Introducing ... ZENA

Yohan Kebede and Menelik are two Londoners in their mid-20s, both with Ethiopian parents and impressive CVs on the jazz scene: keys player Yohan has risen to prominence as part of the wonderful Kokoroko, and bass guitarist Menelik has been the spine in ensembles for artists such as Bill Laurance, Brian Jackson and Alina Bzhezhinska. The pair moved in similar circles and had heard each other’s names murmured around the scene, but they only met when Yohan needed a bassist to dep for a gig: “I got Menelik’s number and called him, he showed up, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, you’re Ethiopian!’ And then we worked out that we lived about 30 seconds away from each other, door to door.” This serendipitous proximity led – as is often the way with musicians – to extended jam sessions, the exchanging of influences and the sparks of something special. Though their jams began with jazz standards, these were quickly replaced by explorations of classic Ethiopian tunes, and the project that became known as ZENA slowly emerged.

The duo’s shared heritage provided a different atmosphere and approach to creativity that the musicians found liberating: “I might be in a room with other musicians listening to Ethiopian music and they’d say stuff like, ‘that’s wrong.’ Or ‘they’re out-of-time, they’re playing on the wrong side of the beat,’” explains Yohan. “That stuff is really frustrating for me. If everyone playing on this record is agreeing on what’s correct, who are you to say it’s wrong? I feel like I’ve had to defend it all the time. So, playing with Menelik was just perfect. I don’t have to justify anything.”

ZENA’s influences are extensive. On the Ethiopian side, you have jazz, yes, but there’s also pop from the 80s and 90s, and the traditional music of the krar lyre and masenko fiddle; on the other side, there is R&B, neo-soul and ambient beats. But their music isn’t just D’Angelo meets Hailu Mergia (though those legends do leave their mark). Instead, ZENA dissolve their influences and the influences-of-their-influences into their constituent parts, blending and building them back up together from scratch, creating something new in the process. The sparse instrumentation of keys and bass (plus the occasional drummer or old-school drum machine to power things along) leaves space for harmonic layers to expand into an ocean, with blissed-out waves of melody rolling into surf. Sometimes the music has a dance kick, other times it’s just straight vibes, making connections between the warped sounds of downtempo chillwave and the yearning of the Ethiopian tezeta (nostalgia). And those aesthetics transcend the music to permeate their videos, their streetwear fashion, the graphic design on their releases – it’s a whole style that exudes an overwhelming coolness.

They sold out three shows in London, even before releasing their first single, ‘Anchi Bale Gamé’, in November 2025. Their debut EP, Temesgen, followed on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, as well as shows in Addis Ababa, with festival slots now on the way. It feels like ZENA are onto something special. Their sound and looks, their whole vibe, could only be made by them: experimental pop at its most comforting, Ethio-jazz at its most relevant, 100% London and 100% Ethiopian.

+ Temesgen is out now. ‘MY LOVE YOUR LOVE’ features on this issue’s Top of the World compilation, track 12. ZENA perform at the Brick Lane Jazz Festival in April and Cross the Tracks in May