Finally able to make her debut after life had taken her off the musical path for a long time, Esmae focuses on the positive aspect of the situation and arrives with the all powerful and impactful song about knowing better and being aware of your own worth, ‘Oughta Know’.
Writing her first full song at age sixteen, the British musician Esmae has shown unlimited potential from a young age. Despite temporarily moving on from music as she found success elsewhere, music has stayed in her heart and in 2019, the artist decided to post a collection of her original songs as her first ever demos on Soundcloud, where they quickly racked up over 500,000 streams and made their way into BBC Introducing.
After the success of her music on Soundcloud and the Youtube channel she opened soon after, Esmae gained a substantial online audience. This was the final push that led her to start working on more of the songs she’d kept hidden for years. The result will be seen (and listened) in her 5-track EP, ‘Do Better’, which is due sometime this year.
With an attractive and rarely-heard blend of R&B and dance music, Esmae’s music seems to lean more towards pop during the first listen. However, you’ll soon enough to realize that these distinct pop sensibilities are only one of the many influences she’s had an included in her music — old school (especially 90’s) R&B and new school dance are the other two prominent sounds, and Esmae’s works end up feeling like each one of those influences both in separate occasions at specific points throughout the song or at the same time, as the song hits its highest point.
When talking about her songwriting, the artist corroborated with: “I really believe my extensive life experiences with people, in places, and at events add a definite substance and influence to my lyrics and I know that now I’m right where I need to be and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
Her newest lead single, Oughta Know, contains that sassy and cheeky feeling from “bubble pop” as it unashamedly uses popular pop elements and twists them into something that will fit her song more, making them feel right at home next to the track’s strong R&B presence. The song contains Esmae’s strong and lively vocals, a catchy chorus, polished production, and the perfect combination of sounds to make anyone want to dance.
As the name implies, the song acts from the perspective of a person who’s gone through a situation (presumably a relationship) and now is finally acknowledging all the signs that had warned them on how it was a bad idea. While not necessarily drowning in regret, the lyrics show that the protagonist of the song is aware that they’re better than their actions as they bow to not make these sort of mistakes again.
Oughta Know is both a warning tale and a story about realizing one’s one worth. The song does not contain overly positive lyrics, but the listener is able to detect the confidence from the usage of words and the perspective the lyrics are in.
With her mastery over this topic, and looking back on the success she’s already obtained on an online platform and her slow rise into BBC radios, there is no telling what will be Esmae’s next move and how successful it’ll be: there is only excitement at the idea of listening to more of her.
If you enjoyed Esmae’s music and would like to stay updated, be sure to check out her official website. For social media you can follow her Facebook and Instagram accounts. To listen to her music, you can head over to her Spotify profile, Soundcloud, and Youtube channel.
You can also support the artist by streaming and sharing her music, which can be found in the following Playlists: Fresh Singles, Female Rising Stars, and Indie Only.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you should subscribe to Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists we’ve talked about!
This coverage was created via Musosoup #Sustainablecurator https://www.musosoup.com/sustainable-curator