{{Short description|Ethiopian DJ and producer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Rophnan | image = Rophnan Uganda.jpg | caption = A signature photo pose of Rophnan | birth_name = Rophnan Nuri Muzeyin | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|06|22|df=y}} | birth_place = Addis Ababa, PDR Ethiopia | origin = | occupation = {{hlist|DJ|record producer|singer|songwriter}} | label = {{hlist|RAEY Records| Akwaaba Music| Universal}} | years_active = 2006–present | genre = {{hlist|Big room house<ref name=":5" />|deep house<ref name=":5" />|dubstep<ref name=":5" />|EDM<ref>{{Cite web|title=ROPHNAN BIO|url=http://et.coca-cola.com/cokestudio/home/artists/season06/rophnan/|access-date=January 10, 2021|website=et.coca-cola.com|language=en}}</ref>|ethnotronica<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rophnan - Reflection EP|url=https://soundcloud.com/akwaabamusic/sets/rophnan-reflection-ep|access-date=2021-04-26|website=SoundCloud|language=en}}</ref>}} | instruments = {{hlist|Keyboard|synthesizer|vocals}} }} '''Rophnan Nuri Muzeyin''' (Ge'ez: ሮፍናን ኑሪ ሙዘይን; born 22 June 1990), known mononymously as '''Rophnan''' (stylized as all caps), is an Ethiopian DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. Rophnan entered into the mainstream recognition after his debut album ''Reflection,'' which pioneered electronic music in Ethiopia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://addisfortune.net/addisfortunefeature/rophnan-roots-with-rare-genre/|title=Rophnan: Roots with Rare Genre|last=|first=|date=September 9, 2018|website=Addis Fortune|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref>
== Early life == Rophnan was born and raised in Addis Ababa. He is the ninth child out of 10 children in his family. His father named him Rophnan, not intended to be a word in any language, after having a revelation during deep prayer. When he was 10 years old, Rophnan started recording tapes in his classroom, singing and improvising drums to entertain his friends. His music style uniquely merges traditional Ethiopian instruments with contemporary electronic music.
== Career == ===2006–2014: Early years=== At 16 years old, Rophnan released his first mixtape which introduced him to Ethiopian club scene. The mixtape became an instant success, and in a market lacking local producers, DJs were playing it all across the country. The Mahmoud Ahmed's remix of the legendary song "Bemin Sebeb Litash" gained the most attention. The remix showcased Rophnan's ability to translate traditional melodies and rhymes into powerful electronic anthems.
Rophnan continued to DJ in clubs and venues in Addis Ababa while creating and developing his own sound, a fusion of Ethiopian cultural elements and his vocals.
===2014–2018: Career beginnings=== In the following years, Rophnan slowly established himself as a DJ while introducing the country to EDM. He had residencies in different clubs in Addis Ababa, sometimes playing 3 shows a night. Rophnan kept his own music unreleased and made sure that the only place one could hear his tracks would be when he played them himself. One of Rophnan signature tracks, "Get To Work", a Gurage-based beat, was released this way and was played exclusively as part of Rophnan's own DJ sets, which made the song famous within Addis Ababa youth without having to release it. Rophnan played a pivotal role in the rise of electronic music and DJ culture in Ethiopia. He continued to headline more and more events packing the biggest venues.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/article/electrifying-stages-and-coming-electronic-music|title=Electrifying The Stages |last=Abebe|first=Hiwot|date=May 19, 2018|website=The Reporter Ethiopia|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=September 17, 2019}}</ref>
===2018–2019:'' Reflection''===
On 17 May 2018, Rophnan released his debut album ''Reflection''. This was the first electronic music LP to ever be released in Ethiopia. The album was released independently by RAEY Records. A shorter version of the album, named ''Reflection'' E.P. was released by the Ghanaian label Akwaaba Music. ''Reflection'' was deeply rooted in raw traditional Ethiopian music but also mixing futuristic aesthetics into the powerful songs which reflected Rophnan's generation and artistic vision. Introducing a new musical message, the album took a little while to be absorbed by the Ethiopian market, but in just a few months, the album's reach expanded from clubs, to street corners, to radio stations and finally became the most played album of the year. Respectively, Rophnan became one of the most celebrated artists in the country. The release of the album coincided with a governmental change which brought consciousness to the youth of Ethiopia, and ''Reflection'' became the soundtrack of those winds of change. Soon after the album release Rophnan has performed live in the popular ''Ehud Be EBS'' TV show where he delivered a 10-minute set of live music, becoming the first artist ever to not lip-sync on the show. The video went viral and was viewed by millions.
The album won Rophnan three 2018's Leza Awards including Album of The Year, becoming a ground breaking release for an emerging genre.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/article/rophnan-shines-leza-awards-night | title=Rophnan Shines at Leza Awards Night | date=October 27, 2018 }}</ref> In his acceptance speech, staying true to the generation who brought him to this point in his career, Rophnan said: {{cquote|Reflection is an album where I reflected myself, my country and my generation .... I want to say to my younger brothers and sisters, use the computers, internet and smartphones you have in your reach for bigger things.}}
2018 also saw world-famous music group Major Lazer feature the track "Get To Work" on their "Africa To The World" compilation, highlighting Rophnan's place in the forefront of contemporary African music.<ref>http://www.akwaabamusic.com/en/countries/ethiopia/rophnan-my-generation-concert-major-lazer-mixtape/ {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> At the end of the 2018 Rophnan participated in Coke Studio Africa in Nairobi, where a collaboration with Zambian Rapper Chef 187 resulted in an original track named "All The Way".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tadias.com/01/16/2019/spotlight-ethiopias-dj-rophnan-nuri-at-coke-studio-africa-2019/|title=Spotlight: Ethiopia's DJ Rophnan Nuri at Coke Studio Africa 2019 at Tadias Magazine}}</ref> The powerful track and the use of ancient African instrumentation, together with cutting-edge sound design, drew positive feedback across the continent and became one of the season musical highlights.
