Esthero

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Esthero
Esthero in 2008
Esthero in 2008
Background information
Birth nameJenny-Bea Christina Englishman[1]
Born (1978-12-23) December 23, 1978 (age 45)
Stratford, Ontario, Canada
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • record producer
  • arranger
  • activist
Years active1997–present
Labels
Websitewww.esthero.net

Esthero (

portmanteau of "Esther the hero"; she claims to have gotten the name by combining the name of the heroine (Esther) and last line ("If I am to be the hero, then I cannot fly from darkness") of the film from Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar.[3]

Esthero's sound characteristically features her voice over a mix of mellow bass lines, jazzy trumpets, Spanish guitar and hip-hop. She is sometimes compared to artists Björk, Portishead, Billie Holiday, and Sade.[3] She has co-produced the majority of the material she performed.[4][5] Later female artists who count Esthero among their influences include Res, Fergie and fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado.[6]

Esthero's brother, Jason Englishman, is also a musician.

Career

Early life

At the age of sixteen, Esthero moved from the small town of Harriston, Ontario on her own to Toronto, Ontario, where she began singing at open-mic nights while supporting herself by working at different jobs. She was seen singing at the Free Times Cafe by manager Beau Ovcaric who set up a showcase for his partner Zack Werner.[3] They introduced her to EMI Publishing Canada president Michael McCarty, whom she charmed so well during their first meeting that without hearing her sing a single note he set up and paid for recording sessions with Martin "Doc" McKinney, a guitarist and studio engineer.

1997: Breath from Another

The young duo quickly began recording together, and six demos in were being courted on the presidency level by almost every major label in the US. Thanks to then EMI publishing US president Rick Krim their demo's reached the ears of the heads of the Work Group (a subsidiary of Sony). Their debut album, Breath from Another, was released to critical acclaim in Spring 1998.[7]

1998–2003: Collaborations and success

Following the dissolution of the WORK label, Esthero was released from her contract. She signed with Reprise in 2000. In 1998, after a remix of one of her songs ("Country Livin'") was used included on the soundtrack for "

Weekends", which was an international hit.[8]

In 2001, Esthero collaborated with German producer

UK Singles chart[9] and gave Esthero her first entry on the US Dance charts.[10]

2004–2005: O.G. Bitch and Wikked Lil Grrrls

On April 20, 2004—without Doc's assistance—Esthero released O.G. Bitch, a standalone EP featuring six alternate remixes of the title track, plus the

Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob.[14]

2007–2011: Split from record company and collaborations

In 2007, Esthero amicably parted ways with Venus Management. She continues to have a familial bond with Zack and Beau. Esthero is currently self managed.

2008 was an eventful year for Esthero, with a number of high-profile collaborations including the viral sensation

Shock Value II on the songs "Can You Feel It" and "Undertow" with band The Fray. The latter entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100, giving Esthero her first and only Hot 100 entry in the US.[10]

2012–present: Everything Is Expensive and "Baby Steps"

On June 5, 2012, Esthero released a new single titled "Never Gonna Let You Go", which was co-written and co-produced with Adam Bravin (She Wants Revenge). The song was featured in the February 21, 2013 episode of the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, titled "This Is Why We Fight".[16] The song reached number 72 on the Canadian Hot 100, giving Esthero her first entry on the chart.[10]

On October 30, 2012, Esthero self-released a new album titled

Top Heatseekers chart in the US.[17]
In Canada, the album was released through Universal Music.

In 2016, "Breath from Another" was nominated for a Polaris Heritage Prize, for best album from 1996 to 2005.[18] The album lost, however, to Arcade Fire's "Funeral" (which won the public vote) and Lhasa de Sela's "La Llorona" (which won the jury vote).[19]

In 2019, Esthero was featured in Black Eyed Peas song "4ever", and was in the accompanying music video which was published on February 1, 2019.[20] Via social media, Esthero announced the song "Baby Steps" on February 3, 2019.

Chart history

Esthero's singles typically perform well in North America. She has had three songs enter the US

Hot 100 chart).[24]

Appearances on television and soundtracks

Esthero has appeared on the

Love & Basketball and Slam
.

Her song "Wikked Lil' Grrrls" has also appeared in the film

Miss Congeniality 2 and in commercial spots for Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives, on the TV show Boston Legal, Smallville, and also on the TV show Las Vegas and its soundtrack, and the film John Tucker Must Die
.

The song "Black Mermaid," features prominently in the 2018 film Nappily Ever After, a romantic comedy starring Sanaa Lathan, in which Lathan's character sings a verse from the song (at approximately the 55-minute mark), with Esthero's recording appearing in the following scene. The end credits state that "Esthero appears courtesy of her beautiful mother and her own damn self."

Discography

Main article: Esthero discography

See also

  • List of number-one dance hits (United States)
  • List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

  1. ^ "ANYWAYZ". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Richard Harrington. October 28, 2005. "Esthero, Mixing It Up Again". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b c d "Esthero – Dictionary definition". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  4. ^ Urella, Matteo. "We Need More Female Producers, But a Select Few Are Currently Making Noise". Djbooth. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  5. ^ Boboltz, Sara (May 3, 2016). "There Are So Few Women In Music Production, No One Bothers To Count". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  6. ^ Parker, Lyndsey. "Exclusive LAUNCH Artist Chat". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on December 17, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ Molanphy, Chris (May 1998). "CMJ New Music Monthly May 1998 (pg. 41)". Google Books. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  8. ^ "Live Reviews: Esthero March 6, 1999 Lee's Palace, Toronto, ON"[usurped]. Chart Attack, by Jim kelly
  9. ^ "UK Singles Chart history". Official Charts. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d "Esthero chart search". BillboardBiz. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  11. ^ Loftus, Johnny. "Esthero We R in Need of a Musical Revolution [EP] [Bonus Track] review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  12. ^ "We R In Need Of A Musical Revolution (OFFICIAL VIDEO HD) ESTHERO (BY JACKSONGZMJB)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "Wikked Lil' Grrrls by Esthero Summary". MetaCritic. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  14. ^ Johnny Loftus (June 28, 2005). "Wikked Lil' Grrrls – Esthero | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  15. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak overview". Allmusic. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  16. ^ "Never Gonna Let You GoiTunes". TV Fanatic. November 20, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  17. ^ "Heatseekers Albums: Up and Coming Musicians Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  18. ^ Bliss, Karen. "Polaris Heritage Prize: Neil Young, Alanis Morissette and Arcade Fire Make Short List for Pre-2005 Prize". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  19. ^ "2016 Polaris Heritage Prize – Polaris Music Prize". Polaris Music Prize. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  20. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (February 2, 2019). "Watch Black Eyed Peas Cruise Streets of Los Angeles in '4EVER' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  21. ^ "Dance Club Songs chart history". Billboard.biz. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  22. ^ "Dance Singles Sales chart history". Billboard.biz. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  23. ^ "OFFICIAL SINGLES CHART RESULTS MATCHING: BALMES". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  24. ^ "Chart Search – Esthero". Billboard.biz. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  25. ^ Esthero on the Chris Rock Show, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved September 18, 2019
  26. ^ Episode #4.68, retrieved September 18, 2019

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Esthero&oldid=1218048028"