Gig Alert: Meklit Hadero

Meklit Hadero
“Leaving Soon”
Playing Sunday at NYU Skirball Center (566 La Guardia Pl., Greenwich Village)
Get: Tickets ($20) | Directions

Born in Ethiopia and raised in the U.S., Meklit Hadero is a singer, songwriter and activist. After graduating from Yale, she moved to San Francisco where her musical career blossomed, thanks to her jazz-and folk-inflected songs, poetic lyrics and acoustic guitar. Her conversational and earthy song style has drawn comparisons to that of Nina Simone. It’s also won her more than a few honors: she’s a TED Global Fellow and currently holds an artistic residence at N.Y.U., where she collaborates with British filmmaker John Akomfrah. This Sunday, she gives back with a concert at N.Y.U.’s Skirball Center. She’s also speaking on Friday night on a panel called “Reshaping the Cultural Imagination Through the Arts” at N.Y.U.'s Beauty and Fashion: The Black Portrait Symposium.