NEWS
EVENTS
Estelle Interview
RnB/Hip Hop | Wednesday 7th December 2011 | Osh
Hi Estelle, how are you doing?
Yeah, good. Thank you for having me man.
Okay, so you have won MOBO awards in the UK and a Grammy award in the US, and you are one of the few UK R&B artists to really be successful in the US. Do you feel as though you almost have a mission to represent the UK in the States and globally?
Well no. I feel I have a mission to represent myself all over the world, and God. Me winning the MOBOs and the Grammys are like a testament to him, to how far he has pushed me and to the person he has made me to be. Just me using the talent he gave me, and following his word versus me trying to represent anybody or anything in particular. I hate that thing like, you know, “because we are from London we’re representing London all around the world”. That’s where I am from but I think it’s bigger than that.
Let’s rewind the clock a little. You are from West London, aren’t you?
Yeah. From Hammersmith, Fulham.
I know you come from humble beginnings. What was life like growing up, and what were your musical influences and inspirations back then?
Well, everything. You know how we do in London: we listen to everything. My parents are African
and Grenadian so I was a bit of both. We would listen to reggae, we would listen to Zook, we would listen to pop music... We would listen to everything. It was never just a moment of, like, “yo, this is all I am doing and that’s it.” My parents would have us into everything consistently, without fail. On the ball 100% with everything that was out; it was never restricted. There were so many of us: 9 brothers and sisters and multiple cousins. It was a huge family, so everyone was bringing their stuff and everyone was bringing their thing. It was fun growing up; I can’t even front, we went through crazy [times], but it was fun. You see, my parents are the kind of parents that would not let me believe or see that we were broke, just by giving us different priorities by which to judge our wealth and happiness. So my mum would be like, “You got food in your mouth. There is a house over your head. Okay, so you ain’t got them Nikes, but you can save up and get them when you are paid. Right now you can wear what I got you. You got clothes on your body, food in your mouth and a house over your head. We’re good.” So it was certain different priorities that we grew up with.
You named your debut album The 18th Day and it’s attributed to your mother...
Yeah, my parents in general, but my mum plays a major part in my whole existence and how I started music. She was definitely a supporter, but she also wanted me to be grounded and have my own back. So when I called my album The 18th Day it was a tribute to her, for sticking it out when she was a kid and had me. I remember being 19 years old, not having anywhere to live and not being able to deal with certain things, and she had me at 19 and my older brother too. She had two kids and was doing way more than I could even remotely think about by the time she was my age. So that was my tribute to her, to say, “Thank you for having me, and I appreciate that you let me get on with my life.”
From the album The 18th Day you released the hit songs ‘1980’ and ‘Free’, and the success of that album was recognised with a MOBO. How did you secure your first record deal?
This is something I always feel like I have to breakdown. I had my own record label by the time I was 17 or 18 years old, Stella Entertainment, and I basically moved it, got myself together and got myself a distribution deal. This was back in the late ‘90s to 2000, and I sold like 5000 in a month. I was the only girl that had her own record label at that time, for real. You ask around; I was the only one with my own distribution situation. So yeah, we made that happen, me and my team at the time, and the [major] labels came runnin’. So it wasn’t just easy; they saw me at gigs and still didn’t know what do with me. They were still looking at me like, “[sigh] What is this girl, what the hell?” And I was kind of like, “Well, look, here’s what. Let me show you what to do.” I took the example of the Jays [Jay-Z] and the Puffys because they had to set up their own, and showed people how they should be marketed and how they should be sold. I did the same thing and it worked, so the labels came runnin’. That is how I got my first record deal and I am proud of myself.
You are currently signed to John Legend’s label, Home School Records, and your phenomenal album Shine was released through them. How did you secure that situation?
Home School signed me after the first album, The 18th Day. Me and John went to work on the second album together; the label I was on didn’t quite see the vision so I asked them to let me go, but they told everyone they dropped me. I was like, cool, whatever works, I don’t care. Just get me off this label. Sometimes it’s just good to let people talk, you know? You just get on with what you got to do and the proof is in the pudding. John was the first person to say, “I’ll sign you. Come to the States”. He literally created a situation based on watching me and seeing my hustle in between the albums Shine and The 18th Day. He was on the first album; I knew him before everything, so he was a friend. He saw me from the mix tape days and he saw that I wasn’t joking. I wasn’t out here trying to have sex with dudes; I wasn’t trying to get on via ungainly means. He was like, “She is serious. This is a business right here. This is a brand. She ain’t messing about.” So that’s where Shine came from; it took four years because they were negotiating a deal, and I had to grow up a little bit.
