Abraham Afewerki was born in 1966 in Asmara, Eritrea. During the Eritrean War of Independence, Abraham and his family fled the fighting and lived as refugees in Sudan. He was interested in music from an early age, taking up the harmonica. Abraham joined the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) at the age of 12, as a member of a cultural troupe which toured areas controlled by the EPLF. He began writing his own songs and music regarding the war, performing them from 1979 onwards.