Tabi Bonney. Every African who loves hip hop or soul should be there.
Tadias: You also write most of your songs, what is that process like for you?
Wayna: The writing process is always different for me. Sometimes, I’ll get a beat and listen for a melody, and then choose lyrics that fit however the music makes me feel. Other times, I’ll have a concept or a hook in my head already and work with a producer or my band to build the music around it. There are also times when I sit at the piano and come up with something on my own. One of the things I enjoy about writing the most is that its unpredictable, and I never know where or how a song will take shape.
Tadias: Your last album garnered a Grammy-nomination. Do you reckon your next LP will be on the same level?
Wayna: No, I hope it will be better. My #1 goal is to keep growing. I still feel like I’m new to being an artist, because I spent so much of my life being a professional and working in an office. So, I’m growing a lot still, and thankfully the music usually reflects that.
Tadias: By the way, where were you when you learned of the news about your Grammy nomination?
Wayna: I was in South Africa at my girlfriend’s wedding. We had just started a post-wedding vacation in an area of the country where there was no access to the Grammy broadcast, so I woke up early the morning after and went to the hotel lobby to check the Grammy site. Before I even got there, there were a flood of emails in my myspace account congratulating me.
Tadias: You seem to travel a lot. Are there any highlights from the tour you’d like to share with us?
Wayna: Yes, its been a busy year for me, I’ve had stops in NYC, Philly, LA, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin and many other cities. Probably my most memorable of these dates was sitting in with the Roots at their weekly jam session at the Highline Ballroom in NYC. It was sold-out, and there I was standing with one of my favorite bands ever. Artists are supposed to just come and jam, no rehearsal no discussion about what your going to do. So, I started with Slums of Paradise, a song I wrote about Ethiopia on my first album, Moments of Clarity Book 1, and they made a beautiful groove behind it, and the crowd loved it!
I’ve also gotten to do shows abroad in London, Toronto and a 3 month residency in Ethiopia, where I played at Harlem Jazz, the Sheraton, the Alliance, the Hilton, and Coffee House. That was probably my most life-changing experience, because I got to live life in my country and to see the music scene there first-hand. My favorite recent overseas trip though has got to be the Selam Youth Festival in Toronto this past summer. The kids were so talented and dedicated, and Weyni Mengesha put on an amazing production. I was really proud to be a part of that.
Video: Wayna at the 2009 Selam Youth Festival in Toronto
Tadias: Which artists would you say have the most influence on you?
Wayna: I love different artists for different things. Bob Dylan for his lyricism, Kim Burrell for her vocals, Stevie Wonder for all of the above, Erykah Badu for her stage show…the list goes on and on. But one of the things I’m excited about for the year ahead listening to new artists and genres that I haven’t been as exposed to. By next year, I’m sure I’ll have a whole new list.
Tadias: Which artists have you not worked with yet, but would love to?
Wayna: My dream collabo is with Andre 3000 of Outkast. He seems to be the kind of artist and producer who has no boundaries for himself, and that is exactly the kind of creative energy I want to be around.
Tadias: You have also teamed up with DC’s rising star Wale to remix ‘Billyclub’ a song about police brutality. Was that inspired by your arrest at Houston Airport?
Wayna: Yes, I had just gotten back from Houston when I was scheduled to perform at the DMV awards. We played “Billyclub,” and because the experience was so fresh in my mind, the show was unlike any other we’d ever done. Wale was in the crowd. We talked about doing this remix, and it came together a few months later. He just got off tour with Jay Z and performing as the house band at the MTV music awards, so I’m excited that we got to do the song together. But mainly, it was an opportunity to vent about whatever feelings I had left over, so I so could just move on. A video for it is soon to be released and the audio is available for a free download.
Tadias: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience?
Wayna: The most important news of my life these days is that my husband and I are expecting our first child next May. This is a dream come true, and I’m enjoying every moment of becoming a mom. It is an amazing feeling.
Tadias: Thank you Wayna and we offer you our heartfelt congratulations.
Above: Ethiopia-born Grammy-nominated singer Wayna pays
tribute to Billie Holiday at Blues Alley in Washington, DC. The
artist is also preparing to release a new EP called ‘Soul and
The City’. Stay tuned for Tadias’ interview with Wayna about
her new extended play.
Watch: Preview performance on FOX News
About Billie Holiday Billie Holiday
Source: PBS
Considered by many to be the greatest jazz vocalist of all time, Billie Holiday lived a tempestuous and difficult life. Her singing expressed an incredible depth of emotion that spoke of hard times and injustice as well as triumph. Though her career was relatively short and often erratic, she left behind a body of work as great as any vocalist before or since.