We have to talk about the smash hit song ‘American Boy’. It won you a Grammy and was voted song of the year by Rolling Stone magazine. You managed to get Kanye West on it too!
We already had the song for a good three or four months, chillin’, and I asked to have Kanye to be on it because we were trying to find a beat for him but none of the beats we were being given worked. We were very upset, I was like, “This sucks.”
Was it John Legend who hooked up the Kanye feature?
Yeah. John literally called Kanye and was like, “Yo, we have this record and we would love for you to be on it,” and he was like, “I got you. Anything you need, John.” He then heard the record and he knew me too. And he is fam. He is kinda like the cousin, innit. It’s always love; I love that guy. As much as everyone says their stuff about him, I respect the hell out of somebody who is passionate about their music. I really respect that, you know?
You won a Grammy for your single ‘American Boy’. What was that like?
Man, I was on the red carpet; they didn’t even let me get on stage. I think I just about cried. My mum was like, “I see you on TV, what’s up? Stop crying.” I was like, “Oh my God”. She said she was about to tear up. She was BBMing me like, “Stop it! I’m so proud of you, but stop crying.” I was like, look, this is everything we have been looking at my entire life. I remember sitting with my mum watching the Grammys and these interviews with Lauren Hill and Mary [J Blige], and my mum was like, “I can see you, I can see it and this is not even me being your mother, this is me looking at you as an artist. I can see Estelle. This is what you do; this is what you live. I have never seen somebody double time like you double time. I have never seen somebody be that dedicated.” So when we did it she was like, “I’m so proud of you! Oh my God, you did it! My baby!” It was a moment.
You have collaborated with quite a few artists, like Sean Paul, Ne-Yo, Kardinal Offishal, John Legend and Robin Thicke. Which collaboration is the most memorable, and why?
It’s kinda hard to go down from Kanye, innit? You can’t do less than ‘Yeezy’. It was like, who do you work with now? The one that was most fun to do was Robin Thicke because we did the video too, and that was like a big party. That was hilarious, yeah.
You are a singer and a rapper but you also are a song writer. What inspires you to write?
My life, yeah it really is my life. So when I am sing Break My Heart its real and this new album was my most uncomfortable album to write. I had to sit down and really look at myself and be like, “what do you wanna say now”. So I was going through stuff because it doesn’t stop, you win a Grammy, you are flying around the world but you are still going through stuff that everybody else goes through. You know, crazy people, your business is being talked about, you are trying to fall in love, you are trying to be happy, you’re wondering if you made the right choices, you’re making the wrong choices, you’re making the right choices and you are having to deal with all the consequences, consistently, with no breaks.
And all your mistakes are in the full spotlight of the media?
Exactly. Everyone else gets to go home and sit down and no one knows about that dude you had sex with last week but heres what, everybody knows my business though. So, you know there is a level of judgement that comes with that you just cannot deal with sometimes, you just have to ignore it, you have to deal with it because everyone is going to look at you like, “oh you’re the girl that did that, right” and you are like “no and why do you even know this”, you know and its all in public. So its hard, its hard. There is no manual you can buy or course you can go on about how to be famous and handle crazy people, the media and the public in general. No, no one teaches you how. Yeah you guys get to do it on the low, low. We get to do it in front of the world, so I was writing about how I felt when these things were happening. When people were cursing me and people were saying this and that about me, I would write about it because I could
not curse them out in public.
Lead single from your new album “Break My Heart” lyrically sounds like you have a lot of guy issues though?
I always have guy issues haven’t I. Yeah, from my last 2 albums, first I was talkin about “I’m going to put a brick through your window” the second I am taking bout “More Than Friends” and “I am not your substitute lover”. This one was me being a bit more vulnerable and trying to change my ways and trying to change my approach to men and you know, thats what this album is about. Being comfortable about who I am as a woman and not being scared of that.
Yeah but from that song it also sounds like you have some trust issues?
So you would think, but look, I said that stuff to my ex boyfriend. I said it to him when we got
together, I was like “Dude I don’t trust you, I don’t know you so show me something” and I think we should do that more often as men and women, force our people that we want to be with to prove why they should be with us. You know, tell me why I should mess with you, because I am somebody,I am something, I’m hot !! (laughs). How about that.
