The Aster Aweke (አስቴር አወቀ) discography starts with singles and cassettes for Kaifa Records in Addis Ababa in the late 1970s. It now reaches Gela Gela, an album released on July 7, 2026, according to its listing on Apple Music.
In between came two albums that took her voice outside Ethiopia. The London label Triple Earth released Aster in 1989 and Kabu in 1991, and Columbia Records issued both in the United States. From 1999 she put out her albums on her own label, Kabu Records.
This page lists her records by year, with labels and catalogue numbers where the Discogs record database gives them. It also gives song titles in Amharic script and in English spelling, with English translations only where a record or label printed one. For one of her best loved songs, see our page on Eyoha Abebaye, her Enkutatash classic.
Aster Aweke at a Glance
English Wikipedia says Aster was born in Gondar in 1959 and moved to Addis Ababa as a child with her father, a civil servant in the government of Haile Selassie. It says she joined the Hager Fikir Theatre at thirteen and later sang in clubs with the Shebelle Band, the Roha Band, the Ibex Band and the Hotel D’Afrique Band.
Amharic Wikipedia adds that the record man Ali Tango helped her start singing under her own name. It says she released nine cassettes in Ethiopia, the last one titled ሙናዬ (Munaye), before she left for the United States. Wikipedia gives 1981 as the year she moved, first to the San Francisco Bay Area and then to Washington, D.C.
Two of the club bands she sang with have their own pages on Tewnet.com: our history of the Ibex Band and the Roha Band covers both groups.
A Note on Amharic Titles
The Amharic titles below come from record covers and cassette labels as listed on Discogs. The 1970s cassettes often carry only a number, such as ቁጥር 1 (Number 1). When no Amharic source exists, we give the English spelling only.
We translate a song title only when the record itself printed an English title. The 1989 and 1991 albums did this for most songs, so those translations come from the covers. We do not add our own translations.
Aster Aweke Albums by Year
| Year | Title | Label and number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | አንተዬ (Anteye) / ሎሚዬ (Lomiye) | Kaifa Records, KF 43 | Seven inch single, pressed in Greece |
| 1977 | Mulu / Etetu Beredegne | Kaifa Records, KF 44 | Seven inch single |
| Late 1970s | ቁጥር 1 (Number 1) | Kaifa Records, cassette | Discogs calls it her first release |
| Late 1970s | አስቴር አወቀና ውብሸት ፍስሐ (Aster Aweke and Wubeshet Fisseha) | Kaifa Records, cassette | Shared cassette with the singer Wubeshet Fisseha |
| Late 1970s | ቁጥር 3 (Number 3) | Kaifa Records, cassette | Includes ካቡ ተንዶብኝ (Kabu Tenidobign) |
| No year | ቁ. 4 and ቁጥር 5 (Numbers 4 and 5) | Cassettes | Listed on Discogs without full details |
| 1982 | Lemedik Woi | Electra Music Shop, cassette | Includes Esheruru |
| No year | ሙናዬ (Munaye) | Electra Music Shop, cassette | Her last cassette before leaving Ethiopia, according to Amharic Wikipedia |
| 1986 | አስቴር አወቀ (Aster Aweke) | Cassette | Includes Musica and Yeshebelu Wetat |
| 1989 | Aster | Triple Earth, Terra 107 (Britain) | Columbia issued it in 1990 as CK 46848 |
| 1991 | Kabu | Columbia, CK 47846 (United States) | Also on Triple Earth |
| 1993 | Ebo | Barkhanns Records | Released in the United States |
| 1996 | Live in London | Barkhanns | Concert recording; other sources give 1995 or 1997 |
| 1999 | Hagere | Kabu Records, Kabu 001 2 | First album on her own label |
| 2001 | Sikuar (Sugar) | Kabu Records | Title song Sikuar means Sugar, as printed |
| 2004 | የአስቴር ትዝታዎች (Aster’s Ballads) | Kabu Records | Twelve songs, including Kabu Tenidobign |
| 2006 | Fikir | Kabu Records | Fourteen songs |
| 2010 | Checheho | Kabu Records | Twelve songs, ending with Gonder |
| 2013 | Ewedihalehu | Kabu Records | Translated as I Love You by Music in Africa |
| 2017 | Musica, Sebebu, Chereka and Hagerae 1983 | Kabu Records | Released for streaming on June 30, 2017, per Qobuz |
| 2019 | ጨዋ (Chewa) | Kabu Records; Eyoha in Ethiopia | Eleven songs, including Fasiledes |
| 2023 | Soba | Sewasew Multimedia | Ten songs |
| 2026 | Gela Gela: Aster’s Ballads #2 | Aster Aweke | Released July 7, 2026, with ten songs |
Sources: Discogs, Apple Music, the Kabu Records catalogue on Qobuz and the discography kept by the Dutch writer Frank Bessem.
Where the Sources Disagree
The dates in this table do not always match. Discogs lists the Triple Earth edition of Aster in 1989, while English Wikipedia gives 1990, the year of the Columbia edition. Both are correct for their own release.
Live in London is dated 1995 by Apple Music and Wikipedia, 1996 by Discogs and 1997 by Frank Bessem. Ebo is 1993 on Discogs and 1994 on Wikipedia. Bessem also dates Sugar to 2002 and Fikir to 2007, a year later than Discogs. We follow Discogs and name the other dates here.
