Letarik

Letarik Tilahun (born in 1994) is an ethio/afro jazz composer and instrumentalist, known for electric live jazz performances and his debut album ZemaNegarian. Coming from humble beginnings, Letarik’s journey starts with him growing up in a very tight knit family deep in the heart of Addis. With his mother and brother playing a big role in shaping the character of his youth, he learned the integral part of living was the act of looking forward and being in shaken by your faults or mistakes. Coming up in a musical family, with an older brother being a singer, his love for all genres of music started at a young age. His fondness of music is what led him to community centers to learn more about music and this is where he also leaned more about the society he comes from.

His experience of life was marked by the everyday buzz and a tapestry of contrast in Addis. The streets of this bustling metropolis, from its modern corners to its old-fashioned neighborhoods, feature a city that is brimming with sites where tradition coexists with the contemporary lifestyles. Navigating through this cultural meting pot, Letarik has found inspiration from the different facets of what Addis offers; environment, community, lived experience, time, identity and harmony. This has contributed in Lutta’s character, his themes of exploration, his body of work and his rise as an authentic young artist that genuinely represents the community he comes from.