Estelle (musician)
Encyclopedia
Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.
.
with "1980" and "Free" and won a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer. Both of the videos were directed by Andy Hylton and received much airplay on music channels. "Free" was written by Estelle and produced by Jimmy Hogarth. Her first album,The 18th Day
charted at number 35 in the UK Albums Chart
. Estelle teamed up with short lived pop band 3SL
for their single "Touch Me Tease Me".
, Estelle rose to fame with her collaboration with rapper Kanye West
, titled "American Boy
". This song reached the top 10 in many countries worldwide, including the United States
and Canada
, as well as achieving number-one status on the UK Singles Chart
and in Belgium and Israel. The song won many awards worldwide, including Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
. It was also nominated for Song of the Year
at the 51st Grammy Awards
. "American Boy" was Number 7 on Rolling Stone
was released following the single on John Legend
's HomeSchool label, reaching the albums chart in most countries worldwide, including number 6 in the UK
. Shine sold enough copies to be certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
, and was shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Mercury Music Prize.
Estelle has also released a new single with American rapper Busta Rhymes
called "World Go Round
", from his album Back on My B.S., which was released on 19 May 2009.
In February 2009, the song "Star" was released; it is also used for Crystal Light
commercials. In 2009, Estelle started working on her upcoming third studio album, All of Me. On 21 August it was confirmed that Estelle was working with David Guetta
on the upcoming album.
Estelle recently made a cameo appearance in the video for new star Mr Hudson for his single "Supernova
".
Estelle made an appearance on the 11 August 2009 episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
. She performed the song "Good Girls Go Bad" with Cobra Starship in Leighton Meester's absence.
Estelle also appears on the song "Rollacoasta", co-written by her and American singer-songwriter Robin Thicke
, with whom the song appears on his album, Sex Therapy
.
" featuring Kardinal Offishall
. The video premiered on her website on February 26, 2010.
In 2010, she modeled at Naomi Campbell
's Fashion For Relief runway show for The White Ribbon Alliance to raise funds for mothers in Haiti
.
In May 2010 it was confirmed that 'Freak will no longer be the first single from the third album, after it only reached #103 on the UK Album Charts, and it is now being replaced with the official first single 'Fall In Love', and 'Freak' is now being named as only a buzz single. The second single, "Break My Heart", which features Rick Ross
, was released to US urban radio stations on May 17, 2011. The song peaked at 33 on the U.S. Hip-Hop/R&B, the week of 2 July 2011. The following week the song rose to 37.
In 2010 she featured on Reflection Eternal
's new album with the song Midnight Hour.
Estelle is featured on the last track of Gucci Mane
's album The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted
Early Life
Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England. Born of a Senegalese mother and father from Grenada, Estelle grew up in West London in a large family of eight brothers and sisters and an extended family of cousins. During childbirth, Estelle’s mother had a near death experience, which influenced Estelle's choice for her first album title, The 18th DayThe 18th Day
The 18th Day is an album by hip hop singer Estelle. The first edition was released on 18 October 2004 and the second edition on 4 April 2005. It Includes the singles "1980","Free" and "Go Gone."-Track listing:...
.
My 18th Day
In 2004 she broke into the chartsRecord chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
with "1980" and "Free" and won a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer. Both of the videos were directed by Andy Hylton and received much airplay on music channels. "Free" was written by Estelle and produced by Jimmy Hogarth. Her first album,The 18th Day
The 18th Day
The 18th Day is an album by hip hop singer Estelle. The first edition was released on 18 October 2004 and the second edition on 4 April 2005. It Includes the singles "1980","Free" and "Go Gone."-Track listing:...
charted at number 35 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. Estelle teamed up with short lived pop band 3SL
3SL
3SL were a short lived Welsh pop vocal group made up of Steve, Ant and Andy Scott-Lee. They are the brothers of former Steps singer, Lisa Scott-Lee, who also managed the group. They originated from Rhyl in North Wales. The group's first single, "Take It Easy", reached number 11 in the UK Singles...
for their single "Touch Me Tease Me".
Shine
In 20082008 in music
2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such...
, Estelle rose to fame with her collaboration with rapper Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, titled "American Boy
American Boy
"American Boy" is the second single from the album Shine by British R&B singer Estelle and features American rapper Kanye West. The song is her first international single...
". This song reached the top 10 in many countries worldwide, including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, as well as achieving number-one status on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and in Belgium and Israel. The song won many awards worldwide, including Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
. It was also nominated for Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
at the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
. "American Boy" was Number 7 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Shine (Estelle album)
Shine is the second album by hip hop singer Estelle. The album was released on 31 March 2008 with the lead single, "Wait a Minute ", released in November 2007. The second single, "American Boy" featuring Kanye West reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone and was released...
was released following the single on John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
's HomeSchool label, reaching the albums chart in most countries worldwide, including number 6 in the UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. Shine sold enough copies to be certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
, and was shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Mercury Music Prize.
Estelle has also released a new single with American rapper Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
called "World Go Round
World Go Round
"World Go Round" is the fourth single from Busta Rhymes' album Back on My B.S. and is produced by Jelly Roll. The song featuring British singer Estelle, was released in France on April 6, 2009 by Universal Records due to the heavy rotation of a leaked version of the track on the French R&B/hip hop...
", from his album Back on My B.S., which was released on 19 May 2009.
