Biography

Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American vocalist, songwriter, composer and former refugee, known for her electric stage presence, innovative sound and vibrant cultural activism. Meklit's performances have taken her across the globe, and to the top of world music charts across the US, Europe and Ethiopia. She is a National Geographic Explorer, a TED Senior Fellow, and the winner of the globalFEST Artist Award. Meklit is also the co-founder, host and co-producer of Movement, a new podcast, radio series and live show telling stories of music and migration, broadcasting monthly on PRX’s The World to 2.5 million listeners. Meklit has collaborated with Kronos Quartet, Andrew Bird, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and musical legend Pee Wee Ellis. She has been commissioned to create new works by Lincoln Center, UCLA, Stanford Live, NYU Abu Dhabi, MAP Fund, Creative Work Fund and many more. A former Head of Creativity and Impact at San Francisco’s YBCA, Meklit has also been an artist-in-residence at Harvard, NYU, Purdue, and a featured voice in the UN Women theme song. Meklit is the co-founder of the Nile Project, an initiative at the intersection of culture and ecology, bringing together musicians from across the Nile Basin to collaborate and model cross cultural resource sharing. Meklit’s music has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, CNN, NPR, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe and many more.