Ester Dean

Life and career

Esther Renay Dean was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to single mother Hester Dean and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the younger of five children. She is of Black Indian descent. She began singing at a young age. When Esther was 15, her mother moved her and her sister Deandria to Omaha, Nebraska, where she began working as a session singer and writing for local musicians. At the age of 20, Dean moved to Atlanta with $500 to pursue a career as a songwriter and record producer. She was discovered by music producer Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, who overheard Dean singing along in the crowd of a Gap Band concert. On the strength of her voice and songwriting ability, Tricky signed Dean for a publishing contract.

Dean later parted ways with Tricky and relocated to Los Angeles, where she was introduced to Polow da Don and signed a deal with Zone 4 Records under the aegis of Interscope Records. In 2009, Dean released her debut single as a lead artist, "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown and production by Polow da Don; the song peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became her only Top 40 single as a lead artist.

Dean's commercial breakthrough came when she collaborated with Stargate on the number one Rihanna single "Rude Boy". She continued to write hit songs for Rihanna, including "What's My Name" and "Where Have You Been", as well as Katy Perry's "Firework" and Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass".

In 2011, Dean contributed to the soundtrack for the animated film Rio by Blue Sky Studios.

She has written, and sometimes produced, Top 40 hits for artists including Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Florence + The Machine, Beyoncé, Drake, Selena Gomez, Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls, Usher, Kelly Rowland, R. Kelly, Britney Spears, and Lil Wayne.

She appeared as Cynthia Rose in Pitch Perfect, released in 2012, and reprised the role in the sequels Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017).

In 2022, she was on the jury panel for American Song Contest representing Oklahoma.

Artistry

Voice

Dean possesses a mezzo-soprano range. Her vocals were described by Billboard as "raw, energetic vocals [that] cover a wide range: from club banger to melodic doo-wop/hip-hop." Dean's vocals have also been described as similar to Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. "The songwriter's voice is pitched dead center between two artists. The first is frequent collaborator Rihanna...the other is Nicki Minaj when she sings."

Songwriting style

In a 2012 article in The New Yorker, Dean described her preferred method of songwriting: "I go into the booth and I scream and I sing and I yell, and sometimes it's words but most time [sic] it's not...and I just see when I get this little chill [on her upper arm, below the shoulder] and then I'm, like, 'Yeah, that's the hook.'"

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Main article: Ester Dean discography

Main article: List of songs written (and produced) by Ester Dean

Accolades

References

1. Dean, Ester. (December 12, 2014). "Lol my real name is Esther".
2. (January 14, 2013). "Ester Dean Talks Debut Album & 'Pitch Perfect' Success".
3. "Melody Maker".
4. "Interview: Ester Dean – Singer and Songwriter".
5. Seabrook, John. (March 26, 2012). "The Song Machine".
6. (December 4, 2013). "Top Writer/Artist Ester Dean Talks About Her Hits With Rihanna, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj & Kelly Clarkson".
7. (March 21, 2022). "How 'American Song Contest' Voting Will Work Via TikTok, and Who's on the 56-Member Jury Panel (EXCLUSIVE)".
8. (January 15, 2010). "Ester Dean: Artists To Watch 2010". Billboard.
9. (February 23, 2012). "The Singles Bar: Ester Dean ft. Nicki Minaj, "Gimme Money"". Popdust.
10. "Snoop Dog Honored At BMI Urban Awards".
11. (November 19, 2019). "ESTER DEAN: Grammy History".
12. (May 16, 2012). "Ester Dean, Benny Blanco and Pitbull share Songwriter of the Year crown; "Firework" named Song of the Year; Universal Music Publishing Group earns Publisher of the Year".
13. (September 8, 2012). "Ester Dean, Kane Beatz, Nicki Minaj and Pop Wansel also take top honors".
14. (May 15, 2013). "Ester Dean, Benny Blanco and Pitbull share Songwriter of the Year crown; "Firework" named Song of the Year; Universal Music Publishing Group earns Publisher of the Year".
15. (April 15, 2013). "Rebel Wilson and The Avengers dominate ceremony". Daily Telegraph.
16. (February 3, 2013). "2013 Annie Awards: Winners List". Deadline.
17. Feinberg, Scott. (November 12, 2015). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards: 'Hunting Ground,' 'Furious 7,' '50 Shades of Grey' Claim Top Prizes".
18. "2015 winners". Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
19. (October 10, 2016). "The hit was written by Giorgio Tuinfort, Afrojack, Sean Douglas, Ester Dean and Alan & John Lomax, and made famous by David Guetta, featuring Nicki Minaj and Bebe Rexha".
20. (May 11, 2016). "BMI Honors Taylor Swift and Legendary Songwriting Duo Mann & Weil at the 64th Annual BMI Pop Awards".
21. "Dallas Smith cleans up at Canadian country music awards on historic night".