Estelle is an artist who’s shaped the soundtracks behind people’s lives over the years, creating a legacy that continues to speak for itself. The London-born, now LA-based singer-songwriter has an incredible career that spans two decades and with that a Grammy award, six studio albums, notable hits, multiple MOBO Awards, and a show on Apple Music Radio… to name a few! What started out as an inquisitive young girl whose infatuation with music only grew fonder, became an influential figure for many aspiring artists around the world. Infusing elements of R&B, soul, gospel, hip-hop and more into a seamless fusion of sound, Estelle has created a musical imprint that will stand the test of time.
From her debut album ‘The 18th Day’ in 2004 to ‘Shine’, ‘Lovers Rock’ or notable hit ‘American Boy’ with Kanye West, which on Spotify alone has racked up over 880 million streams, Estelle is gearing supporters up for her sixth studio album ‘Stay Alta’. Nodding to icons including Diana Ross and Melba Moore, this 12-track body of work embodies empowerment and self-love, infusing vibrant sounds that push the listener to tap into their highest self. Returning after a six-year hiatus, Estelle wished to create an album that transports you back to your happiest days, bursting with a feel-good energy and never-ending gratitude, ‘Stay Alta’ although made during a global pandemic stands as a beacon of light to anyone listening. Enlisting fellow hit-makers Teedra Moses, Durand Bernarr, DJ D-Nice, and many more for an unforgettable trip, ‘Stay Alta’ marks a new and exciting era for Estelle as she continues to inspire the globe with her one-of-a-kind artistry.
CLASH had the chance to catch up with Estelle prior to the album’s release. Delving further into ‘Stay Alta’s meaning, her personal rituals and more, tap in below to see what Estelle had to say.
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Before we get into the ‘Stay Alta’ album, I’d love it if you could give us some background on what made you choose that title and what it meant for this album.
The word “Alta” in Spanish, translates to “high”. I live in LA; the Spanish language has been a part of my general awareness, I don’t speak the language. I know a few words, but a lot of my friends are from the Latin community so naturally, you learn things. It’s a word that kept coming to me whilst I was making it: How do you stay in your highest self? That’s the point of the album, to give someone a beacon to enable them to do that no matter what. It doesn’t mean being self-righteous but simply choosing your light every time.
‘Stay Alta’ will be the first album you’ve dropped in six years. What have you been doing in that time and why did it feel like the right time now, to share this with the world?
I was working on this before and during Covid happened, around 2018. I had written a few songs back in 2012 that were leading into this album. I remember thinking in 2018 that the records were starting to sound dark and gloomy and I really wanted to dance and be happy! Every time I went out, it was either dance music that was at a very high pace and you had no idea what they were talking about or loops and beats that had no movement to them that felt soul-crushing. There was nothing new or current being played; it was all from the 70’s to the mid 00’s, what happened between then and now? I wanted to make music that made me feel good!
You’ve mentioned that this album was a nod to the greats including Diana Ross and Donna Summer and is a version of your home. Was this always the idea you had in mind when going in to create this project?
Going in and making the album, I never had a specific person in mind. I wanted to make it feel good and fun. In Covid, we were probably all listening to DJ D-Nice on Instagram live, all he was playing was 70’s-90’s soul. I remember thinking to myself, we don’t want to hear anything new! [laughs] These are the kind of records that are keeping us alive, remembering what family, parties, and fun felt like. I felt as though I was on the right path with ‘Stay Alta’. That’s why he’s on the album: one, he’s my brother but two, he gave us something that we didn’t know we needed! He’s one of the radio DJs that growing up, we always used to turn our radio onto. D-Nice is on ‘Love On Love’, people were protesting all over the world, we were in and out of our houses, people felt scared and courageous; that’s what love is, being scared whilst treating each other with care and empathy.
You’ve got quite a few features on the album from Teedra Moses, D-Nice, and Durand Bernarr to name a few. Tell me how some of these came about?
They were all my friends; I love and know them outside of music! We’ve all hung out many times, this wasn’t about picking the hottest new artist to feature, it was about creating good music. Everyone knows me from ‘American Boy’, I had known Kanye [Kanye West] for five years prior to working with him; none of the relationships have been weird, we mutually appreciate each other so we work together! All these people on the album, their voices sounded good on the records whilst adding joy and light into them. I was very intentional, I’m very comfortable with songs being just my voice but all these collaborations; I’m proud of them equally.
