Helen Berhe

Eski Leyew | እስኪ ልየው Meaning A tizita-infused breakup song that weaponizes Amharic’s grammatical gender. Helen’s use of feminine verb conjugations (leyew instead of leyu) creates a rare female narrative voice in 90s Ethiopian pop. The chromatic krar riff embodies the “musical weeping” tradition of azmari lamentations. Lyrics like “Let time separate us” (እስኪ ለየው ዘመን) invert the usual tizita nostalgia, rejecting memory’s comfort. The 7/4 time signature‘s instability mirrors the post-Derg societal dislocation of […]