So the last album was in 2008 and you now have the new one coming out later this year. Some people would have tried to release another album immediately to capitalise in the success but you didn’t?
Yeah, Shine was in 2008 so it has been a couple of years but like I said I had to grow through it, so to that end, I don’t want to just throw it (another album) out. I want to make sure people get it, feel it, understand it, dig it and know where I’m coming from. I mean we put singles out and wait for the chart success and then we say, “cool, go ahead and put the album out”. My thing is like no, as personal as this is to me, we are approaching this different, we are approaching this like we did the first album. I’m going to work the hell out of this song, so people understand it and then we will give you another one and then we will give you the album. You know, we are taking it old school.
So how close to completion is your latest album?
Its done
Ok, what kind collaborations can we look out for on it, I mean is Jay-Z or Beyonce going to be jumping on it or something?
Hah, its called “All of Me”, I don’t need hardly anyone else on it but I do have 2 major collaborations, I worked with Common and I worked with Jannelle Monae. I mean Common was just because I just wanted to sit and look at him in the studio, he’s too cute (laughs). No, I am a big fan of Common, I am a huuuge fan of Common Sense, “On day it will all make sense”, that guy, “Resurection”, that guy you know, I love him. So that was an honour to get in with him there. Jannelle Monae because thats my sister y’all, I freakin love her. You know, she is individual, she is who the hell she is, she does not apologize and you can see the truth in her eyes when you look at her, I love her yeah.
Ok, from what you are saying there are not a lot of artistic collaborations on this album?
Nah
Ok but what about producers? Has Timbaland got a track on there or something?
Oh, no. We got it all the way real, we got Jerry Wonder who did a lot of stuff on the Shine album.
We’ve got No I.D. who did that Common record with Nas right now called “Ghetto Dreams”, he has produced half of Big Sean’s album. He is like Kanye’s mentor, you know he is like an OG of the game. He also produced “Death of Auto-tune” and “Run This Town” which featured Rihanna and Kanye for Jay-Z’s last album. Yeah, he is incredible, he has done a lot of stuff. He is from Chicago, so he is incredible from the jump. He did this one record called “Victorious” with me and Common that is just ridiculous. I also did a lot of work with Swizzy (Swizz Beats) that may make it on to the album after this one, so you know, we’re working man.
So you have another album soon to follow this one?
Yeah, I have already started working, we have to close that gap on the time. You guys killed me with the last one like “you took 3 years, woman”. So I am working on the next one and I am going through a lot of stuff personally now, so I just figured I may as well continue to write, you never know what might happen.
You did some modelling for Naomi Campbell’s Haiti Relief effort and it seems fashion plays a big part in your image. Are you looking to branch off into the fashion industry too?
Yeah, fashion, Yeah. I already created a cat suit collection with a designer from out here called
Rachel Roy, she is like my big sister, I love her but the thing I know about stuff like that, you have to go into it properly. I can’t just go in it, just to go in it. Then again with fashion and all of that stuff, I want to make sure that I do it to the empth of it, I’m all in or not, I’m that person. So, you know as long as it takes me to make music, its as long as it takes me to decide on fashion. You know it has
to be the right everything, down to the shoes, down to the right hair clip, down to the make up. Its
issues with this, I can’t take people who have like, a beautiful dress on and the wrong shoes. What the hell !! Its not just a pair of shoes, its a look !! You know, I get into it. So you know, I like things to be done right, so I try to do them all the way right but modelling and that kind of came because people think I’m skinny and I fit into these sample sizes, so I just wear and walk down runways and help raise money for charities. That works.
You seem place supporting charities high on your list of priorities?
Oh yeah, absolutely. I did the Heart Desease Foundation Red Dress Event, I raised money for Haiti as well, I go in where I feel I’m going to make a difference, yeah. I know growing up in Hammersmith, you would have been aware of social issues like the drugs, post code wars and teenage pregnancies.
What message would you have for anyone caught up or affected by these issues ?
