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Ester Rada singing with her eyes closed and one hand on her head, in an orange shirt under stage lights, at a festival in France, 2015
Photo: G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ethio-jazz and soul singer

Ester RadaSongs, albums, age and where shows are announced

Israeli singer and actress whose music blends Ethio-jazz, funk, soul and R&B, known for Life Happens and Nanu Nay.

Israel.com does not list Ester Rada's shows yet. New dates are announced first on the official pages below.

Watch Ester Rada's newest video

These are Ester Rada's official accounts, with the latest from each

Posts, videos and songs straight from Ester Rada's own pages, as they publish them.

Read more about Ester Rada:

Ester Rada started out in musical theatre before Life Happens made her name as a singer

Ester Rada, born in 1985, began on stage as an actress: in 2006 she played Mali in the musical HaLehaka at Habima, a role that won her the theatre's discovery of the year award, and she went on to the TV series Deus and to films.

Her music career took off with Life Happens, a 2013 EP of four songs she wrote and composed, produced by Kutiman and Sabbo. The title song reached number four on Galgalatz's weekly chart, she played Glastonbury that year, and her debut album, Ester Rada (2014), went gold. Its single Nanu Nay was the first song in Amharic to reach the chart's top ten.

She went on to festivals in Europe, North America and Australia, made EPs of songs by Nina Simone (I Wish, 2015) and Billie Holiday (Lady, 2019), and released the albums Different Eyes (2017) and Chesed (2020). In 2025 she released ZION and launched it at the Barby in Tel Aviv.

Ester Rada singing with her eyes closed and her hands open, in a red top against a black background, at the Aarhus Jazz Festival in Denmark
Photo: Hreinn Gudlaugsson, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ester Rada singing with one arm stretched out, in an orange shirt, on an outdoor stage in France, 2015
Photo: G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Her path runs from the musical HaLehaka at Habima in 2006 to her album ZION in 2025

  1. 2006

    Began her stage career as Mali in the musical HaLehaka at Habima, directed by Ilan Ronen, a role that won her the theatre's discovery of the year award. Hebrew Wikipedia

  2. 2012

    Sang Save a Little Love for Me, the first single from the German nu jazz group Club des Belugas' album Forward. Hebrew Wikipedia

  3. 2013

    Released the EP Life Happens; its title song reached number four on Galgalatz's weekly chart and its video was shown on MTV in Europe and VH1 in Britain. Hebrew Wikipedia

  4. 2013

    Played the Glastonbury Festival and opened Alicia Keys' concert in Israel. English Wikipedia

  5. 2014

    Released her debut album, Ester Rada, which went gold; its single Nanu Nay became the first song in Amharic to reach Galgalatz's top ten. Hebrew Wikipedia

  6. 2015

    Released I Wish, an EP of four Nina Simone classics, and signed with Discograph, part of Harmonia Mundi, to distribute her music in Europe. Hebrew Wikipedia

  7. 2017

    Released her second album, Different Eyes. Hebrew Wikipedia

  8. 2018

    Hosted The Four, a music competition on Reshet 13. Hebrew Wikipedia

  9. 2019

    Released Lady, an EP of four Billie Holiday songs, together with a short documentary on its making by the director Danielle Shitrit. Hebrew Wikipedia

  10. 2025

    Released the album ZION and launched it with a concert at the Barby in Tel Aviv. Maariv, 31 October 2025

These are Ester Rada's best-known albums and songs

  1. ZION

    Album · 2025 · Ester Rada's website

  2. Chesed

    Album · 2020 · Hebrew Wikipedia

  3. Lady (EP)

    Album · 2019 · Hebrew Wikipedia

  4. Different Eyes

    Album · 2017 · Hebrew Wikipedia

  5. Diving Shadows

    Album · 2016 · Ester Rada's website

  6. I Wish (EP)

    Album · 2015 · Hebrew Wikipedia

  7. Ester Rada

    Album · 2014 · Hebrew Wikipedia

  8. Nanu Nay

    Song · 2014 · Hebrew Wikipedia

  9. Life Happens (EP)

    Album · 2013 · Hebrew Wikipedia

  10. Save a Little Love for Me, with Club des Belugas

    Song · 2012 · Hebrew Wikipedia

Her own channel has her songs and clips

2025

2025

2025

These are the questions people ask about Ester Rada

Where does Ester Rada announce new shows?

New dates are announced first on Ester Rada's official pages: Official site, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Israel.com does not list these shows yet.

What is Ester Rada's Instagram?

Ester Rada's official Instagram account is @esterada. The latest posts from it are on this page.

Is Ester Rada on TikTok?

Yes: Ester Rada's official TikTok account is @esteradaofficial.

Where can I listen to Ester Rada's songs?

Ester Rada's songs are on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, on the official artist pages linked here.

How old is Ester Rada?

Ester Rada was born on 7 March 1985 and is 41 years old.

What is Ester Rada's best-known song?

Life Happens. Released in December 2012, it reached number four on Galgalatz's weekly chart, and its video was shown on MTV in Europe and VH1 in Britain.

What kind of music does Ester Rada make?

A blend of Ethio-jazz, funk, soul and R&B. She names Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin among her influences, alongside Ethiopian jazz such as Mulatu Astatke.

Which singers has Ester Rada paid tribute to on record?

Nina Simone, on the 2015 EP I Wish, and Billie Holiday, on the 2019 EP Lady, which came out with a short documentary on its making.

Is Ester Rada also an actress?

Yes. She began in the musical HaLehaka at Habima in 2006, which won her the theatre's discovery of the year award, and acted in the series Deus and in Nadav Lapid's film HaGanenet.

What language is Nanu Nay sung in?

Amharic. The single from her 2014 debut album reached number seven on Galgalatz's weekly chart, the first song in Amharic to make its top ten.

More performers you can follow on Israel.com

Where these facts come from