Berhana has officially launched a new era. The emerging Ethiopian-American singer and songwriter has returned with his latest offering, “Gone (Abebe Bikila),” alongside a supporting black-and-white music video.
“Gone (Abebe Bikila)” is a tall looking glass into the inebriated mind of Berhana, as he is sober enough to make clear sentences about losing a special lady.
In addition to expressing a sense of longing and intoxication in the song’s theme, Berhana pays tribute to Abebe Bikila in both the title and lyrics. Berhana shared information about Bikila’s history when announcing the release of the single.
Berhana wrote, “Abebe Bikila was an Ethiopian marathon runner that made his claim to fame as a last second stand-in for the 1960 Rome Olympics. Upon arriving, he realized the shoes he had been given didn’t fit. He decided to run barefoot — and won. In doing so, he became the first African to take home Gold in the Olympics and he did it in the same country that tried (and failed) to colonize his homeland some 70 years prior. Legend.”
Berhana paired his new track with a monochrome-colored visual directed by Julia Baylis and Sam Guest. The biggest takeaway from the video is that Berhana can put away some beer.
“Gone (Abebe Bikila)” is the first track mentioned to be part of Berhana’s forthcoming album, Amén: የዘላን ህልም, which stands for Amén: A Nomad’s Dream. The 12-track album will be released this fall on EGT Recordings.
In 2019, Berhana released his debut album Han under EGT Recordings. The record, produced heavily by Canadian hitmaker Pomo (Jon Batiste, Anderson .Paak, Jessie Reyez) featured multiple pre-album tracks, including “Healthy Food” and “Lucky Strike.”
Berhana since then has shared alternate versions of Han tracks, including the Mereba-assisted “Golden” and the Boogie-guested “I Been (Remix).” The latter track, initially featuring Crush, was an Amazon Music exclusive.
In late 2022, Berhana dropped the track “Sundays” and followed this year with “Weep, No More.” Neither track will appear on his next album.
Stream Berhana’s new song “Gone (Abebe Bikila)” and watch the official video below.