Eska | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Eska Mtungwazi |
Born | 1971 (age 52–53) |
Origin | Lewisham, London, England |
Genres | Folk, soul, jazz, dance |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer, session musician |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, violin, piano |
Years active | 1998–present |
Labels | Earthling Recordings |
Website | eskaonline |
Eska Mtungwazi (born 1971), known professionally as Eska, is a London-born British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Following her inaugural release as a solo artist with her 2013 Gatekeeper EP, her eponymous debut album, ESKA , was released on 27 April 2015.
Mtungwazi grew up in South-East London of Zimbabwean parents who moved to the city with her and her siblings when she was two. [1] She describes her early musical exposure as "anything and everything. It was a really crazy mixture", [1] but cites Quincy Jones as being particularly influential at her young age. With the assistance of her teachers, she began learning the violin, earning herself a scholarship at The Conservatoire in Blackheath, [2] while exploring her other musical interests such as Bob Marley.[ citation needed ] She is also an alumna of music education and artist development organisation Tomorrow's Warriors. [3]
After gaining a BSc degree in Mathematics from the London School of Economics, Mtungwazi became a teacher of Maths and Music [4] During this time she spent many years as a backing singer on other musicians' projects, and steadily built a reputation in the UK for her featured work with an eclectic range of established British artists and bands, [5] including Grace Jones and Bobby McFerrin.
Following vocal credits on many independent releases throughout the 2000s, in 2013 she released her debut solo project titled Gatekeeper EP on her own Earthling Recordings label, which featured five original tracks and was co-produced by producers Matthew Herbert and David Okumu. The EP attracted worldwide critical acclaim, including BBC Radio 6 tastemaker Gilles Peterson, who called her "one of the most important singers in the UK right now", and Jamie Cullum, who declared the EP's title song to be "an unbelievable track that will be hard to beat in 2013". [6] The title track from the EP was also selected by Peterson for his Brownswood Bubblers 10 compilation, which was released on Brownswood Recordings. [7]
In June 2022 Eska provided the support act for Grace Jones who programmed this year's Meltdown festival at London's Southbank Centre. [8]
Mtungwazi released her eponymous debut album ESKA on 26 April 2015. [9] ESKA was well received by critics, and was nominated for the 2015 Mercury Music Prize. [10]
On 18 August 2016, it was announced via Billboard that Eska would be one of 18 emerging artists to receive #Momentum funding from the PRS Foundation [11] Speaking on her selection, PRSF said "Eska’s restless inventiveness will continue to be explored further on her sophomore album and in her live performances which have become legendary showcases for this inimitable artist. [12]
In 2007, when Sia left Zero 7, Eska joined as vocalist. Her influence resulted in a new emphasis on pop music for the group. [13]
Lynsey de Paul was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. After initially writing hits for others, she had her own chart hits in the UK and Europe in the 1970s, starting with UK top 10 single "Sugar Me", and became the first British female artist to achieve a number one with a self-written song. She represented the UK in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, coming second and scoring another chart-topping hit in Switzerland, and had a successful career as a songwriter, record producer, actress and television celebrity.
Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE, better known as Gilles Peterson, is a French broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner. He founded the influential labels Acid Jazz and Talkin' Loud, and started his current label Brownswood Recordings in 2006. He was awarded an honorary MBE in 2004, the AIM Award for Indie Champion and the Mixmag Award for Outstanding Contribution To Dance Music in 2013, the PRS for Music Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Radio in 2014, and The A&R Award from the Music Producers Guild in 2019.
Anoushka Hemangini Shankar is a British-American sitar player and musician of Indian descent, as well as occasional writer. She performs across multiple genres and styles—classical and contemporary, acoustic and electronic. In addition to releasing seven solo studio albums beginning with Anoushka (1998), she has also worked alongside a wide variety of musicians, including Karsh Kale on the full-length collaboration Breathing Under Water (2007) and her father Ravi Shankar. She has received nine Grammy Awards nominations and was the first musician of Indian origin to perform live and to serve as a presenter at the ceremony. She was the youngest and first woman to receive a British House of Commons Shield.
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on Fridays. It is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and found on the OCC website as a Top 100 or on UKChartsPlus as a Top 200, with positions continuing until all sales have been tracked in data only available to industry insiders. However, even though number 100 was classed as a hit album in the 1980s until January 1989, since the compilations were removed, this definition was changed to Top 75 with follow-up books such as The Virgin Book of British Hit Albums only including this data. As of 2021, Since 1983, the OCC generally provides a public charts for hits and weeks up to the Top 100. Business customers can require additional chart placings.