Well my thing is and this is from having lived in it, known people that I loved that have died from
it and known people that I loved that have been caught up in it. You know, I think it takes just one
person to talk you off the ledge but you have to be willing to want to try to. At the same time it
comes with having a personal wealth of experience, like life experience, you can’t just be on your
block talking about you know the world, this is the world according to you. If you are making all this money from all the stuff you are doing, try and travel, try and do something, just go out, don’t just feel like your block is your block. I go home and I hear that people can’t go to certain places and its not recent, the last time I went home I’m being told people can’t go to this block and people can’t go to that area. I’m like, its gotten worse since I grew up, so it frustrates me because its the same issues we were facing 10 years ago. I don’t think its relevant, I think it is stupid. I feel like these kids are growing up in a culture where its ok to settle for nothing, 10% of nothing and I feel like there is so much out here and it may seem easy coming from me but you know what, when I was broke, I found a way to travel. So my thing is, if you want to do something, you will find a way to do it. Find a way to get out of your block, find a way to get out of those surroundings, even if you don’t move to a different borough, visit a different country. Go and see Paris, there are so many Americans who are like “oh my God, Paris, whats it like” and I’m like yeah, I’ve been there several times. I can say that because we are a train ride away, its a £200 train ride away and you spend £200 on trainers, go. Go and just walk around for the day and then come back, you can say “I’ve been to Paris”, just go and do something other than your block. I get frustrated, it upsets my life, you have no idea and that why I started a foundation based on mentoring kids and giving them another way out and not just (me) coming and swooping in saying “I’m going to save the day”, its more like saying we are going to help raise money for people who are on the ground, helping kids out of their situation, helping them out of what they think is their status quo and early in their years. So they don’t hit that 13-14, you know like, in between age and just feel like they are stuck and they just have to accept whats next. I
don’t believe that you know.
So if people want to keep up to date with what you are up to whats the best way to do that?
Yeah, I mean they can follow me on Twitter. You can check me, my name is @estelledarlings, with an “S” darlings because I am still British (laughs) and you can catch me on Estellemusic.com/blog. I always do my look for the day and I write notes and stuff to folk and you know I do my updates, real fun.
By the way, are you going to return to spitting bars again because it seems of late you seem to be singing mainly on your tracks
Yeah I still do, if you buy the album Shine, its all over that and its all over the 18th Day and its all over my features and its all over the new album. People just want to use American Boy as an excuse to say I don’t rap no more, stop it come on now, come on now. You heard the mix tape “I almost made a mixtape”? Stop playing with me, come on. Play that, then talk about me not rapping (laughs).
Ok, I have learnt my lesson. Don’t ever mention not rapping to Estelle
Right, its too easy, come on now. People are basing that off of American Boy and off of the fact that everyone now says it. Come on, do your research, I’m here, I give you music, stop it.
Its just that American Boy was such a huge success worldwide, people kind of decide the type of artist you are, based on that song
Yeah, thats literally why people say it and I don’t blame them but I am saying I do and its out there
so, you know.
So you rap on you latest album then
Oh yeah and I have one produced by London’s own Wizzy Wow.
So where in the United States are you right now?
Oh, I am in New York.
So do you live there now?
Yeah, my record deal is with Atlantic Records in the US, so it was way easier to live over here than to live there and to keep flying back every time I needed a meeting or every time I needed to like work out the American market, I would have to completely transplant for 6 months, then come back and sit down at home for a day, then come back for 6 months. I was just like, I’m just going to move, silly innit.
Ok, so do you have an actual release date for the album?
It will come out later this year we want to say October but we are working on it right now but like I
said we have one more record before it comes out, its a song called “Thank you”, that I think is going to touch a lot of people. You’ve got to understand, because my album is not about making records that people can get to sit in the dumps and be depressed about. This album is about empowering people, women, men, everybody to do better and be better, so this song is “thank you for making me a woman”.
Wow
Yeah man, told you, its feelings !!
With that breakdown, I really can’t wait for it to drop
Yeah, good
I am going to have to chat to my links at your label for an advanced copy
Yeah just holla
Even though you are too humble to say it, I mean lets face it, musical success it to a degree determined by how well received you are in the US. We here in the UK are so proud of you and how well you represent UK talent not just in the US but worldwide and I know a lot of young people look up to you and would like to emulate your success.
Thank you so much man
So are there any movies in the pipeline or anything? Will we see you in Transformers 10 or something?
Yeah, wait for it. Not 10, not 10 though !! (laugh) Naa, thats too many, not Transformers 10, nooo
Well I won’t take up any more of your precious time. Thank you so much for taking time out to talk to me.
