Earlier this year, I’d seen a familiar name on a list of new single releases. It was by UK R&B singer Estelle. I’m sure you know her from the catchy “American Boy” featuring Kanye West, which was a huge hit and a strong international debut for the singer, but somehow Estelle didn’t become as big as I thought she would be and I hardly heard anything else from her since.
In my constant search for blog topics, I’d spent quite some time looking for that new release, but was never able to locate it to write about it. I just figured it was a project that featured her, but it was not an official release of her own.
This time around there is an official new single out. She’s released a song called “Love Like Ours” with a new video upload on her Vevo account. The song features dancehall singer Tarrus Riley, who you may know from his collaboration on Major Lazer’s “Powerful” with Ellie Goulding. Needless to say the new Estelle song is a dancehall or reggae inspired song.
The video for the song brings as much of a summer vibe as the song itself. To me, Estelle looks almost unrecognizable. Her feisty short hair is gone, which really surprised me because I thought this was her trademark. Instead, she’s got a new, softer look. Her hair is long and straightened and extremely long. It makes her look like she has a whole new personality, which makes her new sound also easier to accept. I’m not sure if it’s a permanent new sound, or if she’s just trying it for a bit of a shake-up. However, it suits her well.
“Love Like Ours” is the lead single for a new album, expected in the Spring of next year.
I understand that Estelle is playing in the very popular TV show, “Insecure”, so that explains why I haven’t heard from her musically. She’s been focused on a second career. It also explains why this is a great time to do a musical come back. With all that attention because of the TV show, it’s great timing to get new music out there. Maybe her big debut will finally get the follow up that I expected back then.