Born Eleanora Fagan in 1915, Billie Holiday spent much of her young life in Baltimore, Maryland. Raised primarily by her mother, Holiday had only a tenuous connection with her father, who was a jazz guitarist in Fletcher Henderson’s band. Living in extreme poverty, Holiday dropped out of school in the fifth grade and found a job running errands in a brothel. When she was twelve, Holiday moved with her mother to Harlem, where she was eventually arrested for prostitution.
Desperate for money, Holiday looked for work as a dancer at a Harlem speakeasy. When there wasn’t an opening for a dancer, she auditioned as a singer. Long interested in both jazz and blues, Holiday wowed the owner and found herself singing at the popular Pod and Jerry’s Log Cabin. This led to a number of other jobs in Harlem jazz clubs, and by 1933 she had her first major breakthrough. She was only twenty when the well-connected jazz writer and producer John Hammond heard her fill in for a better-known performer. Soon after, he reported that she was the greatest singer he had ever heard. Her bluesy vocal style brought a slow and rough quality to the jazz standards that were often upbeat and light. This combination made for poignant and distinctive renditions of songs that were already standards. By slowing the tone with emotive vocals that reset the timing and rhythm, she added a new dimension to jazz singing. Read more.
New York (TADIAS) – The award-winning Ethiopian film Guzo and Grammy-nominated singer Wayna will be featured at the 5th Annual Selam Youth Festival from July 17th – 19th, 2009 in Toronto, Canada.
The annual festival, organized by a group of artists including the artistic director Weyni Mengesha, aims to empower Ethiopian and Eritrean youth in Canada through education in the arts to raise awareness about the growing number of HIV cases in both communities. Per the event’s flier, the festival showcases spoken word, dance, film, theater, hip-hop and more.
The film Guzo, which won best picture at the 2009 Addis International Film Festival, chronicles the interaction between two young residents of Addis Ababa and their peers in the Ethiopian countryside. Over the course of 20-days both the urbanites and country folks were forced to confront stereotypes about each other and grapple with issues of gender and privilege. The film made its U.S. premiere in Washington D.C. on May 9th at GMU’s Lisner Theater.
— If you go:
5th Annual Selam Youth Festival
From July 17th – 19th, 2009
104 Cedarvale Avenue
Toronto, ON, M4C 4J8
Phone: 416 690 8005
Upcoming Events
Published: Thursday, June 11, 2009
NateBrown Entertainment Presents Wayna
Grammy nominated recording artist Wayna comes to Philly
for a special debut performance on June 18, 2009. It takes
place at Temptations Jazz Restaurant & Jazz Club (218 W.
Chelten Avenue Philadelphia PA 19144). There are two
shows: 8pm and 10pm. You can buy tickets at: waynaphillydebut.eventbrite.com
New York (TADIAS) – Ethiopian-American artist Wayna spoke to Tadias Magazine regarding her recent arrest at Houston airport and her blossoming music career. The Grammy-nominated singer is scheduled to perform at Edens Lounge in Baltimore on April 2nd; the Blue Note in New York City on April 3rd and the Zanzi bar in Los Angeles on April 5th.
TADIAS: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
Wayna: Thanks guys. I’m feeling better every day.
TADIAS: Regarding the Huston airport incident, can you explain what happened to your fans?
Wayna: Yes, I had just completed a mini tour of Texas and was en route to Miami. In my shows, I have a song called Billy Club about police brutality and I use a prop when performing it — a club to illustrate the song’s meaning. So I was late to catch my flight and had a large suitcase I was checking in and my performance bag I was carrying on, which has all of the things I usually bring to a show. The night before, I had printed 60 promo cds to take to the music conference in Miami and had crammed everything in my performance bag. In my rush to catch the flight and my general tiredness after driving and playing throughout Texas, I forgot to take the prop out of my bag and put it in my checked luggage. When the security found it, we were laughing about it. They said, we’ll just fill out this paper work and get you on your way. But I was in Harris County, Texas, the death penalty capital of the world, and before I knew they said that the assistant District Attorney wanted to press charges, and they were going to arrest me. I was stunned. But after I met with the lead DA and all the facts came out, the charges were dismissed “in the interest of justice” the report said, and I was on my way.
Wayna at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. (Getty Images
TADIAS: Beyond the headlines, how do you feel about your career and your Grammy nomination
Wayna: I am really excited for the new opportunities the Grammy nod has created. New blessings are coming everyday, and I’m working hard to be ready for all of them. I have a new project coming out this summer, a couple of great collaborations in the works, and a lot of shows, including a performance in the Congo.
TADIAS: Are you surprised by the media attention surrounding your arrest?
