| Samuel Yirga | |
| Birth Place: | Addis Ababa |
| Origin: | Ethiopia |
| Genre: | Ethiopian music fused with different styles |
| Occupation: | Musician, composer, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument: | Piano |
| Label: | Real World |
| Associated Acts: | Guzo Research project |
Samuel Yirga is an Ethiopian musician[1] and composer signed to Peter Gabriel's Real World Records.
At the age of 16, Samuel was accepted into Yared School of Music in Addis Ababa.[2] He was later dismissed for his tendency to experiment and his insistence on playing traditional and contemporary Ethiopian music, instead of adhering to the classical curriculum.[3] His music fuses traditional azmari music, Ethio-jazz, dub, reggae, jazz, Latin, and classical music.
The title of his debut album, Guzo, means "journey". Featured vocalists include the Creole Choir of Cuba, Iraqi-British singer Mel Gara, and Nigerian-British singer Nicolette. Dubulah (Nick Page) produced the album. Instrumentalists on the album hail from Ethiopia, Europe and the Caribbean.
Samuel is also a member of Dub Colossus and Ethiopian funk band Nubian Arc.