Teddy Afro (in Amharic: ቴዲ አፍሮ; real name: Tewodros Kassahun, in Amharic: ቴዎድሮስ ካሳሁን) is an Ethiopian music sensation and one of the most successful singers and song writers from Ethiopia in recent times. Afro's musical success has been credited to the powerful messages conveyed through his songs. From compassion to courage and from forgiveness to love, Afro has been able to break artistic boundaries that were previously untouched. He has been compared to Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, in part because of his ability to bring a political, spiritual, and rhythmic presence to his listeners. Afro is also noted for his work with other young and inspiring artists throughout Ethiopia. In 2002, Teddy released his debut album Abugida, named after the "Abugida" or ABCs of the Amharic language. The album catapulted him on the global music scene, and quickly won him the admiration of his people and individuals from all walks of life throughout the world. Several tracks in particular quickly caught the ear of many listeners outside his native Ethiopia — "Halieselassie" a tribute to the late Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I; "Haile, Haile" a hit single in honor of Olympic long distance champion and national hero, Haile Gebrselassie; and "Mona Lisa", a measure of human beauty. The album was dubbed a success in Ethiopian contemporary music, and was reprinted seven times. In 2004, Teddy released his most successful single to date, Tarik Teserra ("History was Made"), in honor of world record holder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist, Kenenisa Bekele. The song captured the emotions of the entire Ethiopian nation. A music video was compiled including footage from other great Ethiopian long distance runners, and of Bekele's 10,000 meter gold run in the 2004 summer Olympics. Throughout the video, Bekele is referred to as the new Anbessa ("Lion") in Ethiopian long distance running, succeeding the great Haile Gebrselassie. Bekele is shown several times looking back for his mentor Haile Gebrselassie, who was unable to run the 10,000 meter race at full pace due to a lingering injury. The single raised Afro's reputation as one of the greatest Ethiopian musical artists of his time, and heightened the release of his second album. The long anticipated second album, Yasteseryal, was finally released in 2005. This album was one of the most influential and controversial. Tedy Afro's brilliant lyrics and the release of this album coincided with the elevated political tension in Ethiopia surrounding the Ethiopian general election, 2005. The government banned four of his songs including "Yasteseryal" from playing on Ethiopian media outlets. Nonetheless, the album sold more than a million copies within a few months after its release. His third album, Tikur Sew, was released in 2012. Teddy Afro's fourth album, Ethiopia, reached the top of the Billboard World Albums chart in May 2017, at which time more than 600,000 units had been sold. Kassahun lives in Legetafo, Addis Ababa. He is married to the well known Ethiopian actress, model, and producer Amleset Muchie.