Philadelphia - GRAMMY Camp SoundCheck with Estelle Recap
Estelle’s BET Music Matters tour made its final stop in Philadelphia on March 5th. GRAMMY U members and students from the DASH program headed to the World Café Live for a GRAMMY Camp - SoundCheck with Estelle. Estelle greeted students from the stage decked out in her trench coat, trendy head wrap and sunglasses and jumped right into the Q&A with students. When asked how she was able to connect with Kanye West, Estelle explained how she had no fear about walking right up to West and asking him about working. She encouraged students to know when to go for it and not to be scared. Jokingly she added “Get clothes lined by security it will be alright.” Estelle was candid and shared her personal experiences in the industry. Students asked about her thoughts on what makes you successful as an artist and her answer was simple: “No sleep.” Estelle breaks down the music business to 90% work and 10% music with music being the easiest part because that’s what she loves. She also imparted that students aspiring to be artist should be 100% clear about who they are, because often people will try to pull you into many different directions. Asked about her favorite moment so far in her career, she recalled a show in Kansas City. Heading to the venue Estelle said she had no idea what to expect. It seemed like such a small town and she wondered whether people would even know who she was. Pulling up, the venue was packed and everyone knew the words to her songs and she remembered being so floored by that experience. Rounding out the Q&A Estelle talked about how important it is to have a team that will make the right decisions for her career, keeping in mind the bigger picture and not anyone’s ego. “Everyone that works with me has to be nice and know how to do their job,” Estelle explained. Though Estelle has done many collaborations with artists like John Legend, Rick Ross and a host of others, she looks forward to the possibility of working with Hip-Hop/Soul pioneer Mary J. Blige in the future. Realizing that she will “sing forever,” Estelle ended by telling students that she does this because she loves it and it’s what she grew up doing. She knows who she is and there is comfort and peace in that. The evening ended with Estelle performing a few of her records, old and new for SoundCheck.