Wayna: I was really surprised, yes. I suppose a scandalous story — justified or not — is more interesting to some media than all of the other things that have happened in my career. But I can’t get caught up in that. My job is to stay focused and positive and to do the best I can. I will make my share of honest mistakes, but I know God will protect me.
TADIAS: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Wayna: I just want to thank all the people who prayed for me and shared their support. I’m relieved and grateful that the truth came out, and that I can move on and concentrate on the good things ahead.
Above: Ethiopian American artist Wayna.
( Portraits by Kawai Matthews).
HOUSTON (AP) — A judge has dismissed a charge against Grammy-nominated singer Wayna after she was arrested at a Houston airport for trying to bring a collapsible police baton through security. Read more.
New York (TADIAS) – Friends and family may know Woyneab Miraf Wondwossen (Wayna) as the young University of Maryland alumna who double majored in English and Speech Communications, and went on to serve as one of the first Ethiopian American researchers at the White House under Former President Bill Clinton.
Recently, however, Wayna has waded into new waters and is beginning to make a name for herself among America’s favorite musicians. She’s nominated for a Grammy.
Wayna’s sophomore album Higher Ground, which propelled her to the prestigious nomination, was released in 2008. The new album, just like her debut CD Moments of Clarity, is an infectious blend of original songs that fuses soul, world, and hip hop sounds accompanied by lyrics on love, loss, faith and courage.
“I’ve poured some of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn into these songs,” Wayna divulges. Music has always been one of Wayna’s deep-seated passions, and her most recent tunes echo her personal struggles, hopes and victories through her own unique and passionate voice. Asked how she views herself and her work, she replies, “I would define myself as an artist who is constantly growing and searching for new ways to express myself vocally, lyrically, and musically. I search for the feeling of losing myself in a song, to create timeless music that speaks to people’s hearts and conveys important messages.”
Born in Ethiopia, Wayna immigrated with her family to the United States when she was just a toddler. As a young girl, she chased after her love of music by starring in popular musical theater productions like Annie, The Boyfriend, and Damn Yankees, as well as by touring with the children’s musical revue company Songs, Inc. Her college years continued to be a time of musical experimentation as she taught herself to play piano on the old Steinway in her dormitory. After being crowned Miss Black Unity of the University of Maryland and earning a one-year tuition scholarship, she went on to start a gospel quartet. The successful and talented quartet performed at the world renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, where they placed as finalist in the Amateur Night competition.
Wayna soon received several opportunities to travel as a soloist with the gospel choir all the while unearthing her talent in singing. But it was after being invited to perform at her university’s annual tradition, A Tribute to African Women, that Wayna ended up writing the ballad that became her first original piece performed for an audience.
“On that day,” she recalls, “music became more than a form of entertainment or a source of comfort to me. I began to see it as a tool to heal and inspire people, including myself.”
Asked to identify her role models in the music world, Wayna chooses the colorful sounds of Chaka Khan, Donnie Hathaway, Billy Holiday, Stevie Wonder and the ’70s soul singer Minnie Riperton. She also enjoys listening to contemporary artists ranging from the soulful voices of D’Angelo and Jill Scott to emerging spoken word performer W. Ellington Felton.
For her personal role models, Wayna selects her mom Tidenkialesh Emagnu and her late aunt Yeshi Immebet Imagnu.
“It wasn’t always easy growing up as an Ethiopian-American, especially at the time I was coming of age,” she confesses. “Because there were far fewer of us here — far different from the experience Ethiopian teenagers have today.”
Remembering the strength and encouragement her family gave her, Wayna recounts lessons she learned at a young age:
“My aunt Yeshie Imagnu made it a point to teach me elements of our history and culture that weren’t obvious just by living in an Ethiopian home. And my mom, though she has resided in the U.S. for 25 years, is one of the truest representations of our culture that I’ve ever encountered,” she says with pride.
Now that she is older, she says she wears her Ethiopian-ness like a badge of honor.
“In fact, I’ve promised myself I will not go on stage unless I’m wearing at least one article of Ethiopian clothing or jewelry,” she adds. “It’s a symbol of who I am.”
Wayna. (Courtesy photo)
In the end, what Wayna teaches us all is far deeper than her lifelong love of song; she teaches us to excel in every aspect of our lives.
“I would encourage Tadias readers to explore all their interests and talents — not just the ones that are validated by our community,” she says.
“What do you wake up thinking about in the middle of the night? What did you love doing for hours on end as a child? Those things are our passions, and we owe it to ourselves and our creator to develop and share them with the world.”
In short, she says, “There’s absolutely nothing we can’t do.”
Tadias Magazine congratulates Wayna on her nomination.
