Singer, songwriter, and vocal coach Estani fuses Latin soul with acoustic, jazz, and salsa to create her hypnotic and gorgeous sound. Her talent has afforded her incredible experiences including performing on stage at The Montreal Jazz Festival, Staples Center, and The Tonight Show. She’s been the background singer for acclaimed international artists, Laura Pausini and Joan Sebastian, along with providing vocal coaching for Jordyn Jones of Stay Famous, and Olivia Cella. Her latest single and music video for “Droughts In The Ocean,” showcase the depth of Estani’s musical talent, featuring the clip in black-and-white, with Estani surrounded by dancers. The video also shows Estani relaxing in the sun on a prism beach. “Droughts In The Ocean” is a beautiful song, offering hope and peace to all of us who struggle with inner battles that are unseen.
We had a great conversation with Estani about what draws her in with creating music, why now is the right time to release her upcoming album (her first in nine years), the story behind “Droughts In The Ocean,” and the teamwork that went into the accompanying video for it, and her fun music favorites!
You have an incredible range of talent, extending from singer, songwriter, and vocal coach. What originally drew you to music, and what keeps you drawn in?
Estani: Thank you so much! Writing has been a personal creative space for me ever since I was really young. I’ve just always felt connected to really listening and identifying with people’s stories and how much they move me. So, as a kid, I felt compelled to do the same with my words and experiences. As I’ve made songwriting a career, I realized I really wanted to move people not only with my words but with my voice and how I express what I’ve written. Hopefully, I have.
As far as coaching, again, it’s on that same “connection” platform. If I can get one vocalist to “get it” and hear/see the progress, it’s such a “wow” moment that never gets old. For me, it’s that constant feeling of gratitude and progress with something you’ve put out in the world that makes a difference in the life of someone else. That’s what keeps me drawn in and inspired!
Your latest single, “Droughts In the Ocean,” is an impeccable showcase of your musical talent. Can you share the story behind the song?
Estani: “Droughts” came to be after a few situations/experiences where I found myself internalizing my emotions rather than voicing my concerns/opinions for fear of disapproval, rejection, judgment, rocking the boat, etc…In doing that, I began to compromise myself and, I felt, lose my identity. I began writing “Droughts” at that time, initially as a journal entry to remind myself of things that are truly important. The bridge section of the song came as I was going through a personally tough time separating who I truly was vs. people’s perception of me. The line, “I’m not who I used to be, but still who I’ve always been” really hit home for me. Writing “Droughts” was, in many ways, therapy to find myself again and align myself with like-minded people and circumstances in finding your soul purpose rather than the immediate “what’s in it for me now” mindset. I feel that mentality is so temporary…” nothing really matters, if you’re losing your soul, but gaining the world at the same time.” You’re left looking for that next gig, that next like, that next accolade, that next “fill in the blank” externally, rather than looking inward.
You have also sung as a lead vocalist and background vocals for The Montreal Jazz Festival, Staples Center, Gibson Amphitheater, The Tonight Show, along with a variety of high-profile venues and festivals outside the US. What were those experiences like, and what did you learn from them?
Estani: Staples Center, I have to say, was a mind-blowing experience for me. It was my first time being featured as a lead vocalist with a Latin artist I was singing BGV (background vocals) for at the time. I had rehearsed the song immensely, but there’s no amount of rehearsal that can prepare you for that kind of feeling singing to a sold-out crowd of that size for the first time. Same feeling singing BGV for Laura Pausini on The Tonight Show. These firsts were just an incredible rush that brings momentum but also humbling at the same time. All the preparation that goes into these high-profile venues leads to a giant payoff if you’re willing to put in the work. All in all, it’s tons of dedication and commitment on the daily.
I have to say, however, the venues that most moved me may not have been necessarily “high profile” so to speak, but they were just as moving and insightful. There were many concerts set up in various remote regions of Mexico when traveling with Joan Sebastian, the tour I was on for a few years. We would literally be in the middle of nowhere around 7 am, then crew would meet us, put together a ginormous stage, lights, etc…everything you would see at a huge outdoor festival. By the time 8 pm rolled around, there would be 10,000 people, I am not kidding, screaming his name outside this make-shift venue that I saw put together in a day. The loyalty people have to hear/see/experience their favorite artists live is an energy I won’t forget and can completely see how one song can have such an impact on someone’s life in a myriad of ways.
