Place and Date:	New York 2004
Interviewer:	Sean Barlow

Sean Barlow: Your new album is "Abyssinia Infinite: Zion Roots". Tell us what and where is Abyssinia?
Gigi: Abbyssinia is Ethiopia, in East Africa. It is an old name.

SB: Can you describe some of the instruments on the record that listeners might not know about?
Gigi: There is a masinko, which is a bow instrument. It's one string. I don't know what to relate to it. I heard some music from the Fulani. It's similar to that. And then we have the kraar, which is a five string instrument. And there's also the accordion, acoustic guitar, percussion, and so on.

SB: And there's that unique Ethiopian saxophone sound. What is it that you think that makes it different?
Gigi: It's the melody, and the scales- the Ethiopian scales. They developed their kind of distinct way to play it.

SB: We know your work from your first debut international album, "Gigi." Then there was the remix album. And then this is the third. You call it a traditional record?
Gigi: Well, it's more acoustic..this is not really a purely traditional record, but there are a lot of very old traditional songs on this record and I try to keep that concept and that spirit, in an acoustic way, and not losing this traditional part of it, try to do a record with a good sound.

SB: Can you describe some of the songs that are more traditionally based, as you were talking about that are on the album. You mentioned that you wanted to do your version of some traditional songs. Which ones are those on the album?
Gigi: One is "Gole," which is a very old song, maybe that song could be like a thousand- year old song. It's a very popular song in that tribe. It's a different language than the national Amharic language.

SB: Which language is that?
Gigi: It's Agonya. It's a very old and ancient language. They sing that song in a village,and I grew up singing that song. And also there's one song called I-nI, which is a 6/8 rhythm. And that's also a very old song, but I mixed it some Amaharic stuff. I wrote more words and more melodies because it's just a chant that goes on and on.

SB: Could you give us a brief version of your story, especially in terms of how you first experienced music and fell in love with music.
Gigi:I grew up in a family where there was a lot of people in the house. Growing up singing, it was really a lot of fun. I had a wonderful childhood. It was just natural for me to be a singer. Everybody kind of felt it when I was young. And I was surrounded by church music and traditional music. And then when I came to Adis, I got used to a lot of Ethiopian popular music, which was the contemporary stuff. I was exposed to a lot of different African music. I lived in Kenya for a couple of years. That kind of broadened my concept of music and just brought me closer to the world. And then I came to America.I write songs from a lot of different things that I listen to and that I get from my experiences.

SB: So you say you listened to music from church. Which church is that?
Gigi: Coptic Orthodox church.

SB: What's the music like in that church tradition.
Gigi: It's beautiful. It's the most beautiful music I've ever heard. It's so moving. Sacred sound is always really very moving everywhere. This music is very old. It was created or written around 680 in Ethiopia. It was the time when Christianity started in Ethiopia. It was written music, probably the first written music in the history of Africa or in the history of the world. They had their own way of writing music.

SB: Is this sung in unison with instruments or is it all a capela?
Gigi: No, they have big drums like really huge, like Brazilian drums. Each time there is a different ceremony there is different music. There's music for Monday. There's music for Tuesday. There's music for morning. There's music for night. There's music to praise. There's music to worship God.

SB: So when you went to Addis Ababa for the first time what age were you?
Gigi: 14, 15.

SB: What impressed you? Here you are coming from out in the provinces. Now you're seeing contemporary music and Addis music. What impressed you about the way they were using their voices or the sound?
Gigi: I just react naturally to music, you know? If I like it, I like it. If I don't like it, I don't like it. I remember loving really, Aster Aweke. I was so taken by her voice and the phrasing and the words that she says, the sounds of the records that she was making then. Sometimes I say that if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be a singer (laughs). I was so much in love with her music and I still love her.

SB: What's distinctive of Aster. What's kind of typical? Can you demonstrate what you mean?
Gigi: The way she uses the high notes. She sings it from her stomach. My voice is not naturally like that. So I have to use it from, like, my neck over to my nose. There's a technique that I use to create that sound. I used to imitate completely Aster, and I started to sound just like her. But still it was very artificial because naturally I'm not that person, and that's not naturally my voice. So it was very artificial. So when I heard this other singer, she sings very loud and she fills the room with her voice. And I said I don't have to sing like Aster. I don't have to sing like this woman. I should just have to open up myself and just do whatever I do. And then technically, I use Aster and the spirit of her, because even though I do this, I am not Aster Aweke.

SB: In certain parts of Africa it's very common for women to rise to be professional artists, like Mali for instance. In other countries, there very few. In Ethiopia, was there much of a tradition of contemporary artists performing in nightclubs and having professional careers?
Gigi: Yeah, definitely. There were beautiful singers who came out of the 70's, the 60's. There were wonderful singers. There are so many of them. So many beautiful singers.

