艾丝黛儿

Estelle Fanta Swaray (born 18 January 1980), known mononymously as Estelle, is a British singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She is known for her eclectic blending of musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip-hop, and dance. She has collaborated with prominent American artists including Chris Brown, Kanye West, will.i.am, Nas, Akon, Tyler, the Creator, Robin Thicke, and Rick Ross, among others.

Estelle was born in London and began performing in the early 2000s. She met American singer John Legend during this time, who acted as her mentor and produced her debut studio album, The 18th Day (2004). Released by V2 Records to moderate critical and commercial success, it peaked at number 35 on the UK Albums Chart. She then signed with Legend's Homeschool Records, in a joint venture with Atlantic Records, to release her second album, Shine (2008); an international success, it entered the US Billboard 200—as well as other worldwide charts—and was supported by the single "American Boy" (featuring Kanye West), which peaked atop the UK Singles Chart, peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, and won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Her third album, All of Me (2012), solely entered American and Australian charts and served as her final release on a major label; it was supported by the Grammy Award-nominated single "Thank You".

Estelle provided both the speaking and singing voice for the character Garnet in the animated series Steven Universe (2013–2019), a role she reprised in Steven Universe: The Movie (2019) and Steven Universe Future (2019–2020). She also made cameo appearances in the films Beyond the Lights (2014) and Girls Trip (2017), and appeared as Linda in the Netflix original film Fatal Affair (2020). Estelle hosts and presents The Estelle Show on Apple Music, which has run for over 500 episodes.

Early life

Swaray was born and raised in Hammersmith, London. Her mother's family came from Dakar, Senegal, and her father's family comes from Grenada. She is the eldest of nine children. Swaray's parents were very religious when she was growing up, and secular music was not allowed in the family's home. Instead, spiritual music—particularly American gospel—and West African music were what Swaray grew up listening to. However, she would sometimes listen to hip hop when out of residence.

She spent her childhood listening to her parents' reggae records and her aunt's soul collection before discovering 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". By the time she was in her early 20s, she had decided on a music career. She used to be a nanny before she began her music career.

Career

2000–2005: Early work and The 18th Day

Estelle got her start in London's renowned hip-hop record store Deal Real. Her fellow employees encouraged her to take a chance and get on the mic on-stage; soon she was playing numerous London clubs and appearing with the likes of Manuva and Rodney P. Local hero Skitz asked her to appear on his 2001 album, Countryman, and soon she landed on albums by artists such as The 57th Dynasty and Blak Twang. She made her solo debut in 2003 with the 12" "Excuse Me", released on the label Paradise Isle.