Abeba Desalegn (አበባ ደሳለኝ) releases Merkign (መርቂኝ), her fourth studio album, on Thursday, November 12. The title means “bless me.”
She announced it on Sunday with a 46 second trailer on her official YouTube channel. She is keeping the songs, guest singers and producers a secret for now.
What the Trailer Shows
The trailer opens on a grand piano on an empty stage, with the words “Merkign Album, November 12” and “Volume 4.” It then shows Abeba in a red beret and a scarf, walking on autumn streets with an umbrella and flowers. Short shots of a record player and a studio mixing desk follow. The last frame shows the title in Amharic script above the words “4th Studio Album.”
The video description names Geez Creative, an Ethiopian digital music company, as the distributor. The trailer is the first new upload on her channel since February, when she posted the official video for Mayete Kentu (ማየቴ ከንቱ), the music site Ethio.Music noted. Fans have already watched the trailer about 33,000 times.
A Familiar Voice on Ethiopian Radio
The album news comes while one of her older songs is getting heavy airplay. In its November chart, the Addis Ababa guide What’s Out Addis ranked Abeba second among the most played artists on Ethiopian radio and television, with 315 plays. Her song Meskel Yibir (መስቀል ይብር) was the second most played track, with 199 plays. Only Irreecha by Kemer Yousuf had more.
The song is tied to Meskel, the Finding of the True Cross, which Ethiopians marked in late September with Demera bonfires across the country.
Her Earlier Albums
Abeba became known in the 1990s. In 2023, the Ethiopian podcast Mastawesha described her as one of the best Ethiopian female singers of that decade. Her songs still appear on streaming collections of Ethiopian music from the 1990s.
Apple Music lists her album Yelehubetm (የለሁበትም), released in 2013 by Nahom Records with 13 songs. It also lists Erjign Abro Adege, a 12 song album from 2023. Her channel now carries every song from Yelehubetm as official audio.
Her video for Werewn Semchalehu (ወሬውን ሰምቻለሁ), posted on her channel in January 2026, has passed 2.6 million views. Tewnet.com wrote about her in 2018, when she appeared on the Enchewawet show.
Merkign lands in a busy month for Ethiopian music. Last week, Helen Berhe released her album Yebereta as ten official videos. Ethio.Music also lists new albums from bass player Kirubel Assefa on November 20 and from singer Netsanet Sultan on November 21.