SB: Did they usually write their own material? Were they writing songs?
Gigi: I know Aster writes a lot of her stuff. The other singers, I don't know. Most of the time people write those songs.

SB: Well, let's focus in again on your own album. Tell us about "Aba Alem Lemenea."
Gigi: "Aba Alem Lemenea" means "Father, Why the World for Me?". It's a song that I wrote when I was kind of sad...you know, when you feel like you don't know why people do things around you, why they say things to you, or why you love and hate at the same time, why you're rich now and poor tomorrow. It's like when I lost control of my life. You know that the world is out there, but you can't help yourself from doing bad things, like smoking. (laughs). It's spiritual song. It's also kind of a prayer to God saying "Help me."

SB: And there is another song, "Bati Bati.'
Gigi: "Bati Bati" is a traditional song that has been covered by a lot of different singers. It's a love song.

SB: And then there's the song "Alesema." Gigi: That's a song that I wrote for Jah Wobble. But we remixed it and redid it on this record, and I wrote more words and there's more melodies in it. It's a love song.

SB: Tell us a little but about the process for this album. How did it work in terms of layering and building the compositions?
Gigi: Well, I thought about the project many, many times before. I had the songs in my mind--which songs I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. Of course, you know, the timing and everything. I didn't put traditional instruments in it as much as I wanted to do. And it's kind of difficult to find people here, as well?

The last song, "Ethiopia." Tell us about that.
Gigi: It's about Ethiopia. It's about the beauty of Ethiopia, the land, the culture. It's an awaking song. It's like a call to prayer to say "Wake me up."

SB: On the theme of women, were there international artists or other African women artists that particularly inspired you?
Gigi: When I was young I used to listen to Tracy Chapman a lot. It sounds like African music to me when I listen to her songs. I used to listen to a lot of country music [laughs]. People think it's funny, but in Africa they listen to a lot of American country music. But you know, I grew up listening to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. You know, the whole pop thing. I really like Lauren Hill. I really love and adore her music.

SB: How does the music abroad and in the Ethiopian diaspora in America compare to what's going on in Addis? What is the relationship between the different international audiences that artists are going for in general and what's going on back home.
Gigi: Well, who ever is my music fan is my music fan, whether here or there. But to be honest with you, I'm not having any problem in terms of that. People in Ethiopia took me for who I am. They don't expect me to be this or that. Here, I have no choice. Anywhere you are just yourself. You do what you do. It's not about making yourself available to this people or to that people or this people. It's about doing what you love to do and then whoever likes it likes it. Whoever doesn't, doesn't.

SB: And your work is released in Ethiopia on cassette, CD and so on?
Gigi: Yeah. It's mostly a cassette business. You know, it's the same music that's out there. It's the same music that comes out here.

SB: Sometimes African artists will do an international version and then a local version.
Gigi: I don't do that.

SB: What are some of the you've learned being an Ethiopian artist presenting and performing around the US or Europe. What are some of the challenges that you've faced or things that you figured out?
Gigi: Sometimes I wish people could understand what I'm singing about. I listen to a lot of music where I don't understand the language and I really enjoy it a lot. Sometimes it's good that you don't know the words.(laughs) But most of the time I wish people understood what I'm singing about, so I try to say the lyrics (when performing).

SB: So you give a little synopsis or paraphrase?
Gigi: Yeah, I try to do that. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. Because it doesn't really translate. It's good that people know what you are singing about, at least.

SB: So I imagine most people, at least in your international audience, relate to your voice as sort of a sonic instrument, a texture, as opposed to conveyor of meaning.
Gigi: One thing I learned in the studio doing this record...it was different musicians, not Ethiopians. They come, listen to songs, they don't know what I'm singing about. They translate it just from listening to melodies. So I believe that the listeners, also, translate (my songs)in their ears. They understand the emotion and the spirit of the songs and they get involved in it, even without understand what I'm singing about. So I'm happy about that. People get actually moved by just the songs. Just like I'm moved by Oumou Sangare or Salif Keita, you just listen. They are beautiful people. I don't think I'm that good of a singer, but that's what it is.

SB: Is there anything else you want to tell me about the project?
Gigi: I'm very happy about it. It keeps me connected with my family and my country. Each time I listen to it, I remember a lot. A lot of memories come back. So I am very happy making this record.

SB: And what are your plans in terms of touring to support the album?
Gigi: I'm going to try my best to do a tour. I'd love to travel to promote this CD.

SB: How would you characterize the scene now is Addis?
Gigi: Well, I haven't been in Addis for the last seven years. From what I hear, it's really pumping. The music is happening, people are happy, things are changing in a good direction. There's a lot of singers coming up who are really talented people, which is very cool.

See Banning Eyre's review of "Abyssinia Infinite: Zion Roots" (Network),wee
http://www.afropop.org/explore/album_review/ID/2425