Thank you so much hun, alright bye.
Yeah, good. Thank you for having me man.
Okay, so you have won MOBO awards in the UK and a Grammy award in the US, and you are one of the few UK R&B artists to really be successful in the US. Do you feel as though you almost have a mission to represent the UK in the States and globally?
Well no. I feel I have a mission to represent myself all over the world, and God. Me winning the MOBOs and the Grammys are like a testament to him, to how far he has pushed me and to the person he has made me to be. Just me using the talent he gave me, and following his word versus me trying to represent anybody or anything in particular. I hate that thing like, you know, “because we are from London we’re representing London all around the world”. That’s where I am from but I think it’s bigger than that.
Let’s rewind the clock a little. You are from West London, aren’t you?
Yeah. From Hammersmith, Fulham.
I know you come from humble beginnings. What was life like growing up, and what were your musical influences and inspirations back then?
Well, everything. You know how we do in London: we listen to everything. My parents are African
and Grenadian so I was a bit of both. We would listen to reggae, we would listen to Zook, we would listen to pop music... We would listen to everything. It was never just a moment of, like, “yo, this is all I am doing and that’s it.” My parents would have us into everything consistently, without fail. On the ball 100% with everything that was out; it was never restricted. There were so many of us: 9 brothers and sisters and multiple cousins. It was a huge family, so everyone was bringing their stuff and everyone was bringing their thing. It was fun growing up; I can’t even front, we went through crazy [times], but it was fun. You see, my parents are the kind of parents that would not let me believe or see that we were broke, just by giving us different priorities by which to judge our wealth and happiness. So my mum would be like, “You got food in your mouth. There is a house over your head. Okay, so you ain’t got them Nikes, but you can save up and get them when you are paid. Right now you can wear what I got you. You got clothes on your body, food in your mouth and a house over your head. We’re good.” So it was certain different priorities that we grew up with.
You named your debut album The 18th Day and it’s attributed to your mother...
Yeah, my parents in general, but my mum plays a major part in my whole existence and how I started music. She was definitely a supporter, but she also wanted me to be grounded and have my own back. So when I called my album The 18th Day it was a tribute to her, for sticking it out when she was a kid and had me. I remember being 19 years old, not having anywhere to live and not being able to deal with certain things, and she had me at 19 and my older brother too. She had two kids and was doing way more than I could even remotely think about by the time she was my age. So that was my tribute to her, to say, “Thank you for having me, and I appreciate that you let me get on with my life.”
From the album The 18th Day you released the hit songs ‘1980’ and ‘Free’, and the success of that album was recognised with a MOBO. How did you secure your first record deal?
This is something I always feel like I have to breakdown. I had my own record label by the time I was 17 or 18 years old, Stella Entertainment, and I basically moved it, got myself together and got myself a distribution deal. This was back in the late ‘90s to 2000, and I sold like 5000 in a month. I was the only girl that had her own record label at that time, for real. You ask around; I was the only one with my own distribution situation. So yeah, we made that happen, me and my team at the time, and the [major] labels came runnin’. So it wasn’t just easy; they saw me at gigs and still didn’t know what do with me. They were still looking at me like, “[sigh] What is this girl, what the hell?” And I was kind of like, “Well, look, here’s what. Let me show you what to do.” I took the example of the Jays [Jay-Z] and the Puffys because they had to set up their own, and showed people how they should be marketed and how they should be sold. I did the same thing and it worked, so the labels came runnin’. That is how I got my first record deal and I am proud of myself.
You are currently signed to John Legend’s label, Home School Records, and your phenomenal album Shine was released through them. How did you secure that situation?
Home School signed me after the first album, The 18th Day. Me and John went to work on the second album together; the label I was on didn’t quite see the vision so I asked them to let me go, but they told everyone they dropped me. I was like, cool, whatever works, I don’t care. Just get me off this label. Sometimes it’s just good to let people talk, you know? You just get on with what you got to do and the proof is in the pudding. John was the first person to say, “I’ll sign you. Come to the States”. He literally created a situation based on watching me and seeing my hustle in between the albums Shine and The 18th Day. He was on the first album; I knew him before everything, so he was a friend. He saw me from the mix tape days and he saw that I wasn’t joking. I wasn’t out here trying to have sex with dudes; I wasn’t trying to get on via ungainly means. He was like, “She is serious. This is a business right here. This is a brand. She ain’t messing about.” So that’s where Shine came from; it took four years because they were negotiating a deal, and I had to grow up a little bit.
