Young adult Essosa shows maturity and emotional depth in her debut EP, ‘Dreamworld’.
Nineteen-year-old London-based Essosa is an old bedroom pop and alternative r’n’b singer, as well as a songwriter and dancer. The artist released her very first song at age seventeen; ‘The Retreat’ was a protest to call out and change the poor treatment ethnic minorities and immigrants faced in her country after the infamous Brexit vote.
With an established love for music and now knowing that she wanted to take control of her own narrative and be able to showcase her reality, Essosa decided to head to London to pursue a future in music as she continued with her full-time education.
The result of that time, feeling, and experiences she obtained after moving to London on her own — as she left her family back in the UK — culminated in her debut EP, Dreamworld. Her debut project explores the isolation and loneliness Essosa experienced as she had to learn to be the sole person looking after herself in this city.
The EP was made with the help of London producers Thibaut Hucker and Ryan Price, who contributed with the implementation of light, dreamy sounds that made both Essosa and the listeners feel as though they’re laying on top of a cloud. The dreamlike feeling of the songs creates a perfect light balance between the two genres Essosa uses, as well as her neo-soul vocals.
Bedroom pop and dream pop are the most prevalent influences in Dreamworld. Like her musical influences, the EP is a blend of Clairo’s trademark sound and SZA’s powerful but feathery vocals, and the end result is similar to Kali Uchis’ music — especially tracks from her pre-Isolation era and ‘In My Dreams’.
That is not to say Essosa sound is a replica of either of them. It’s exactly the opposite of them, as every track in the EP contains a couple of call backs to musicians the young artist loves and admires, yet none of them feel too similar that they would be confused as someone else’s song. Essosa’s sound is a refreshing breath of fresh air and a perfect example of how bedroom pop can still bring something new to the table, showing her potential and love for the genre in one smooth move.
Although the overall theme of her work is loneliness, none of the instrumentals bring a feeling of abandonment or sadness. Instead, Essosa seems to embrace the fact that she’s on her own in order to keep moving forward. The EP is a clear exploration of her sound and identity through meaningful lyrics and in depth callbacks to what she’s lived.
Essosa goes into more detail on her own Instagram, where she gives small hints or explanations of the reason behind a track or the feelings they bring her. Acting similarly to diary entries, every word in her posts exude sentimentality and growth. Ranging from conversations at a fast food restaurant to the deep desire of returning to normality, Essosa has accomplished to capture very specific moments in songs other people will still be able to relate to.
With her mesmerizing vocals and an ability to entice people who are also trying to find where they belong, Essosa has opened a new safe haven for anyone who would also like to deal with her isolation and feelings of loneliness with the help of five beautiful songs.
If you enjoyed Essosa’s music and would like to stay updated, be sure to check out and follow her Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter accounts. To listen to her music, you can head over to her Spotify profile and Soundcloud.
You can also support the artist by streaming and sharing her music, which can be found in the following Playlists: Female Rising Stars, 12 New Songs This Week, Indie Only, Chill – Folk – Acoustic, and Less Than 1,000 Followers.
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 #Sustainablecuratorhttps://www.musosoup.com/sustainable-curator