Hachalu Hundessa was an Ethiopian musician, songwriter, and civil rights activist who lived from 1986 to June 29, 2020. Hachalu was a major player in the Oromo uprisings of 2014–2016, which resulted in Abiy Ahmed becoming the prime minister of Ethiopia in 2018 and assuming control of the Oromo Democratic Party and Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front. In 1986, Hachalu Hundessa was born in Ambo, Ethiopia’s Oromia Region, to Gudatu Hora and Hundessa Bonsa. Raised by Oromo parents, Hundessa was a cattle herder and vocalist in school choirs. He was arrested in 2003 when he was seventeen years old for participating in protests. He spent five years in prison at Karchale Ambo before being released in 2008. Fantanesh Demisse was his spouse, and the two of them had two children. While incarcerated, Hachalu wrote and composed the majority of the lyrics for his debut album. 2009 saw the release of Sanyii Mootii, the album. He went on tour in the US and published his second album, Waa’ee Keenyaa, in 2013. According to Amazon Music, it was the best-selling African music album. A week before he passed away, Hachalu disclosed that he was working on his third album, Maal Mallisaa. The record was released in 2021 on the anniversary of his passing.[
