Artist Spotlight: ESAE
A busy street followed by an electric dance beat: that’s the first thing I heard as I pressed play on ESAE’s song, groove (그루브). The song cleverly interweaves classic 70s dance music with jazzy interjections from the electric piano.
ESAE is a South California-based singer-songwriter and producer. Her name comes from “a play on words involving the first two syllables of [her] Korean name. 이세 (pronounced ee-say) means second-generation and is an integral part of [her] identity.” I found ESAE’s story to be very interesting because it is quite similar to mine. Throughout her music, she explores the possibility of what would happen when music from two different cultures meet. She emphasizes that although she is both American and a second-generation Korean, she does not feel like she belongs in either culture.
ESAE was classically trained on the violin and this really shines through in several of her songs. I absolutely love a car going nowhere which features her beautifully smooth vocals accompanied by a choir of violins playing pizzicato to outline the chords. She pairs this very well with music box bells and punctual snaps.
ESAE’s ability to tell a story throughout her songs is undeniably strong. In a car going nowhere, the song opens with her talking to her mom on the phone and telling her that she’s “doing okay” and she ends with another phone call to her mom telling her that she “made it here safely” and that “it’s still raining outside.” These simple lines were extremely touching because of how relatable and sad they were.
She is also a very flexible artist, jumping from genre to genre with extreme ease. She explores everything from hip hop, to blues, to indie pop. In song of a violin, she shows off her violin skills with a jazzy improvisation placed between the bluesy melody sung by ESAE herself.
Not only is she an incredible songwriter and producer, she effectively combines all parts of her identity into her music, which is what makes it truly special and creative.
ESAE is an artist to watch because she is going to high places. Listen to her music on SoundCloud here:
