Esthero

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Esthero (born Jen-Bea Englishman, December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario[1]) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who hails originally from Walkerton, Ontario but has recently moved to Los Angeles. The name "Esthero," pronounced es-TAIR-oh, refers both to the singer and to the two-person team of herself and her producer, Doc. She claims to have gotten the name from an old film character named Esther, whose last line in a movie (The Bell Jar, based on the Sylvia Plath novel of the same name) is, "If I am to be the hero, then I cannot fly from darkness."

Esthero's sound characteristically features her voice over a mix of mellow bass lines, jazzy trumpets, Spanish guitar and hip-hop. She is sometimes compared to trip-hop artists Björk, Portishead and the Sneaker Pimps. Later artists who count Esthero among their influences include Res and fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado.

Esthero has appeared as a guest jurist on the popular MuchMusic show Video On Trial.

Esthero's brother, j. englishman, is also a musician.

Contents 1 Background 2 Discography 3 Collaborations 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Background

At the age of sixteen, Esthero moved from Walkerton, on her own to Toronto, where she began singing at open-mic nights while supporting herself by working at a café. Within months, a mutual acquaintance introduced her to Doc, a guitarist and studio engineer. The young duo quickly began recording together, and their debut album, Breath from Another, was released to critical acclaim in 1998.

On April 20, 2004, without Doc's assistance, Esthero released "O.G. Bitch," a standalone EP featuring six different remixes of the title track, plus the b-side "I Love You." The EP led the way to Esthero's 2005 full-length album on the Warner Bros. label, the decidedly jazzy Wikked Lil' Grrrls, seven years following her debut album, to moderate critical acclaim. The album features contributions, either vocally or instrumentally, from Sean Lennon, André 3000 (does not appear on the final release), Shakari Nite, Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley, Jemeni, and Jelleestone. It was also chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.

Esthero has appeared on the Chris Rock Show, Video on Trial, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She has also contributed songs to the films Go, Love & Basketball and Down With Love, as well as the video game 007: Nightfire.

Her song "Heaven Sent" was once featured on the VH1 show "Breaking Bonaduce." Recently, on her MySpace profile[2], she reported that she had left Warner Bros.

[edit] Discography

• Short of Breath (promo, 1998; Sony Records/The WORK Group)
• Breath From Another (CD, 1998; Sony Records/The WORK Group)
• Heaven Sent (CD single, 1998; Sony Records/The WORK Group)
• Zero Effect Motion Picture Soundtrack (CD, 1999) (Song "Lounge")
• That Girl (promo, 1999; Sony Records/The WORK Group)
• I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (track not included on official soundtrack, 1999, "That Girl")
• Boiler Room Motion Picture Soundtrack (track not included on official movie soundtrack, 2000) (Song "Anywayz")
• James Bond 007: Nightfire Video Game Soundtrack (PS2/GC/XBOX, 2002) (Song "Nearly Civilized")
• Taken to the Next Phase (Isley Brothers tribute CD, 2004; Epic Records/Legacy Records)
• O.G. Bitch (CD EP, 2004; Reprise Records)
• O.G. Bitch Remixes (CD 2004; Reprise Records)
• We R In Need of A Musical Revolution (CD EP, 2004 Reprise Records)
• Wikked Lil' Grrrls Samplers (Version 1 & 2) (CD, 2005; Warner Bros. Records)
• Wikked Lil' Grrrls (CD, 2005; Warner Bros. Records)
• Fastlane Remixes (CD, 2005; Warner Bros. Records)

[edit] Collaborations

1998

• "World I Know"(Country Livin' Version) by Goodie Mob and Esthero (From Slam: The Soundtrack)

1999

• "Final Home" (vocal edit featuring Esthero) by DJ Krush (from the album Kakusei; original pressings of this album do not contain the vocal edit; this track is also included on the Code 4109 album)
• "Song for Holly" with Danny Saber (for the soundtrack to the movie Go)

