Ethiopian singer-songwriter, DJ, and musician Rophnan performs music. At the young age of 16, he made a splash on the Addis Abeba club scene and helped his nation’s electronic music industry grow by fusing it with the use of traditional instruments. His second album, Sidist VI, is already available and he has signed with Universal Music.
The time-traveling, genre-defying musician ROPHNAN is most renowned for fusing modern music with traditional Ethiopian instruments to envelop listeners in his dystopian sonic environment. The success of ROPHNAN followed the success of his EP, SOST (III), the first volume of a grand musical trilogy, and suggested a bright future.
The war that Ethiopia endured over the past year, nevertheless, forced ROPHNAN to reflect on everything, including the status of humanity and his place in it, which made the completion of his sophomore album uncertain.
“Given everything we’ve been through in the last few years, nobody could be okay. Because it was such an emotional moment, everything was influenced, including how I view the world and how I view myself, he tells OkayAfrica. ROPHNAN resorted to self-analysis to help him navigate the turmoil around him.
SIDIST (VI) shows itself from the viewpoint of his inner child, free from the prejudice or hatred of humanity. SIDIST, which was distributed by Universal Music, makes ROPHNAN the first native Ethiopian artist to sign with a significant global label.
The record, which was inspired by Ethiopia’s painful past, presents a personal endeavor where science and faith are harmonized to speak to the potential future of the country. Our timely interview with ROPHNAN explains why love, rather than time, space, or gravity, served as the inspiration for his most recent work.