You’re getting ready to release your first album in 9 years. What led you to wait this long, and why is now the right time to release your collection of music as an album?
Estani: Well, I was working behind the scenes, writing and producing for other up-and-coming artists for 5 or 6 years before deciding to start focusing on myself again. When recording my last album years ago, I had just quit a tour in order to be with my daughter for school (she was turning four at the time). I took a full-time teaching job while recording the album and couldn’t quite place all my focus on marketing and promotion. To put so much time and energy into a creative project and to not fulfill the marketing aspect just felt really disheartening. I needed to make sacrifices for my daughter and the number one sacrifice was no longer putting myself first. She was/is my everything, so with that in mind, I really hadn’t been able to make the time to put in the work for a full album. Now that she’s older, I’ve been able to redirect focus on both of us, and give proper attention to all the work that goes into fully producing and marketing an album.
“Droughts In The Ocean” features an inspiring dance routine – with you reveling in the warm sun and flowing sand at the beach. What was the experience creating the video?
Estani: Creating the video was a wonderful experience. I knew I wanted beach scenes to correlate with the message behind the lyrics. I went out to Laguna Beach and shot at Crystal Cove. It was FREEZING that day, but we were so fortunate in the sense that, for the most part, the beach was empty so I had time to really dive deep into what I wanted. I knew a “Wicked Game” visual vibe by Chris Isaak. I loved the B&W grainy image of the beach scenes in that video. I was super proud of where we started with the beach scenes and how we edited it and placed it into the video. I couldn’t have been happier.
As far as the dance portion, I called Liezel Marie, who is a phenomenal choregrapher, and asked for a ballroom type ethereal dance routine a la “Thinking Out Loud” video. She listened to the song and suggested I make this more of a women empowerment type statement with five females emulating strength combined with the yin/yang of femininity vs. power and how those themes translate.
When I saw her choreography, I was just blown away. It was like seeing words turn into movement. I just loved it. At that point, I knew I wanted simplicity vs. impact. I loved Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video with the CyC wall, B&W themed video. Just women dancing and encompassing power, independence, and beauty! I wanted that and was inspired by everything I saw. When the dance shoot day had actually arrived, I was even more in awe of the great team we had and the combined effort from our small group that made everything look, hear and feel like a maximum scale production. The people made it so great.
Fun Questions
Who was your first concert, and who has been your favorite so far?
Estani: My first concert was Mary J Blige and she was amazing! I’m going to have to say there are two favorites. I saw The Weeknd at the Clive Davis Theater in The Grammy Museum which was an intimate setting of about 50 people. He was incredible. The next concert was Eva Ayllon at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. She is a famous Peruvian singer who just KILLED it! After seeing her perform, I was like, “I want a concert like this for me!”
What was your first album on cassette, CD and/or vinyl?
Estani: Hmmmm…really making me think. Okay, I’m gonna have to say Billie Holiday “Lady Sings The Blues.” My mom loved her when I was growing up and would sing “Them There Eyes” all the time. I still have a cassette tape of us singing that song together with the album when I was 5 yrs old.
Which five albums and/or artists would you not want to live without?
Estani:
In no particular order, here goes:
Jill Scott: Album Words and Sounds Vol 1.
LInda Ronstadt: Canciones de mi Padre
Donny Hathaway: These songs for you (Live)
Amy Winehouse: Frank
Buena Vista Social Club
Do you have a guilty music and/or entertainment pleasure?
Estani: Oh yesss…I love me some Cardi B, Saweetie, and City Girls!
Is there anything you’ve been currently reading, watching, and/or listening to?
I just bought the book, Super Attractor, by Gabrielle Bernstein, and have been listening to Florence Scovel Shinn’s “Your Word is Your Wand” on YouTube. As far as new music, I found African artist “Franco”, and Neo-soul artist “Yuphoric” and have been listening to them pretty consistently so far. Check them out!
Keep up with Estani on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Listen to and/or purchase her music on Apple, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
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