Soba is dated January 3, 2023, by Wikipedia, which says it is a Kabu Records album. Apple Music lists it on February 3, 2023, under Sewasew Multimedia. Wikipedia also says Gela Gela was presented at the Sheraton Addis, a claim we could not check in a second source.
The Kaifa Years in Addis Ababa
Her first records came out on Kaifa Records. The 1977 single has አንተዬ (Anteye) on one side and ሎሚዬ (Lomiye) on the other. Its Discogs entry says it was made in Greece and carries an Amha Records number, AE 43, next to the Kaifa number.
The first numbered cassette has eight songs, all listed in Amharic. They include አንተ ልጅ (Ante Lij), ሸግዬ (Shegiye) and የኔ ቆንጆ (Yene Konjo). She recorded Yene Konjo again in the United States on Ebo in 1993.
The shared cassette with Wubeshet Fisseha has ten songs, among them ገለል ቢይ (Gelel Biy), ጉም ጉም (Gum Gum) and መላ መላ (Mela Mela). Amharic Wikipedia names Wubeshet as her partner on these early singles.
Cassette number 3 holds ካቡ ተንዶብኝ (Kabu Tenidobign). She returned to this song many times. A new version called Kabu gave its name to her 1991 album, and Kabu Tenidobign appears again on Aster’s Ballads in 2004.
Aster and Kabu: The Albums That Reached the World
Triple Earth printed English titles next to the Amharic ones on Aster. Discogs lists nine songs on the British record, in this order:
- Sebebu (My Excuse)
- Etitite! (Shivering!)
- Tizita (Memories)
- Teyim (Sepia)
- Sengno (Monday)
- Selale (Name Of A City)
- Y’shebellu (Name Of A River)
- Fikhr Anesgne (Not Enough Love)
- Wolela (Love That Grows)
The Columbia edition of 1990 keeps the same nine songs but moves Sengno to the end.
Kabu followed in 1991 with eight songs. Again the record printed English titles for most of them:
- Yedi Gosh (My Guy)
- Yas Oh (Grab It, Get It On)
- Kabu (Sacred Rock)
- Kezira
- Bati
- Tchewata (Romance)
- Eyoha
- Bitchengna (Loneliness)
Her artist profile on Music in Africa says Kabu was number one for four weeks on the College Music Journal New World chart. It says the album also spent ten weeks in the top ten of the Billboard World Music chart.
The Kabu Records Albums
Aster returned to Ethiopia in 1997, after more than fifteen years abroad, according to Wikipedia. Two years later she released Hagere on her own label, Kabu Records. Frank Bessem lists Abegasu Kibrework Shiota on keyboards and Henock Temesgen on bass.
Sikuar, or Sugar, followed in 2001, and Aster’s Ballads in 2004. The Amharic cover title of the ballads album is የአስቴር ትዝታዎች. Fikir came in 2006 and Checheho in 2010. Checheho closes with Gonder, a song named for the city where she was born.
Music in Africa calls Ewedihalehu, released in 2013, her 24th album. It says she made it with her longtime arranger Abegasu Kibrework Shiota and the producers Henock Negash and Maru. Chewa followed in 2019.
In 2026 she released Gela Gela. Apple Music gives its full title as Gela Gela: Aster’s Ballads #2, which links it to the ballads album of 2004.
Key Aster Aweke Songs in Amharic and English
| Amharic | English spelling | Printed English title | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| አንተዬ | Anteye | 1977 Kaifa single | |
| ሎሚዬ | Lomiye | 1977 Kaifa single | |
| የኔ ቆንጆ | Yene Konjo | Cassette number 1; Ebo (1993) | |
| ካቡ ተንዶብኝ | Kabu Tenidobign | Cassette number 3; Aster’s Ballads (2004) | |
| ሙናዬ | Munaye | Electra cassette; as Munaye Munaye on Aster’s Ballads (2004) | |
| Sebebu | My Excuse | Aster (1989) | |
| Tizita | Memories | Aster (1989) | |
| Kabu | Sacred Rock | Kabu (1991) | |
| Eyoha | Kabu (1991); Live in London | ||
| Hagere | Hagere (1999) | ||
| Ewedihalehu | I Love You (Music in Africa) | Ewedihalehu (2013) | |
| ጨዋ | Chewa | Chewa (2019) |
Blank cells mean we found no Amharic spelling or printed translation in a source we could check.
Aster Aweke Career Timeline
- 1959: Born in Gondar, according to English Wikipedia.
- 1977: First singles on Kaifa Records in Addis Ababa.
- 1981: Moves to the United States, first to California and then to Washington, D.C.
- 1989: Aster is released by Triple Earth in Britain.
- 1991: Kabu is released by Columbia and Triple Earth.
- 1997: Returns to Ethiopia, according to Wikipedia.
- 1999: Hagere, the first album on Kabu Records.
- 2013: Ewedihalehu, called her 24th album by Music in Africa.
- 2026: Gela Gela is released on July 7.
Her story sits beside that of Mahmoud Ahmed, who also sang with the Ibex Band in the 1970s. See our Mahmoud Ahmed discography for his records.