Rophnan gained a sweeping number of fans (stylized as ''Phans'') by being a representative of a new generation's creative force in Ethiopia. This status manifested itself in an unprecedented scope of digital following, memes, fan art and social trends. The "Rophside", a side view picture which imitated the album art and Rophnan's favorite picture pose, itself derived from the long time tradition of Ethiopian emperors and rulers posing in profile, became an internet phenomenon and trending hashtag.
At the first half of 2019 Rophnan went on the ''My Generation'' national tour, packing up stadiums across the country with his "Phans". The opening show of the tour broke the attendance record for Ghion, with massive crowds showing up, thousands beyond the venue capacity, resulting in commotion and police brutality.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/article/commotion-and-injuries-taint-anticipated-concert | title=Commotion and Injuries Taint Anticipated Concert | date=March 2, 2019 }}</ref> The tour was the first to sell tickets via electronic means.
In July 2019, Rophnan was featured on Forbes Africa's 30 under 30 list in the Creative Category,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbesafrica.com/30-under-30/2019/07/01/30under30-creatives-category-2019/|title=#30Under30: Creatives Category 2019|last=Mwendera|first=Karen|date=July 1, 2019|website=Forbes Africa|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> naming Rophnan as one of the continent biggest influencers that year. Rophnan is the first Ethiopian musician to be featured on the list.
===2021–2022: ''SOST'' and ''Sidist VI''=== Rophnan released a 16 minutes long three song compilation called ''SOST'' (Amharic stylized as ሦስት III) on 17 May 2021. Three singles have premiered on his YouTube page.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Admin|date=2021-05-17|title=ROPHNAN - SOST - highly rated new Ethiopian Music|url=https://borkena.com/2021/05/17/rophnan-sost-highly-rated-new-ethiopian-music/|access-date=2021-05-19|website=Borkena Ethiopian News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=ሮፍናን - ሦሥት III ROPHNAN - SOST| date=May 17, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNZehEJJPAg|language=en|access-date=2021-05-19}}</ref> Since its release, ''SOST'' has gained massive success in Ethiopia by getting 2 million views within just a week. On 24 December, Rophnan released a single titled "Tesfa".<ref>{{Citation|title=ሮፍናን - ተስፋ {{!}} ROPHNAN - TESFA (Official Lyric Video)| date=December 23, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBaEHtCwqLg|language=en|access-date=2021-12-25}}</ref> In June 2022, Rophnan announced contract sign with Universal Records and release of his second album, ''Sidist VI'' which was released on 11 July.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Insight |first=Addis |date=2022-06-29 |title=Rophnan announced a contract signing with Universal Records. |url=https://addisinsight.net/rophnan-announced-a-contract-signing-with-universal-records/ |access-date=2022-07-10 |website=Addis Insight |language=en-US}}</ref>
===2024–present: ''Zetegn IX'' and further releases===
On 11 February 2024, Rophnan released ''Zetegn IX'' (Amharic: ዘጠኝ, (9) "nine"). Haile Roots and Sol Romeyo collaborated for the album work. His single "Shegiye" was gained viral recognition in TikTok, its music video has been attracted to over 2.8 million viewers. He followed releasing singles such as "'Dorze Delics", "Pele" and "Zetegn Nor".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mengesha |first=Selamawit |date=2024-02-17 |title=Self-taught And Determined: Rophnan Carves Unique Path With Dual Album Release |url=https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/38738/ |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=www.thereporterethiopia.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Discography== ;Studio albums {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ |- !Title ! scope="col" style="padding:0 8px;" | Album details |- |''Reflection'' | * Released: 17 May 2018 * Label: RAEY Records |- | ''Sost'' | * Released: 17 May 2021 |- |''Sidist VI'' | * Released: 11 July 2022 * Label: Universal Records |- |''Zetegn IX'' | * Released: 11 February 2024 * Label: Universal Music Africa<ref>{{Cite web |title= Universal Music Africa Music and DJ Edits on Beatsource|url=https://www.beatsource.com/label/universal-music-africa/1152}}</ref> |} ;EPs {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ |- !Title ! scope="col" style="padding:0 8px;" | EP details |- |''Reflection'' | * Released: 2018 * Label: Akwaaba Music |} ;Singles {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ |- !Title ! scope="col" style="padding:0 8px;" | Single details |- |"Tesfa" | * Released: 24 December 2021 * Label: 4Dot Music |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website|http://www.rophnan.com}} *[https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/article/electrifying-stages-and-coming-electronic-music Story on The Reporter]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rophnan}} Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century Ethiopian male singers Category:Ethiopian DJs Category:Musicians from Addis Ababa Category:Electronic dance music DJs Category:Dubstep musicians Category:Deep house musicians Category:Ethiopian record producers