We have to talk about the smash hit song ‘American Boy’. It won you a Grammy and was voted song of the year by Rolling Stone magazine. You managed to get Kanye West on it too!
We already had the song for a good three or four months, chillin’, and I asked to have Kanye to be on it because we were trying to find a beat for him but none of the beats we were being given worked. We were very upset, I was like, “This sucks.”
Was it John Legend who hooked up the Kanye feature?
Yeah. John literally called Kanye and was like, “Yo, we have this record and we would love for you to be on it,” and he was like, “I got you. Anything you need, John.” He then heard the record and he knew me too. And he is fam. He is kinda like the cousin, innit. It’s always love; I love that guy. As much as everyone says their stuff about him, I respect the hell out of somebody who is passionate about their music. I really respect that, you know?
You won a Grammy for your single ‘American Boy’. What was that like?
Man, I was on the red carpet; they didn’t even let me get on stage. I think I just about cried. My mum was like, “I see you on TV, what’s up? Stop crying.” I was like, “Oh my God”. She said she was about to tear up. She was BBMing me like, “Stop it! I’m so proud of you, but stop crying.” I was like, look, this is everything we have been looking at my entire life. I remember sitting with my mum watching the Grammys and these interviews with Lauren Hill and Mary [J Blige], and my mum was like, “I can see you, I can see it and this is not even me being your mother, this is me looking at you as an artist. I can see Estelle. This is what you do; this is what you live. I have never seen somebody double time like you double time. I have never seen somebody be that dedicated.” So when we did it she was like, “I’m so proud of you! Oh my God, you did it! My baby!” It was a moment.
You have collaborated with quite a few artists, like Sean Paul, Ne-Yo, Kardinal Offishal, John Legend and Robin Thicke. Which collaboration is the most memorable, and why?
It’s kinda hard to go down from Kanye, innit? You can’t do less than ‘Yeezy’. It was like, who do you work with now? The one that was most fun to do was Robin Thicke because we did the video too, and that was like a big party. That was hilarious, yeah.
You are a singer and a rapper but you also are a song writer. What inspires you to write?
My life, yeah it really is my life. So when I am sing Break My Heart its real and this new album was my most uncomfortable album to write. I had to sit down and really look at myself and be like, “what do you wanna say now”. So I was going through stuff because it doesn’t stop, you win a Grammy, you are flying around the world but you are still going through stuff that everybody else goes through. You know, crazy people, your business is being talked about, you are trying to fall in love, you are trying to be happy, you’re wondering if you made the right choices, you’re making the wrong choices, you’re making the right choices and you are having to deal with all the consequences, consistently, with no breaks.
And all your mistakes are in the full spotlight of the media?
Exactly. Everyone else gets to go home and sit down and no one knows about that dude you had sex with last week but heres what, everybody knows my business though. So, you know there is a level of judgement that comes with that you just cannot deal with sometimes, you just have to ignore it, you have to deal with it because everyone is going to look at you like, “oh you’re the girl that did that, right” and you are like “no and why do you even know this”, you know and its all in public. So its hard, its hard. There is no manual you can buy or course you can go on about how to be famous and handle crazy people, the media and the public in general. No, no one teaches you how. Yeah you guys get to do it on the low, low. We get to do it in front of the world, so I was writing about how I felt when these things were happening. When people were cursing me and people were saying this and that about me, I would write about it because I could
not curse them out in public.
Lead single from your new album “Break My Heart” lyrically sounds like you have a lot of guy issues though?
I always have guy issues haven’t I. Yeah, from my last 2 albums, first I was talkin about “I’m going to put a brick through your window” the second I am taking bout “More Than Friends” and “I am not your substitute lover”. This one was me being a bit more vulnerable and trying to change my ways and trying to change my approach to men and you know, thats what this album is about. Being comfortable about who I am as a woman and not being scared of that.
Yeah but from that song it also sounds like you have some trust issues?
So you would think, but look, I said that stuff to my ex boyfriend. I said it to him when we got
together, I was like “Dude I don’t trust you, I don’t know you so show me something” and I think we should do that more often as men and women, force our people that we want to be with to prove why they should be with us. You know, tell me why I should mess with you, because I am somebody,I am something, I’m hot !! (laughs). How about that.
