There's something very raw and authentic about Estelle … It's an exceptional quality to retain after 20 years in a competitive and fickle industry.
"I want people to feel beyond just hearing,"Estelletells OkayAfrica.
The superstar's voice ringing out over our call is so distinctively hers – honeyed, evocative, and warm. Just unmistakable. "I just want to dance. I don't want no slow jams!"
There's something very raw and authentic about Estelle Fanta Swaray. It's an exceptional quality to retain after 20 years in a competitive and fickle industry. Her 2004 debut, The 18th Day, saw the Grenadian Senegalese singer from London hewing a narrative, experimenting with rap, boom-bap, R&B, and jazz phrasings — the kind of focus and intimacy that a neo-soul diva requires.
Then there was her breakthrough single "American Boy" with Kanye West, which went double platinum before garnering a Grammy. A storied career would see Estelle sitting at the center of her own creative solar system, courting collaborations from the likes of John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Swizz Beatz, Mark Ronson, and Tyler, the Creator, milestones that seemed to unfold organically rather than being the result of checking boxes. When she wasn't topping the charts, Estelle also flexed her acting chops in roles in Steven Universe, Girls Trip, Empire, and more.
It's difficult to stand your ground in pop music with personality and, harder still, to remain relevant without relying on quirk or theatrics. Disinterested in the trappings of the musical rat race, Estelle has managed to eschew the unsustainable culture of transient stars and constant productivity to focus on herself, her life, and her artistry.
"I think everything in life is supposed to be enjoyed. I understand the need or the harmony of struggle, but I don't think it's supposed to be a defining thing in our lives,” says Estelle.
Photo by Keith Majors
"I'm grateful that I was protected from a lot of celebrity culture. For sure, God had me in a different silo and still moved me through the industry with grace and allowed me to be who I am," she says, sharing that she's working on a memoir that will capture this odds-defying journey.
What makes Estelle stand out is her perception and understanding of what matters most in life and what it takes as a woman to protect your peace and your spirit and beckon balance. "I think everything in life is supposed to be enjoyed. I understand the need or the harmony of struggle, but I don't think it's supposed to be a defining thing in our lives. I don't believe that making art has to be tough. I've certainly called myself out on my suffering and said, 'Cool, suffering isn't everything. Let me try for some ease.'"
Seven years since her last album (2018's Lover's Rock), her latest offering feels like the perfect balm in times of uncertainty. The final product,Stay Alta, is Estelle at her purest: an eclectic mix of modern Afro-house and classic disco sounds strung together by her distinctive, powerful voice. "It came naturally," she explains. "I feel like people want to dance, and they need to see the light. Dancing moves your spirit. It moves stagnant energy. So I had to get out of my way and write songs that I feel people want to sing to, that people light up when they hear them."
The music is weighted by statements of affirmation, with "Fire" and "Oh I" personifying mantra-like manifestations. Estelle doles out sharp wisdom like a friend who occasionally reads you with love. "This might put you through some things but bring you back / Just the way you like," she counsels on "Oh I."
The brightness of Estelle's delivery paired with sumptuous production by Keith Harris (a frequent collaborator she describes as her "musical soulmate") ushers listeners towards sheer joy. Gorgeous, sinuous grooves lull you into a kind of danceable militance, embodying the traditions of Black dance music: an understanding that pleasure and pain are ever-overlapping, that joy and resistance are mutually reinforcing. "I've been on a journey consistently of pulling back every single time I slide into fear. I acknowledge it; I say 'thank you for coming' and show it where I healed. This is a return to my joy."
Are these club songs, testimonials, or therapy sessions? What does it mean if they're all three? Estelle is acutely aware of the perception of music, why it matters, and how it affects people worldwide. This is the premise of The Estelle Show on Apple Music. Across over 500 episodes, the propulsive, ever-enthusiastic host has emerged as a trusted figure with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of musical matter. Soul-searching interviews and explorations into the deep cuts that shaped artists such as Usher, Willow, Masego, Shaggy, and Stonebwoy are anchored by an impulse to capture the musical histories we engage with daily.
"It's an extension of me," she admits. "This is me showing you what I do in between albums. How I go and get galvanized, how I learn about our music. This is me sitting in my house playing records I didn't know existed."
Music has always been a part of her identity and expression. "It's a baseline thing," she says. Her father was a drummer and producer in the UK Lovers Rock movement, having jammed alongside greats Bob Marley and Louisa Mark. "Growing up in my big West African and West Indian family, music is a thing we didn't take lightly. We always had a very clear feeling and energy when it comes to music."
Whether she's making us laugh, dance, or cry, Estelle's course has always been imbued with tender soul music. It's a personal kind of revolution that has touched an audience of millions. But one person in particular was shaped by it: "The 18th Day Estellewould be so proud of me. She'd be proud of how I feel about my body and mind. She'd be proud of how I stand up for myself, move in the face of life, and transmute fear into love. She'd be so proud of the course correction."