2000

• "When I Fall In Love" (featuring Bratticus) by Axus (from Soundtrack for Life; this is a cover of the jazz standard written by Heyman and Young.)
• "Complete Beloved" by Black Eyed Peas featuring Les Nubians (from Love & Basketball: Music from the Motion Picture; Esthero appears in the background vocals.)
• "The Hero" (featuring Esthero) by j. englishman (from the album poor lil rockstar; Esthero also appears on demo version of "Don't Mean A Thing")
• "Don't Wanna Be Your Slave" (featuring Esthero) by Michie Mee (from Michie's album The First Cut is the Deepest)
• "Priceless" by Rascalz (from the album Global Warning; Esthero appears only in the background vocals)
• "Weekends" (featuring Esthero) by Black Eyed Peas (from the album Bridging the Gap; she also appeared in the music video for this song); Esthero is also featuring on a hidden track called "Empire Strikes Black" and on a B-side called "Keep It Movin'"

2001

• "Balmes (A Better Life)" by Ian Pooley (from album Balmes (A Better Life); the original version of this track can be found on Ian Pooley's Since Then album. The vocal edit appears only on special editions of the album.)
• "Tao for Now" (featuring Esthero) by Saul Williams (from the album Amethyst Rock Star)
• "I Feel You" (featuring Esthero) by Nelly Furtado (from Nelly Furtado's Whoa Nelly! (International Version) and from the "I'm Like A Bird" single)
• "The Universal Quest" (featuring Esthero) by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes (from the album Supernova)

2002

• " How Could I?" (featuring Esthero) by John Forté (from the album I, John)
• "Run for Your Life" (featuring Esthero) by Jarvis Church (from the album Shake It Off)
• "Keep The Beat" by Artists For WarChild Canada (from the compilation album Much Dance 2003; Esthero appears alongside other contemporary Canadian artists)
• "The Streets Where You Live" by The Buried Heart Broject (from the compilation album Women & Songs 6; this was charity single for the Buried Heart Society)

2003

• "White Rabbit" (featuring Esthero) by Blue Man Group (from the album The Complex)
• " Every Day is a Holiday (With You)" (featuring Sean Lennon) by Esthero (from Down With Love: Music from the Motion Picture (2003); the song does not appear in the film but does appear on Esthero's 2005 album Wikkid Lil Grrrls)

2003

• "Heaven" (featuring Esthero) by Sugar Ray (from the album In the Pursuit of Leisure)
• "Coming Down" (featuring Esthero) by The Oddities (from the album Scenic Route)
• "One Life" (featuring Poetic & Esthero) by Last Emperor (from the album Music, Magic & Myth)

2004

• "Life" by Artists For WarChild Canada (from the compilation album Much Dance 2004; Esthero appears alongside Graph Nobel, Jully Black and Keshia Chante)
• "Summertime" (featuring Esthero) by Mos Def (from the album Mos Def Presents Medina Green)
• "Summer Breze" (featuring Esthero) by Onda (from the compilation cover album The Isley Brothers - Taken to the Next Phase)

2005

• "Too Rude" (featuring Esthero) by Carmen Rizzo (from the album The Lost Art of the Idle Moment)

2006

• "Another Great Love Gone By" (featuring Esthero) by Vikter Duplaix (from the album Bold & Beautiful)
• "Final Home" (with Esthero) by DJ Krush (from the remix album Stepping Stones: The Self-Remixed Best)
• "Make U Fly" (featuring Esthero) by Zion I and The Grouch (from the album Heroes in the City of Dope)
• "Shine" (with Esthero) by Boney James (from the album Shine)

[edit] See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

[edit] External links

• Nearly Civilized - official site (formerly a semi-official fan site) (aka estheronline)
• Official MySpace
• AskMen.com Profile
• Sirens of Song: Esthero - Fan site
• Infamous Jbooty - Fan site