West London Singer Delves Deep Into Her Reggae Roots
The first time most of the world heard about Estelle Fanta Swaray, she was collaborating with Kanye West on the Grammy-winning smash “American Boy.” That song, which featured Kanye spitting his best soundboy slang—”Here comes the number-one champion sound!”—appeared on her 2008 album Shine, along with a handful of straight-up reggae tracks, like “Magnificent,” featuring Kardinall Offishall. Although she’s often described as an R&B artist, this West London girl, the daughter of a reggae session drummer, has always been as musically diverse as the city she grew up in, freely exploring genres from grime to dancehall. “Come Over,” her collab with Sean Paul showed another side of her versatility. After fielding requests for years, she’s finallyembarked on a full-on reggae album, with production by the likes of Supa Dups. Our first taste of the project, a collab with Tarrus Riley called “Love Like Ours” is nothing less than remarkable. After her surprise appearance alongside Tarrus at Groovin’ in the Park 2017, Estelle invited Reshma B to hop inside her black SUV for 100% real interview. No subject was off-limits. Video After The Jump…
