ESTELLE INTERVIEW [FEATURE]
ESTELLE INTERVIEW: VIPER sat down with Estelle, the Grammy Award-winning international Pop star and creative force whose career spanning over two decades has left an indelible mark on music, television, and culture. Best known for her global smash ‘American Boy’, Estelle has found success across genres from R&B to reggae and Dance, with 62 albums and a shelf full of accolades, including multiple MOBO Awards.
With standout roles in Empire, Steven Universe, and as the host of a beloved Apple Music show, Estelle continues to elevate diverse voices and sounds across the cultural landscape. From West London to the world, she’s remained a vital voice in music and in 2025, she’s still breaking ground with fresh collaborations, new releases, and unwavering influence. With her new album, ‘Stay Alta’ out now, we spoke with Estelle to reflect on the journey, the impact, and what’s next…
How does West London continue to influence your music and identity today in 2025?
It was incredible to see how much the area has grown. Despite all the changes, it still has the same bones and the same roots. Witnessing that evolution the progress, the level up felt like a tap on the shoulder, a quiet reminder saying, ‘You’re doing the right thing.’ At my core, I’m still the same person; the framework is unchanged, just elevated in all the right ways.
What do you think of artists like Cleo Sol and others emerging from West London?
It’s lovely to see, especially knowing, the village energy that West London has. It’s like a popping village -an up to date village. It’s small, it’s tight.
Back in 2004 you were seen as the British MC most likely to challenge the mainstream, With hits such as ‘1980’, but when things didn’t follow the expected trajectory, how did you cope with the frustration of being ahead of the curve?
Well, arguably I did, it just took time. I didn’t go on anybody else’s timescale. And it didn’t look like what everybody thought it would look like, but it absolutely challenged the mainstream.
You’ve mentioned sitting on the balcony in Brentford screaming at God, feeling lost in limbo. So what was actually going through your mind at that moment?
I just remember thinking, I’ve done so much work so what is actually happening right now?’ It was that deep frustration, but also a kind of necessary energy. Especially when you’ve been grinding for years, not just waiting around for someone to discover you. I’ve been putting in the work for most of my life.
At that moment, it felt like I just needed some kind of sign a cosign that things were going to move in the direction I’d always dreamed of. And the truth is, ’18th Day’ was doing exactly that. I just couldn’t see it clearly while I was in the thick of it. But looking back, I realise it was already doing what it needed to do.
What role does spirituality or self-reflection play in your music now?
It’s been in it from the beginning. Now, it’s even more pronounced because I’m clearer about it. It’s the basis of every single thing I do. It’s the basis of every single, basis of every single song. It’s the basis of everything we do. I’ve learned this part of my personal lesson is channeling. I’m good at sitting still and I’m good at praying. Then the records come out and the moment is based on joy.
So every single record on this new album is based on joy because it’s been about me finding myself and finding joy again. Not just to make music, but personally everything. Because life will really life on you if you let it; if you let it is the key. I realised that I was letting life life on me in a way that wasn’t productive and wasn’t helpful to my purpose.
What artist, what album shapes your way of thinking?
Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross. Also, if you go down my catalog you’ve got Dennis Brown, Aswad who are also from West London which makes me happy. Those kind of artists – to Angel – they’re my cousins on my dad’s side, so that’s family; that’s my dad’s side of the family.
How did you curate such a diverse lineup of collaborations in the album?
I just wanted the people who I thought sounded good on the record, I didn’t overthink it. It was a lot of my friends, I built quite the roster of friends that I call my family now. Because if you’re in my life for more than two to three years, you’ve probably been to my house; I call you family.
A lot of people who are on this album are people that I’ve known for over two to three years. The newest person might be Channel Tres and I’ve known him for about two years. At that point, everybody else on this album is really considered family to me.
Musician wise, I went for people who sounded good on the record, who were really focused about what they were bringing into the world. I don’t like making music for the sake of making music. That’s one of the things that won’t change, I know this about me.
I’m not a person that goes, “let’s just put this song on just to put this song on on the album.” Every song has a purpose, along with every single person on the album. Because these are sacred things that we do; when we make albums we alchemise. We’re like magicians, if that makes sense.
Was it intentional that the overall run time is under 50 minutes for 12 songs?
The intentional part for me was 12 songs, that’s my personal sweet spot with every single album. This is the part where skill comes in, I don’t like 25 track albums; I don’t care after track seven. If I could feel compelled to listen or feel like forced to listen to something, I don’t want to listen to it. That’s me as an artist surrounded by music all day, every day.
What role does movement play in your songwriting?
In between every album I study, I studied across all the boards the entire time. I listen to everything, I listen to Rock music, Pop music, Soul, Reggae; I listen to movement. I realised that in every single song, especially Rock and Pop, there’s certain changes that happen every single time.
For instance, if you listen to any classic Rock record, they’ll have an intro that sounds like the verse, then they’ll go up to a major and that’s where the verse starts, then they’ll go down and then they’ll have another little a break and then they’ll go back to that original and that’ll be the loop.
Then they go up to a major again and the verse starts again. You start to pay attention to why people like music or what they’ve heard that makes them happy. To me, that’s what movement implies. I never want to feel like I’m listening to something that makes me feel like I’ve heard this before. That’s not what we make music for. We make music to alchemise, to change your way of being, to make you feel something other than you’ve been feeling.
Movement as a musician is important, it’s what we all strive for. We want to be able to evolve as a movement to make great music, great songs and have people feel the same way every time they hear something. That’s a movement to make people want to dance.
What does legacy mean to you in 2025?
In 2025, legacy is continuing to make music, to make things that really that move people. I’m so happy that when I put stuff up and I put music up, that people live with it. They don’t just take it and discard it. They go deeper with me, they listen to my interviews, they listen to the music; they care about where I am in the world.
So on a personal level, I love all of that kind of energy because it reminds me that we’re part of something bigger than just, “I make a bunch of records.” I’m so grateful that I’m making songs that people carry with them, so I’m often surprised by the legacy of it all, but it’s real. Legacy is touching people’s lives and I’m grateful for the option.
What is one word you give yourself?
Gratitude. Find the joy, because this planet has more joy and love and beauty around it than society is allowing us to believe. As a spiritual species, we wouldn’t be here if we allowed what was meant to happen to every single species to prevail. Civilisations have come and go, but we’re still here and people still understand their lives and their mission and their goals and their purpose.
People are still out here moving and praying and talking to something bigger than themselves. People are still out here finding enjoyment. We’re still out here dancing with each other, in love with each other. We’re still doing those things regardless of what life is. So I say joy, because I want people to focus on finding joy in every single day.
Photos by Keith Majors
Interview by Dejee Jno-Baptiste
