Meklit Hadero is an award winning Ethio-American vocalist, composer and cultural strategist,
known for her electric stage presence, and deeply personal Ethio-Jazz songs. Her
performances have taken her around the world, from Addis Ababa—where she is a household
name—to San Francisco, New York, Nairobi, Rio, Cairo, Montreal, London, Zurich, Rome, Helsinki
and more.
Meklit is co-founder and host of Movement, a new radio series, podcast and live show exploring
the intersection of migration and music. Grounded in her experience as a refugee in her youth,
Movement aims to inspire narrative change and shift public imagination around immigration and
migration. Movement airs regularly as a special feature of PRX’s The World.
Meklit is the former Chief of Program at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, as
well as a current National Geographic Explorer, and a TED Senior Fellow. She has collaborated
with folks like Kronos Quartet, Andrew Bird, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and the late musical
legend Pee Wee Ellis. She has been commissioned to create new work by Lincoln Center,
Stanford Live, UCLA, MAP Fund and many more. She is the co-Founder of the Nile Project, and
a featured voice in UN Women’s theme song.
Meklit’s music and projects have been covered by the New York Times, NPR, BBC, CNN,
Washington Post, Vibe Magazine and many more.