So the last album was in 2008 and you now have the new one coming out later this year. Some people would have tried to release another album immediately to capitalise in the success but you didn’t?
Yeah, Shine was in 2008 so it has been a couple of years but like I said I had to grow through it, so to that end, I don’t want to just throw it (another album) out. I want to make sure people get it, feel it, understand it, dig it and know where I’m coming from. I mean we put singles out and wait for the chart success and then we say, “cool, go ahead and put the album out”. My thing is like no, as personal as this is to me, we are approaching this different, we are approaching this like we did the first album. I’m going to work the hell out of this song, so people understand it and then we will give you another one and then we will give you the album. You know, we are taking it old school.
So how close to completion is your latest album?
Its done
Ok, what kind collaborations can we look out for on it, I mean is Jay-Z or Beyonce going to be jumping on it or something?
Hah, its called “All of Me”, I don’t need hardly anyone else on it but I do have 2 major collaborations, I worked with Common and I worked with Jannelle Monae. I mean Common was just because I just wanted to sit and look at him in the studio, he’s too cute (laughs). No, I am a big fan of Common, I am a huuuge fan of Common Sense, “On day it will all make sense”, that guy, “Resurection”, that guy you know, I love him. So that was an honour to get in with him there. Jannelle Monae because thats my sister y’all, I freakin love her. You know, she is individual, she is who the hell she is, she does not apologize and you can see the truth in her eyes when you look at her, I love her yeah.
Ok, from what you are saying there are not a lot of artistic collaborations on this album?
Nah
Ok but what about producers? Has Timbaland got a track on there or something?
Oh, no. We got it all the way real, we got Jerry Wonder who did a lot of stuff on the Shine album.
We’ve got No I.D. who did that Common record with Nas right now called “Ghetto Dreams”, he has produced half of Big Sean’s album. He is like Kanye’s mentor, you know he is like an OG of the game. He also produced “Death of Auto-tune” and “Run This Town” which featured Rihanna and Kanye for Jay-Z’s last album. Yeah, he is incredible, he has done a lot of stuff. He is from Chicago, so he is incredible from the jump. He did this one record called “Victorious” with me and Common that is just ridiculous. I also did a lot of work with Swizzy (Swizz Beats) that may make it on to the album after this one, so you know, we’re working man.
So you have another album soon to follow this one?
Yeah, I have already started working, we have to close that gap on the time. You guys killed me with the last one like “you took 3 years, woman”. So I am working on the next one and I am going through a lot of stuff personally now, so I just figured I may as well continue to write, you never know what might happen.
You did some modelling for Naomi Campbell’s Haiti Relief effort and it seems fashion plays a big part in your image. Are you looking to branch off into the fashion industry too?
Yeah, fashion, Yeah. I already created a cat suit collection with a designer from out here called
Rachel Roy, she is like my big sister, I love her but the thing I know about stuff like that, you have to go into it properly. I can’t just go in it, just to go in it. Then again with fashion and all of that stuff, I want to make sure that I do it to the empth of it, I’m all in or not, I’m that person. So, you know as long as it takes me to make music, its as long as it takes me to decide on fashion. You know it has
to be the right everything, down to the shoes, down to the right hair clip, down to the make up. Its
issues with this, I can’t take people who have like, a beautiful dress on and the wrong shoes. What the hell !! Its not just a pair of shoes, its a look !! You know, I get into it. So you know, I like things to be done right, so I try to do them all the way right but modelling and that kind of came because people think I’m skinny and I fit into these sample sizes, so I just wear and walk down runways and help raise money for charities. That works.
You seem place supporting charities high on your list of priorities?
Oh yeah, absolutely. I did the Heart Desease Foundation Red Dress Event, I raised money for Haiti as well, I go in where I feel I’m going to make a difference, yeah. I know growing up in Hammersmith, you would have been aware of social issues like the drugs, post code wars and teenage pregnancies.
What message would you have for anyone caught up or affected by these issues ?
