Esthero

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Esthero
Caption = Esthero attending Claudia Jordans 35th Birthday Party at Boulevard 3, Hollywood, CA 04-13-08
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Jenny-Bea Englishman
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1978|12|23
Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Died =
Origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Instrument =
Genre = Trip Hop, Hip Hop, Nu Jazz, Breakbeat, Soul, Electro, Pop, Alternative, Rock
Occupation = Singer
Years_active = 1998–present
Label = Sony, Reprise, Warner Bros.
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.nearlycivilized.com/ www.nearlycivilized.com]
Notable_instruments =

Esthero (born Jenny-Bea Englishman, December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario [Richard Harrington. October 28, 2005. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=1113871 "Esthero, Mixing It Up Again"] . Washington Post.] ) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who hails originally from Toronto, Ontario, but has recently moved to Los Angeles. The name "Esthero", pronounced|ɛsˈtɛroʊ "es-TAIR-oh," refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and 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 artists Björk, Portishead and Sade . Later artists who count Esthero among their influences include Res, Fergie and fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado.

Esthero's brother, Jason Englishman, is also a musician.

Career

At the age of sixteen, Esthero moved from small town Harriston, Ontario on her own to Toronto, where she began singing at open-mic nights while supporting herself by working at various jobs: Future Bakery, the printing house, and telemarketing. She was seen singing at the Free Times Cafe by manager Beau Ovcaric who set up a showcase for his partner Zack Werner. The two managed her on good faith without any legal paperwork until she turned eighteen. They introduced her to EMI Publishing Canada president Michael Mccarty, whom she charmed so well during their first meeting that without hearing her sing a single note he set up and paid for recording sessions with Doc, a guitarist and studio engineer. The young duo quickly began recording together, and 6 demos in were being courted on the presidency level by almost every major label in the US. Thanks to then EMI publishing US president Rick Krem their demo's reached the ears of the heads of WORK GROUP( a subsidiary of Sony), and esthero knew they had found their home. 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 from Sean Lennon, André 3000, Shakari Nite, Gnarls Barkley, Jemeni, Jelleestone, and Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob. It was also chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.

In 2007 Esthero amicably parted ways with Venus management and briefly joined forces with Shmanagement, based in Los Angeles, before switching representation to Creative Artists Agency. She continues to have a familial bond with Zack and Beau.

Esthero has appeared on the "Chris Rock Show", "Video on Trial", "Jimmy Kimmel Live", as well as "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Farmclub" with the Black Eyed Peas. She has also contributed songs to the films "Go", "Bounce", "Zero Effect", "I Think I Love My Wife" and Down With Love, as well as the video game "". Collaborations in which she has participated have appeared in "Love & Basketball" and "Slam.

Her song "Wikked Lil' Grrrls" has also appeared in the film "Miss Congeniality 2" and in commercial spots for "Sex in the City" and "Desperate Housewives", and also on the TV show "Las Vegas" and its soundtrack.

Recently, on her MySpace profile, she reported that she had left Warner Bros.

In January, 2008, she participated in a video for Barack Obama produced by Will.I.Am called Yes We Can.

In 2008, Esthero provided the voice of J.A.N.E. the spaceship on Kanye West's Glow in the Dark tour.

2008 also saw her take on the role of producer for a track from Dangerous Muse's debut album.

Popular Culture

Her song "Heaven Sent" was once featured on the VH1 show "Breaking Bonaduce". "Everyday is a Holiday (With You)" was used in episode one, season two of "Grey's Anatomy" entitled "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head", as well as in a national ad campaign for Zellers. Her song I Drive Alone was featured on lesbian TV series "The L Word". This song also was featured on the season three soundtrack. "Country Livin' (The World I Know)" was featured in 2007's "I Think I Love My Wife" starring Chris Rock.

She is referenced by Talib Kweli in the Reflection eternal song "Some Kind of Wonderful" on the Album Train of Thought. "..listening to Esthero, puffin' vegetables..."

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")
* "Go: Music from the Motion Picture (Soundtrack)" (CD 1999; Sony Records)(Song "Song For Holly")
* "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")
* "SuperNova" Lisa Left Eye Lopes Album"2000 (Song "The UNiversal Quest")
* " 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)

Collaborations

1998
* "Country Livin'" (World I Know 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"

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 of 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")
* "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 Breeze" (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")

2008
* "Yes We Can"
*"Laid Back" (featuring Esthero) by Fonzworth Bentley (from the album "C.O.L.O.U.R.S.")

See also

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

References

External links

* [http://www.nearlycivilized.com/ Nearly Civilized] , Esthero's official website
*
* [http://infamous-jbooty.alllostinthought.com] , Esthero fan site