Estelle (musician)

Estelle Fanta Swaray (born 18 January 1980), known mononymously as Estelle, is a British singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She is known for her eclectic blending of musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip-hop, and dance. She has collaborated with prominent American artists including Chris Brown, Kanye West, will.i.am, Nas, Akon, Tyler, the Creator, Robin Thicke, and Rick Ross, among others.

Estelle was born in London and began performing in the early 2000s. She met American singer John Legend during this time, who acted as her mentor and produced her debut studio album, The 18th Day (2004). Released by V2 Records to moderate critical and commercial success, it peaked at number 35 on the UK Albums Chart. She then signed with Legend's Homeschool Records, in a joint venture with Atlantic Records, to release her second album, Shine (2008); an international success, it entered the US Billboard 200—as well as other worldwide charts—and was supported by the single "American Boy" (featuring Kanye West), which peaked atop the UK Singles Chart, peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, and won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Her third album, All of Me (2012), solely entered American and Australian charts and served as her final release on a major label; it was supported by the Grammy Award-nominated single "Thank You".

Estelle provided both the speaking and singing voice for the character Garnet in the animated series Steven Universe (2013–2019), a role she reprised in Steven Universe: The Movie (2019) and Steven Universe Future (2019–2020). She also made cameo appearances in the films Beyond the Lights (2014) and Girls Trip (2017), and appeared as Linda in the Netflix original film Fatal Affair (2020). Estelle hosts and presents The Estelle Show on Apple Music, which has run for over 500 episodes.