Well my thing is and this is from having lived in it, known people that I loved that have died from
it and known people that I loved that have been caught up in it. You know, I think it takes just one
person to talk you off the ledge but you have to be willing to want to try to. At the same time it
comes with having a personal wealth of experience, like life experience, you can’t just be on your
block talking about you know the world, this is the world according to you. If you are making all this money from all the stuff you are doing, try and travel, try and do something, just go out, don’t just feel like your block is your block. I go home and I hear that people can’t go to certain places and its not recent, the last time I went home I’m being told people can’t go to this block and people can’t go to that area. I’m like, its gotten worse since I grew up, so it frustrates me because its the same issues we were facing 10 years ago. I don’t think its relevant, I think it is stupid. I feel like these kids are growing up in a culture where its ok to settle for nothing, 10% of nothing and I feel like there is so much out here and it may seem easy coming from me but you know what, when I was broke, I found a way to travel. So my thing is, if you want to do something, you will find a way to do it. Find a way to get out of your block, find a way to get out of those surroundings, even if you don’t move to a different borough, visit a different country. Go and see Paris, there are so many Americans who are like “oh my God, Paris, whats it like” and I’m like yeah, I’ve been there several times. I can say that because we are a train ride away, its a £200 train ride away and you spend £200 on trainers, go. Go and just walk around for the day and then come back, you can say “I’ve been to Paris”, just go and do something other than your block. I get frustrated, it upsets my life, you have no idea and that why I started a foundation based on mentoring kids and giving them another way out and not just (me) coming and swooping in saying “I’m going to save the day”, its more like saying we are going to help raise money for people who are on the ground, helping kids out of their situation, helping them out of what they think is their status quo and early in their years. So they don’t hit that 13-14, you know like, in between age and just feel like they are stuck and they just have to accept whats next. I
don’t believe that you know.
So if people want to keep up to date with what you are up to whats the best way to do that?
Yeah, I mean they can follow me on Twitter. You can check me, my name is @estelledarlings, with an “S” darlings because I am still British (laughs) and you can catch me on Estellemusic.com/blog. I always do my look for the day and I write notes and stuff to folk and you know I do my updates, real fun.
By the way, are you going to return to spitting bars again because it seems of late you seem to be singing mainly on your tracks
Yeah I still do, if you buy the album Shine, its all over that and its all over the 18th Day and its all over my features and its all over the new album. People just want to use American Boy as an excuse to say I don’t rap no more, stop it come on now, come on now. You heard the mix tape “I almost made a mixtape”? Stop playing with me, come on. Play that, then talk about me not rapping (laughs).
Ok, I have learnt my lesson. Don’t ever mention not rapping to Estelle
Right, its too easy, come on now. People are basing that off of American Boy and off of the fact that everyone now says it. Come on, do your research, I’m here, I give you music, stop it.
Its just that American Boy was such a huge success worldwide, people kind of decide the type of artist you are, based on that song
Yeah, thats literally why people say it and I don’t blame them but I am saying I do and its out there
so, you know.
So you rap on you latest album then
Oh yeah and I have one produced by London’s own Wizzy Wow.
So where in the United States are you right now?
Oh, I am in New York.
So do you live there now?
Yeah, my record deal is with Atlantic Records in the US, so it was way easier to live over here than to live there and to keep flying back every time I needed a meeting or every time I needed to like work out the American market, I would have to completely transplant for 6 months, then come back and sit down at home for a day, then come back for 6 months. I was just like, I’m just going to move, silly innit.
Ok, so do you have an actual release date for the album?
It will come out later this year we want to say October but we are working on it right now but like I
said we have one more record before it comes out, its a song called “Thank you”, that I think is going to touch a lot of people. You’ve got to understand, because my album is not about making records that people can get to sit in the dumps and be depressed about. This album is about empowering people, women, men, everybody to do better and be better, so this song is “thank you for making me a woman”.
Wow
Yeah man, told you, its feelings !!
With that breakdown, I really can’t wait for it to drop
Yeah, good
I am going to have to chat to my links at your label for an advanced copy
Yeah just holla
Even though you are too humble to say it, I mean lets face it, musical success it to a degree determined by how well received you are in the US. We here in the UK are so proud of you and how well you represent UK talent not just in the US but worldwide and I know a lot of young people look up to you and would like to emulate your success.
Thank you so much man
So are there any movies in the pipeline or anything? Will we see you in Transformers 10 or something?
Yeah, wait for it. Not 10, not 10 though !! (laugh) Naa, thats too many, not Transformers 10, nooo
Well I won’t take up any more of your precious time. Thank you so much for taking time out to talk to me.
Thank you so much hun, alright bye.