Nitin Sawhney is a British musician, producer and composer. A recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, among multiple international awards throughout his career. Sawhney's work combines Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics, and spirituality. Sawhney is also active in the promotion of arts and cultural matters, is chair of the PRS Foundation, sits on the board of trustees of theatre company Complicité, and is a patron of numerous film festivals, venues, and educational institutions. In 2021, he was an ambassador for the Royal Albert Hall.
Reena Bhardwaj is a British Indian singer, songwriter and recording artist best known for her collaborations with A. R. Rahman and Nitin Sawhney. Versatile to genre and language, her repertoire includes a variety of Indian Traditional, Bollywood, World and Popular styles sung in various Indian languages and English.
B.E.F. was a band/production company formed by former Human League members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh which became largely eclipsed by its best-known project, Heaven 17.
Kevin Mark Trail is a British R&B, soul, reggae and hip hop singer-songwriter and record producer. He appeared on two tracks on the Streets' debut album Original Pirate Material, including the hit single "Let's Push Things Forward", which made the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart.
Geraldine "Dina" Carroll is an English singer. She had a string of hits during the 1990s, including the UK top ten singles, "It's Too Late" (1991), "Don't Be a Stranger" (1993), "The Perfect Year", (1993), and "Escaping" (1996). Carroll released two studio albums, So Close (1993) and Only Human (1996), both of which reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and were certified platinum. She won Best British Female Solo Artist at the 1994 Brit Awards.
Carleen Cassandra Anderson is an American musician. She was the vocalist, composer and musician for the Young Disciples and is known for her numerous, varied collaborations. Her solo career began in 1992. She is credited for composing and writing futuristic Operas.
Jacob Golden is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, Oregon. After the dissolution of his former band, Birthday, in 2000 he has worked as a solo artist and collaborated with different electronica musicians and producers.
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She began her career in 2002 as part of a Canadian R&B trio X-Quisite, who was nominated for a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for their self-titled album (2004). She went on to form the duo The Renaissance with hometown native Drake, although they released no albums.
David McEwan is an Australian Sound Designer, record producer, engineer, composer, and a member of the band The Safires. He is the co-owner of The Sanctuary Recording Studio in London and is best known for his work on the award-winning Plan B album The Defamation of Strickland Banks. He has also had long time production connections with musician Nitin Sawhney. David McEwan is also the son of the Australian actor Colin McEwan.
Eric Appapoulay is a British singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, programmer, multi-instrumentalist and guitarist. Appapoulay has been the guitar player for Neneh Cherry, the musical director for Daniel Bedingfield, the bassist for both Plan B and Nitin Sawhney, and the performing artist on the debut album Faith is Trust. Appapoulay is also currently the guitarist with Yusuf Islam. He is the co-owner of The Sanctuary Recording Studio in London, and member of SMV known for their work on the 2010 award-winning Plan B album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks.
Jake Nathan Gosling is an English record producer and songwriter. Best known for his production work for English singer Ed Sheeran, he has also been credited on releases for acts including Lady Gaga, The Libertines, James Bay, Shawn Mendes, All Time Low, One Direction, Major Lazer, Christina Perri, Shania Twain, 5 Seconds of Summer, Paloma Faith, and Wiley.
Camille Angelina Purcell, known professionally as Kamille, is a British singer-songwriter and record producer.
Aruba Red is a London-based alt-soul and trip-hop musician named after a female pirate legend. She has described her sound as "alternative soul music centered around themes of transformation and healing, influenced by trip hop, minimalist electronica, glitch, soul, acoustic folk, and dub".
Catherine Anne Davies, better known by the stage name the Anchoress, is a Welsh-born multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and author.
Grace Sewell, known professionally as Saygrace, is an Australian singer. She is best known for "You Don't Own Me", a cover version of the 1963 Lesley Gore song, produced by Quincy Jones, Parker Ighile and featuring G-Eazy. The song, a single from her debut album with Regime Music Societe and RCA Records, was a number-one hit in Australia.
ESKA is the eponymous debut album of British singer-songwriter Eska, released on 27 April 2015. The album was released in collaboration with Naim Records and Eska's own Earthling Recordings. It was shortlisted for the 2015 Mercury Music Prize.