In February 2009, the song "Star" was released; it is also used for Crystal Light
Crystal Light
Crystal Light is a low-calorie powdered beverage mix that offers naturally and artificially sweetened beverage options in multiple flavors. Originally marketed in 1982 with Linda Evans as its spokesperson, the company later had celebrities Raquel Welch and Priscilla Presley as spokeswomen...
commercials. In 2009, Estelle started working on her upcoming third studio album, All of Me. On 21 August it was confirmed that Estelle was working with David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
on the upcoming album.
Estelle recently made a cameo appearance in the video for new star Mr Hudson for his single "Supernova
Supernova (Mr Hudson song)
"Supernova" is a song by British singer Mr Hudson. It was both co-written and co-produced with American hip-hop artist Kanye West, who is featured on the song. "Supernova" was premiered on May 13, 2009, on Zane Lowe BBC Radio Show and then released through Mr Hudson's and Kanye West's blogs. The...
".
Estelle made an appearance on the 11 August 2009 episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
. She performed the song "Good Girls Go Bad" with Cobra Starship in Leighton Meester's absence.
Estelle also appears on the song "Rollacoasta", co-written by her and American singer-songwriter Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
, with whom the song appears on his album, Sex Therapy
Sex Therapy (album)
Sex Therapy is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Robin Thicke, released December 15, 2009 on Star Trak Entertainment in the United States. Sex Therapy also features guest contributions by Jay-Z, Game, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, and Estelle...
.
All of Me
Estelle confirmed the third album will be titled All of Me and will feature the lead single "FreakFreak (Estelle song)
"Freak" is the first single from English musician Estelle's third studio album All of Me. The song, which features Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, was produced by French DJ David Guetta. It contains an interpolation of "Back to Life" by music group Soul II Soul in the chorus...
" featuring Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
. The video premiered on her website on February 26, 2010.
In 2010, she modeled at Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
's Fashion For Relief runway show for The White Ribbon Alliance to raise funds for mothers in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
.
In May 2010 it was confirmed that 'Freak will no longer be the first single from the third album, after it only reached #103 on the UK Album Charts, and it is now being replaced with the official first single 'Fall In Love', and 'Freak' is now being named as only a buzz single. The second single, "Break My Heart", which features Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...
, was released to US urban radio stations on May 17, 2011. The song peaked at 33 on the U.S. Hip-Hop/R&B, the week of 2 July 2011. The following week the song rose to 37.
In 2010 she featured on Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal
Reflection Eternal is a hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. They released their first album, Train of Thought, in 2000...
's new album with the song Midnight Hour.
Estelle is featured on the last track of Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane
Radric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...
's album The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted
The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted
The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted is the third studio album by American rapper Gucci Mane. The album was released September 28, 2010 on 1017 Brick Squad Records, Warner Bros. Records and Asylum Records. The album is the follow-up of 2009's The State vs. Radric Davis, released just after the Atlanta...
Artistry
Her mum was a huge reggae fan and her dad built home made speaker cabinets. She spent her childhood listening to her parent’s reggae records and her aunt’s soul collection. Then she discovered Hip Hop. “I got into Hip Hop from my uncle, he was always playing us Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane; he was a bad boy and my mum wasn’t really happy that I was hanging out with him”.Discography releases
- 2004: The 18th DayThe 18th DayThe 18th Day is an album by hip hop singer Estelle. The first edition was released on 18 October 2004 and the second edition on 4 April 2005. It Includes the singles "1980","Free" and "Go Gone."-Track listing:...
- 2008: ShineShine (Estelle album)Shine is the second album by hip hop singer Estelle. The album was released on 31 March 2008 with the lead single, "Wait a Minute ", released in November 2007. The second single, "American Boy" featuring Kanye West reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone and was released...
- 2011: All of Me
Awards
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | BET Awards BET Awards The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET... |
Best New Artist | Herself | |
| BET J Virtual Awards | Female Artist of the Year | |||
| Soul Approved - Best New Artist | ||||
| Song of the Year | "American Boy" | |||
| Mercury Music Prize | Shine Shine (Estelle album) Shine is the second album by hip hop singer Estelle. The album was released on 31 March 2008 with the lead single, "Wait a Minute ", released in November 2007. The second single, "American Boy" featuring Kanye West reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone and was released... |
Shortlisted | ||
| MOBO Awards MOBO Awards The Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music.... |
Best UK Female | Herself | ||
| Best Song | "American Boy" | |||
| Best Video | ||||
| Best Album | Shine | |||
| Best R&B Act | Herself | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards MTV Video Music Awards An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos... |
Best UK Video | "American Boy" | ||
| UMA Awards | Best Album | Shine | ||
| Best Collaboration | Herself | |||
| Best Crossover Chart Act | "American Boy" | |||
| Best R&B Act | Herself | |||
| World Music Awards World Music Awards The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show... |
World's Best New Artist | |||
| Best New R&B Act | ||||
| Vodafone Live Music Awards | Best Female | |||
| The 02 Silver Clef Awards | Download of the Year | "American Boy" | ||
| 2009 | BRIT Awards 2009 BRIT Awards The 2009 BRIT Awards ceremony took place on Wednesday 18 February 2009. It was the 29th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, and was broadcast live on ITV1 on 18 February at 8pm... |
British Female Solo | Herself | |
| British Single | "American Boy" | |||
| Grammy Awards | Song of the Year | |||
| Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | ||||
| Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical | will.i.am Will.i.am William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer... ; "American Boy" |
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