Has (E)Stella got her groove back? - Nunya Gemegah (28/04/2014)

It's been a while since we've heard from our London girl Estelle, who’s settled across the pond. For those who may have forgotten, she debuted on our radios in 2004 with records such as "Free" ft So Solid Crew’s Mega man, “1980” and Freedom featuring Talib Kweli  andJohn Legend. With such a vast collaboration resume, it’s no wonder the UK couldn't hold on to Estelle for too long. Once she recorded “American Boy” featuring Kanye West, Estelle was pretty much set to settle in the states. Making a few features every once and again and two more albums, but she seemed to be another “R&B/ soul” artist that faded away.

Thankfully she is back , but not as the tomboyish girl we remember, now 34 Estelle is all about being “true to her self” through her music. She makes it clear to her fans that, she wants to be seen as A R&B singer, a soul singer and a rapper , an artist in her own right in the three genres, not a merging of the three. To many this may all sound like the same thing but Estelle assures us it is not. Having to conform to those genres’s especially as a female artist had left her feeling restricted, with only a few topics to discuss:

Romance

Love

Breakups

Hurt

Trust issues

Past traumas and stress

But these topics all seemed a bit tedious. Reaching her first decade in the business, she wanted to make sure she covered all bases, venturing into every aspect of relationships. Including what she sits and talks about on a daily basis with her friends such as Sex.

Her latest single Make her say (Beat it up) came as a complete shock to me on my first listen (bear in mind I listened to the radio version first). Once I got over the topic I had to give Estelle a round of applause from my side of the laptop screen. The beat is as she describes “tribal”, which instantly brought her to nature, her natural urges and funnily enough to the bedroom and I have to say it had me hooked.

Although my viewing of the video left me applauding Estelle it is not to say the song sat well with me right away. It was clear to me she was exploring a completely different side to her music, and I guess her self. Which seems to be something most artists get ridiculed for once their fans and record labels have boxed them into a particular category. However I must admit I found it slightly disturbing when hearing her “seductive tone” and harsh London accent, on what felt like to me a very American beat, almost suited for the likes of Azealia Banks.

It is hard to see an artist you may of related to, completely change what and how they are expressing themselves, but as viewers and consumers we forget that they are human too. They mature, they learn, they are excited by new trends and blush at pictures of fashion blunders from 10 years ago.  We tend to place everyone especially entertainers under functions, forgetting that before the fame they were once regular people like ourselves.  They should be able to use their talents as a platform to explore and express what matters to them and the things they encounter.

Seeing Estelle completely transformed in “make her say”, with her

hair presentable, teeth straight, and body on show was definitely pleasant surprise. Conveying everything I've discussed, in terms of embracing change, ones self and individuality. The brand new video displays an array of couples, large, ginger, lesbian, interracial having very sweet conversations discussing their relationships with their partners, with shots of them in their favourite sex positions, definitely not a video for the young viewing audience. But the message it carries is as beautiful as any Vogue magazine cover.

 

Estelle’s Ep. Love and Happiness Vol. III: How Stella got her groove back is set for release later this year. 

Make her say(Beat it up )Official video: