| ARTIST: E S T E L L E |
Q U O T E |
Didn’t you start out in a church choir?
Yes, a Pentecostal church. It wasn’t too traditional so we’d take along whatever music was hot at the time and flip it into a gospel song. We wore bandanas and baggy clothes instead of choir robes.
Does religion feed into your music?
Definitely. Hip hop and religion work together for me; the basis of Christianity is the hope and belief that there is something looking out for us, outside of our regular lives. That’s all over my music.
Hip hop is supposed to be a lifestyle; is it a healthy one?
It should be. Over-indulging means you’re not going to keep it together. The successful artists are the ones that don’t smoke or drink. Clean living is a bigger part of it than people think.
You come from a huge family and are one of nine children; is it a help or hindrance?
A brilliant help. You don’t take yourself so seriously in a big family. You learn that not everything can be about you. As the eldest, I’ve got a mummy complex. I feel responsibility for everything and everyone; it’s exhausting.
Being the Prince’s Trust Ambassador must come naturally then?
I’m happy with it but that doesn’t mean I won’t make mistakes. I hope other kids will look at what I’ve done, not at me. That’s the best advice I was given: be inspired by what people do, not by the individual.
Does life on the road ever wear you down?
The lack of sleep does. I work at stupid times of the day, when everyone else is chilling at home watching Desperate Housewives.
How do you keep yourself on top form?
I drink hot honey and lemon before and after a show for my voice. Gone are the days of chatting to my mates backstage; now I stay quiet or do vocal warm-ups.
Your lyrics are tough on dope; so you don’t smoke?
I’m around people who smoke weed too much for me to want to smoke. I don’t touch it — or cigarettes. I don’t like what it does to people.
What about the sauce?
Drink isn’t a big thing in my life. I don’t really enjoy it and I feel crap in the morning, even after a couple of sips.
Any vices?
My chocolate habit. Before a show, it’s always chocolate and water. I know it’s bad but it makes your energy go zing.
What else tempts your tastebuds?
Chicken stir-fry. Thanks to my mother, I eat healthily. As children, instead of having chips and beans and junk food, she’d make sure that we ate proper African food once a week, which meant lots of greens and rice.
Are you hot on looking cool?
Definitely. You’ve got to look your best when you’re entertaining people. It has to reflect who you really are, though. Bling is all image and rented jewellery; I don’t buy into that.
You’re launching your own trainers this year; will you be hitting the pavements in them?
No way, they’re about fashion not sports. I don’t like losing weight as I lose my bottom. And I reckon running gives you saggy breasts — it’s a con to make you spend money on sports bras. I work out at home, doing sit-ups and leg-ups.
Fairy godmother, please change . . .
My shyness. I never feel it on stage, but when I meet people for the first time, I’m really introverted.
For people who haven’t heard of Estelle before how would you describe your music?
The heart of it is hip hop/soul music, It doesn’t really fit into one genre. There’re always surprises lurking. Everyone always takes me as a rapper but when they actually hear my music they are surprised to see that I do actually sing. No one really knows how to take me and I’m happy with that because it allows me the freedom to be me and try new things.
Who were your musical influences?
A lot of R&B hip hop and soul influences I wouldn’t say anyone person in particular, I guess George Benson & Karen Clarke would be good examples.
How did you get started in music?
I started off rapping underground, a few people watched me and took an interest in me and from there I started to play more shows.
How long had you been in music before you were signed?
I’ve been in music for 6 years. I did approach quite a few different record labels about signing to them but all of them were saying here is 2 grand to go and record my album. I decided that wasn’t right for me. So I went off recorded my album and then went back to some labels and I chose V2, are relationship has been great.
18th day has been described as you life chronicles. Do you find it easier writing about passed experiences and things that have really influenced your life?
Yea definitely, every track on the album has been influenced by my life so far. It’s all the stuff I do and have done and everything I have been through, I write from an Estelle prospective. I have co-written some tracks with other people but I have had to take time out to get to know them and know what they are about before I wanted to write with them.
