[LESS INFO] 78 VIEWS | ADDED 22:52:21 09/12/10
The very beautiful and talented Eritrean artist Helen Paulos sat down for an interview with Eri-TV correspondent for a special holiday program. The interview was conducted on the beautiful outdoors of Asmara Palace Hotel, during the recent holidays of Qudus Yohannes and Eid Al-Fitir. Artist Helen Paulos said her love of music started at an early age. As a young kid, she had a traditional drum, koboro, which she used to enjoy. She said her mother got her to start a guitar lesson, but as she was learning the music notes, her mind would wonder away and start to sing. She was then asked to join a band and met with Artist Bereket Mengisteab. At the age of 16, Bereket took Helen under his wings, and gave her an opportunity to visit Addis Ababa for a month. Helen said, after she returned back home to Asmara, she decided she would have more options and opportunities if she moved to Addis, and so she did. Helen said, she was very much accepted and encouraged despite her young age. She remembered Ethiopian artists such as Haile Tadesse and Aregahegn Worash, with whom she had opportunities to be on stage and perform. She said these artists and many others were instrumental to her growth and success in the music business, and expressed her gratitude. In regards to her family’s reaction when she was a very young aspiring musician, she said that they strongly opposed it mainly due to her age. “They wanted me to concentrate on school”, she says. However, she also says she enjoys her mom’s support now. Helen proudly spoke about her martyred father, who helped 2000 Eritreans escape from Sembel Prison during the Derg regime. During the interview, the beautiful artist shows her unbelievable talent by singing in Amharic, Tigrinya and even Oromigna.
