Zema

Zema is an African producer, collector, selector and lover of roots reggae music. A relative new comer to performing on the international roots reggae circuit but no stranger to the music. At an early age, as an African living in Europe, she found cultural and spiritual sanctuary inside the music and as a teenager began collecting the music on vinyl. The love of the music and culture solidified as a life passion when she first heard it delivered on a sound system and after years of collecting and listening to the music she turned her passions towards production and composition.

2019 will be the debut of her record label ‘Zema Music’ and she has been busy recording with some of the top musicians and artists on the circuit.

The word Zema is derived from the name given to the spiritual chants and music composed by St. Yared in Ge’ez language in the 6th Century. The Zema chants express both joys and sorrows in musical poetic form. The Zema also contains passages relating to theology, philosophy, history and ethics.

These devotional chants and cultural traditions were a foundation of Zema’s childhood and family life. Assuming the name Zema to represent herself musically pays homage to both her own upbringing and the cultural values integral to roots reggae music. Just as the traditional chants represent both joys and sorrows, so her selection and production style will reflect all the victories and challenges of the African liberation struggle and spiritual upliftment. Those in attendance of a Zema session can expect a diverse range of roots rock reggae, from revival to present day, all tempos and all moods.