Mereba by Adane Firde
Southern-bred multidisciplinary artist Mereba just released her new album The Breeze Grew a Fire out now on Secretly Canadian. Written entirely by Mereba and produced by Mereba with the help of Sam Hoffman and Kibrom Birhane, the album draws on new lived experiences and early influences while tapping into her maternal instinct. Throughout the record Mereba rediscovers space for her truest self.
Alongside the album Mereba shares the video for her song “Heart of a Child.” Filmed entirely in several historical neighborhoods in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, the video cuts between images of Mereba and her inner child showcasing her fresh and curious perspective of the world and was directed by Maranata Tegegne.
Speaking on the early stages of The Breeze Grew a Fire, Mereba shares, “For this [album], it went back to me being on my own for the creation of a lot of the songs, and it was really important for me at this time of life because I was a little disconnected from the world, and from who I was. So I was trying to find my way back to myself first. What do I like? What do I want to hear? What do I want to say to people now?” The development of The Breeze was anchored by experiences and memories from Atlanta to L.A., Addis Ababa to Greensboro, an intention that speaks to the album’s fluid nature. To aid in this creation, Mereba tapped her longtime production collaborator Sam Hoffman to co-assemble the album’s rich production, which parallels its folklore-like warmth.
To celebrate the album’s release Mereba will be heading on a full North American tour beginning in April. The tour picks up in Sacramento and San Francisco before heading to Chicago, Montreal, New York, Boston and more. You can find full tour routing below.
Following the release of her debut album The Jungle Is the Only Way Out, Mereba welcomed the birth of her son in 2021. Naturally, the assumption of her role as mother and nurturer shifted her self-perception and as a result, the methods and drive behind her creative output. On The Breeze Grew a Fire Mereba looks towards her own inner child to carve out space for her most honest self.
Mereba’s previous debut album The Jungle Is the Only Way Out and follow up AZEB EP were both released to critical acclaim and sparked a global cult following with lead singles performed on Tiny Desk, COLORS and at the BET Awards. During the tail end of making her debut album Mereba was mentored by Stevie Wonder and he encouraged her to take control of her music as her own producer. Mereba was also featured on Dreamville Records Grammy-nominated album Revenge of the Dreamers III and four of Mereba’s songs have been featured on HBO’s hit series Insecure.
Mereba’s entry into songwriting began through folk music. Mereba shares, “I learned guitar from a folk guitar teacher as a young teen in North Carolina and that really shaped how I write songs to this day, focusing on simple stories of everyday life.” The diverse Atlanta music scene continued to shape Mereba’s artistry growing up. Mereba notes, “Coming up in the ripe underground music scene in Atlanta as an indie musician influenced my journey and sound so much. I was playing every kind of show, folk shows, reggae shows, rap shows, R&B shows. It was there where I honed my skills as a performer and also a rapper and R&B singer, branching out from the super folk-centric space. I formed relationships with Spillage Village, the rap collective I’m still a part of with other members JID, Earthgang, 6lack, and others. We all came up together in a really organic and beautiful way, going from playing shows for 30 people to playing shows for thousands together.”
Upcoming Tour Dates
4/24/2025 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlows Nightclub
4/25/2025 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
4/27/2025 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
4/28/2025 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
5/1/2025 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
5/4/2025 – @ Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
5/6/2025 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
5/7/2025 – Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
5/9/2025 – Toronto, ON – The Axis Club
5/10/2025 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmont
5/13/2025 – Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
5/14/2025 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall – Grand Ballroom
5/16/2025 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
5/17/2025 – Washington, DC @ Howard Theatre
5/21/2025 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
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