To assist her in entering the nation, her supporters and family are doing what they can. Before releasing her debut album, Egigayehu Shibabaw began her singing career with the National Theatre in Addis Abeba. There, she made the musical acquaintances Weres Egziabeher and Fantahun Shewankochew, and the three of them embarked on a tour of Eastern and Southern Africa as well as some of Europe. Gigi participated in a French theatre production of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba while she was in that country.
Later, she was given the opportunity to record a live concert at the Imagineer world music festival in Paris. This signalled her ascension to fame in Ethiopia. She successfully applied for a U.S. visa and was given it; she then relocated to California. In that location, Gigi began work on her debut album, “One Ethiopia,” which was created for the Ethiopian community. Even though only electronic instruments were used in the album’s recording, any listener could still be moved right away by GiGi’s sensual and emotional voice.
Her album sparked a national craze and garnered a lot of media attention. After Chris Blackwell, the company’s founder, was impressed with her album and saw the potential in this stunning young singer, she consequently signed with Palm Pictures. The fact that Bill Laswell and other well-known musicians were introduced to her at this crucial point in her career was also significant. Gigi recorded her debut album for Palm Pictures with the best American jazz musicians, including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Henry Threadgill, David Gilmore, Aiyb Dieng, Nicky Skopelitis, Pharoah Sanders, Art Baron, Hamid Drake, and Bill Laswell.
