Estère is bringing electric blue witch-hop back into the fold once again

For as long as I can remember, I've had a massive amount of respect for Estère. Her art is innovative and authentic, a unique expression of life like no other. Somewhere in the vicinity of soul, hip hop and electronic grooves, or as she calls it - electric blue witch-hop.

Last week she released Obsidian, a fresh cut that came together across two continents. Following the release, Estère answered our questions about the origins of the new track, what life is like as an artist living in London and how music helps her understand the world.

Your career has had global reach across live performance, community inclusion, education, wearable arts and more. With all of this in your back pocket, what does music mean for you today?

Music has in the past and always will be a method of understanding the world and how my life fits into it. I think my mind would explode if I didn't have music as a tool to digest big feelings, huge amounts of curiosity and whimsy. It helps my body process things too, essentially music feels like another organ. 

You're based in London these days. What changes have you noticed in the industry over recent years and how do these impact the reality of being an artist?

London is a huge city, there's lots of people. I've never experienced the same feelings of anonymity as I have in London. Sometimes you have to fight to make community and connections, but once you do it's the best thing. I see parallels in music at the moment, there's a lot of anonymity in what's being created and circulated, you don't know if it's a person or (my new favourite term for it cause I'm sick of hearing it lol) synthetic intelligence. I think lots of us are doubling down on the importance of real connections, and also hearing error and imperfections in art. 

Has living in London pushed you creatively in ways that living in New Zealand didn't?

Yes. Without a doubt. You're just exposed to more. And also I am African diaspora. The things that are going on here are reflective of my identity in a way that has opened up possibilities for me. That being said, I still think a lot of my mates back in Aotearoa are some of the most talented artists I know, NZ has an amazing amount of talent for its population size! 

Your new release, Obsidian, was first written in Cameroon. Tell us about that process of reconnecting with your roots and how it culminated in the song...

I was walking around the streets of Douala taking field recordings of different moments. Obsidian started with a sample of a busy street opposite the hotel I was staying in. For this chapter of my life, it felt right to grow things from seeds taken from Cameroon because that's a big part of what I've been exploring lately. I made an initial beat using the samples I made in Cameroon then took it to my friend Ashton, and we reworked the beat together. 

What feeling do you want listeners to take away from the new single?

I feel if this song were located in the body it would be in the hips and heart. So when people listen, I want them to lean into how their bodies naturally respond. 

I hear rumours there could be more material on the way. What is on the horizon for Estère in the near future?

Yes there's a lot more on the way, keeping it all a bit of a surprise - so I'll leave it there.