Born Amain Berhane, the album title, “Amén,” is a play on the pronunciation of his first name. The stage name Berhana is the phonetic spelling of his last name. The album is, thematically, the story of a nomadic, creative constantly in motion, searching for self-discovery and connection. It’s driven by the idea that even when you’re far from your comfort zone, there are totems — family, friends, traditions, spaces — you can refer back to in times of loneliness. “One of the things I was doing with this album was trying to get across this point of home being something you can bring with you wherever you go,” he said.
Berhana grew up in Marietta, guided by the strong matriarchs of his family. A first generation immigrant, the local Ethiopian community felt like one giant family, raising each other. “Every kid you meet is your cousin,” he remembers.
After spending his formative years in metro Atlanta, Berhana landed in New York, studying television and film at The New School. Jamming and connecting with students in the school’s jazz program eventually led him to take music seriously as a career.
In 2016, he released a self-titled EP. The 6-track offering drew attention for the standout, “Janet.” The cheeky R&B bop is an ode to Janet Hubert, the actress originally cast as Aunt Viv on the show “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The lyrics find Berhana equating his own rejection from a lover to the controversial removal of Hubert from the series in season four. “Wonder if you’ll dismiss me/ Maybe light-skin Aunt Viv me.”
Another song from the “Berhana” EP, the boozy love jam “Grey Luh,” made its way onto FX’s “Atlanta.”
Over the next couple of years, Berhana released singles “Whole Wide World” and “Wildin’” to positive reviews. His debut album, “HAN,” released in 2019, with its robot-voiced narrator, celestial themes and genre-less production, showcased…
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