Esthero

Vocalist Esthero entered the world as Jen-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978, in Ontario, Canada. After relocating to Toronto in 1996, she rapidly established herself among the performers at local open mikes. At one of these gatherings she encountered Doc, whose legal name is Martin McKinney, a producer and engineer; together they assembled a demo that paired his programming with her voice. Sony soon expressed interest, transforming the project from an informal notion into an official duo that adopted Esthero’s name and delivered the album Breath from Another on the Work imprint during spring 1998. Its blend of rhythmic beats, rich vocals, and fragmented programmed samples aligned precisely with the prevailing trip-hop movement, yielding notable singles such as Heaven Sent and the hip-hop-inflected title track.

Nearly seven years would pass before another full release materialized. During that interval Esthero ended her partnership with Doc and pursued an independent path, lending her voice to tracks including Black Eyed Peas’ “Weekends” in 2000. After signing with Reprise she commenced recording fresh material and reemerged in summer 2004 via the club single O.G. Bitch. That November she issued the EP We R in Need of a Musical Revolution, which featured contributions from Sean Lennon, Cee-Lo, and producer James Robertson—known for his work with Skye Sweetnam—and presented a contemporary update of the layered aesthetic first heard on Breath from Another. The EP paved the way for the album Wikked Lil’ Girls, scheduled to arrive in early 2005.