Who is in your CD player?
Minnie Riperton, Kayne West, he’s actually been in there for quite a while now. I just bought the Amy Winehouse album, she’s good.
You have had quite a packed diary in 2004, what’s planned for 2005?
The first thing to happen is my new single will come out on March the 7 th it’s called Go Gone, the video is abit crazy for this track I think it will shock people. We will start thinking about my next album towards the end of the year. I have also done a track with Miss Dynamite, Beverley Knight and some other girls called Dancin. It’s just a girls doing it for themselves kind of track but it’s looking pretty good. There is quite a lot of hype building at the moment so it’s getting me pretty excited.
All the artists you seem to have been supporting recently seem to have been American, have any plans been made for you to try and break over there?
Yeah, I have worked with loads of American people recently, they just keep on calling me. It’s weird because I don’t get so many calls from UK artists I am going to go on tour with Natasha Bedingfield and possibly Lamar so that is going to be a little different. I think really I have already started to break the scene in America. I recorded a track with John Legend and I have just done a duet with him. And I keep on having more offers come in and I’m always glad to except if I feel they’re right for me.
What advise would you pass onto an unsigned artist trying to make it?
If you don’t feel happy with the way something is going don’t do it. You have to do what you feel is right. If you don’t feel comfortable doing something it’s probably the wrong decision.
I’m a fan of Mary. Mary J Blige and Jill Scott they ripped it down. I saw Texas on here once and that was sick…Alicia Keys fully ripped it. There are a lot of people that I haven’t seen live but I got to see them on the show as if it was their concert and it's a good thing because I thought right, when I get on here I’m gonna do this song. It prepares me, I should say.
How do you feel winning your MOBO award?
I was more happy to perform than to win the award. Because it was just embarrassing as hell when I forgot all the people I wanted to thank up there and I just started talking and rambling. So I was more happy to perform than win the award. I’ve been watching the MOBOs since I was 14 and every single year I’ve watched it saying ‘One day I’m going to get this award’ and now it’s like ‘Wow finally!’.
If I Ruled The World?
I would rather there was awareness on what’s that's happening in Darfur and round the world, and less on whether Britney keeps her kids. No one gives a f*ck. We need to care about people killing each other because they're lighter or darker than each other. Lets sort out that sh*t. It won't solve itself.
Where's your favourite place in the world?
My bed, in my flat, in London. It's the most comfortable place in the world. People come round just to lay down and sleep. My bed is the sh*t. I got a mattress from Ikea, I'm not gonna front - it's amazing.
What do you miss about the UK?
I miss my Ribena! It's stuff that I wouldn't normally eat at home that I miss, like fish and chips and kebabs. Everything's a big meal here tOo, you can't just run and pick something up. Even at KFC you're gonna get gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and you have to sit down and take 10 years to eat it. Everything's too big, too many choices. I just eat fruit instead.
Where do you shop till you drop?
Intermix, cos I'm a bougie b*tch! I go to all those places like Tori Burch, around Soho in Spring and Prince Street and then also the west Village for the boutique-y stuff that looks vintage. The east village is pure vintage though. You can get a dress for $5 that someone's mum had hanging in the back of the wardrobe and revamp it. Oh, and Opening Ceremony, just off Broadway, before Canal St, is amazing. They've got Top Shop, Cheap Monday, the best clothes, that place is my sh*t.
Now for the important bit...the men?!
Listen, the variety is fantastic! Where have they been all of our lives? The downside is that they got too much game. Before you can even say your second name, they're going to tell you how pretty your eyes are and all that. And they have this dating thing that I'm completely un-down with. You date people and then they might ask you to go 'exclusive' which means they won't date the 40 other girls they've been seeing. It's just a way to have your cake and eat it until they decide what they want. It's bullsh*t.