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That’s even better though, those types of collaborations are so much more organic and it comes across a lot when you’re listening to it as a fan which is really nice!
Exactly! Some of them were surprised—“you want me to do this?!”, yeah of course! [laughs] We shared some beautiful moments.
How do you think this album differs in comparison to previous projects?
It’s a brand-new version of me! At each step, I realised I wasn’t considering who I was when making my albums. There was no version of me rounding up different cycles which I think is important as human development to assess yourself. You don’t have to, but it can be helpful. For the last five albums, I hadn’t done that. This album came right on time in 2018 when I was going through a re-birth. I was learning new things and a lot more about myself, the old stuff was beautiful for what it was, when it was but it couldn’t move forward.
‘Stay Alta’ isn’t the Estelle you knew up until ‘Lovers Rock’, I’m grateful for her however this new version of me, I don’t know half of what I have to give yet but I do have this! [laughs] I’m sure it will change as we move along. A good example, André 3000 didn’t know he was going to come out with a flute album which was then followed by a piano album because he didn’t know that version of himself back then. Now, he’s brave enough to stand as himself in a world that’s constantly asking us to stay that same! Even more so as a Black artist, they don’t want us to evolve but every other artist gets a chance at re-inventing themselves without question.
When the album’s dropped and fans have had time to sit with it properly. Is there anything specifically that you’d like them to take away from it?
Yeah, that you have light and that you can always choose light. However that manifests; one, it’s up to you and two, it’s going to be ok! Sometimes it can be a visceral or internal feeling, everyone speaks their life—watch your words, speak about it correctly and move with love and care. If you can love yourself, you’re good to go! Those types of people tend to have more care, love and empathy for the rest of the world. This isn’t about being selfish either, when you truly love yourself, it reflects in your relationships, you can see love and light in everything. It’s ok to show it to the world!
Your career up to this point has come with an incredible number of achievements and opportunities. A Grammy award, notable hits, your show on Apple Music Radio—the list goes on! What kind of things help to keep you grounded amidst the chaos?
My personal rituals; waking up and being able to see the skies. Yes, that’s a real thing! [laughs] We travel so much so sometimes I need that! I pray and have a lot of internal conversations with God, my spirit and myself. I love to cook and be home. I move around the world for work so when I’m home, I will leave my phone and go outside and build something or mess around in my garden. People joke about Jody’s mum in ‘Baby Boy’ how she was sitting outside pruning her plants with a cigarette… sometimes that’s me! [laughs] It feels good to do nothing, not think and tend to my plants.
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Circling back on what you said earlier regarding Covid and people wanting to listen to feel-good sounds and anchoring onto the 70’s or 80’s. We live in an era of fast-food music and fans are a lot more demanding. When I’m having conversations with my peers, a lot of them are going back to the key names and albums that shaped them growing up. I’m keen to know what you think of our current landscape.
It’s exactly what you and your friends are talking about, we’re going back to what makes us feel good! Music is going to evolve regardless but I am interested in what I put out as a musician. It’s about creating something that is sustainable, that builds a legacy and making sure that people know where they have come from. I didn’t listen to Frank Sinatra every day, but my Granny listened to it, so I knew about that style of music. It’s not about forcing the kids to listen to the old stuff every day but at least know the history or where your roots are from. They’ll create from that which is what we want them to do! Black music in particular needs to be sustained; I really want people to know the history. You’re doing an up-tempo version of a jazz record that’s been done in a certain way by an artist 10 years ago. The only difference is that you’re hearing it in your head for the first time! There’s nothing new under the sun!
We’ve got the album coming, is there anything else we can expect to see from you this year?
We’re performing everywhere we can once the album comes out. There are more visuals coming, one song that I want people to pay close attention to is called ‘Roses’. It’s my favourite record from the album! It has a special meaning to me, honouring the people that have shown us the way, patting myself on the back for doing the work and honouring my grandma whose favourite flowers were red and white roses. I believe I’m doing the work for generations to come and I’m grateful to be doing it.
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‘Stay Alta’ is out on May 23rd.
Words: Elle Evans
Photo Credit: Keith Majors
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