Interview with U.K sensation ESTELLE for PEACE Magazine.

Estelle Interview - April 7 2008

Estelle Swaray. Let that name marinate, because you will be hearing it from now until Grammy night. By know you know her back story; West African, West Indian, raised in a family of 8 in West London. Her debut album “The 18th Day” goes Gold in the UK, shortly after dropping her record label for lack of support. Keeping it moving, Estelle hooks up with old friend and boy wonder John Legend, as the first artist on his HomeSchool record label. Three years in the making, her new album “Shine” allows Estelle to do just that. Classic hip-hop and reggae samples are infused seamlessly with cameos from will.i.am, Cee-lo, Wyclef and our own Kardinal Offishal. While remaining true to herself, she reminds us of a certain someone. A chocolate fudge, round-the-way beauty. Singer. Rapper. Estelle talked candidly to PEACE about comparisons to ‘you-know-who’, Kanye’s groupie tests and the making of her latest project.


PEACE: There are many similarities between Canada and the UK: a diverse society, being in the shadow of the U.S, and a somewhat unsupportive system when it comes to black music. How can someone in a similar market learn from what you’ve done?

ESTELLE: One challenge was believing that people wanted to buy the record, and not listening to others opinions about that. Everyone has their story of what didn’t happen to them, so why should it happen to you? I’m like ‘Well I’m ME, that’s why it should happen to me.’ The confidence makes a huge difference. I paid more attention to the positive and started to do what I like. Do hip hop and R&B, do reggae, do soul, do what I do. So do you.

P: Tell me how you first heard of Kardinal Offishal, and what is your affiliation with Black Jays? 

E: (gun finger in the air...) Boooow! (laughs) Kardinal, I met him in ’98 when he came to London, to do a show with Common. I knew Mister Morgan, Kardi’s manager, because he used to work with the Rascalz and I went to a couple of their shows. Morgan called for me to come see Kardi and we just clicked from there. Years later, Kardi was like ‘We should do Black Jays International, so where ever we are in the world, we take care of each other.’ But on a real level, he’s like my older brother. It really is family, more than just the music affiliation.

P: I understand that you met John Legend before he was signed and Kanye over 6 years ago so you’ve known them for a while too. For a rising star in the U.S what is it like being so close to the ‘heat’ of such popular artists?

E: I can stand it. They put me under pressure since day one, with tests to see if I was a groupie.

P: What are the tests?

E: They throw into me the mixture with a load of guys and I be like ‘For real if you don’t stop touchin’ me, I’ma break your fingers.’ It would be as simple as that. They’d look at me like ‘Who’s this little scrawny bitch? Alright, we wont fuck with you.’ You learn to assert yourself, being around so many guys. We cool. They know what it is.

P: You have called your working relationship with John Legend similar to that of Marvin and Tammy. Explain what that creative energy was like when making this album.

E: I felt like Marvin and Tammy had this psychic connection. That’s the way me and John are. When we were making “More Than Friends”, I was SO mad at this guy I was seeing. I was having it out with him cause he can’t figure out if he’s with me or not! So I’m outside on the phone venting to my friends, and John is in the studio, making up the track. I walk back in, and he goes ‘Why don’t we do a song about how sometimes us guys wanna have you on standby’. (jaw drops) I looked at him like, how did you know?! That had me freaked out! John knows where my head is going to go next with different melodies because he’s studied my shit, as much as I’ve studied his shit. That’s why I say it’s a Marvin and Tammy thing because it meshes. They are 2 different voices, but it sounds good together.

P: You speak a lot about female empowerment and accountability, a rarity in hip-hop today. Tell me how you bypassed the bull in the relationships you speak about on “Shine”?

E: I went through it, that’s how I bypassed it. I went straight through. I was an idiot, I got played, I played people, I did wrong things, I did it all and I just wrote about it. I did the whole being with another girls man, then I was cheated on…its terrible. Now I can say, if that’s what you have to do to grow up, it’s not right but maybe that’s what God planned for you. So go through it, I can’t judge.

P: A lot of people compare you to Lauryn Hill. Are you concerned with being put into a box and pressured to have similar success out the gate?

E: No. I’m more honored that people think I’m even capable of that success! It’s not like it’s a bad comparison so I’m not pressured. My album is going to do what its going to do, people will get it, people will feel it cause it’s real life. Everything that I sing about, I’ve been through.

P: As your star rises, what has been the biggest adjustment for you and those close to you?

E: Not being around. That’s why I’m always on my BlackBerry so I can still connect with my people. But its not the same, not being able to touch them or see them, look at them in their face. But they wouldn’t change it and I wouldn’t for the world. They’re like work hard now so you have time for us later. Believe me, I plan to.