The MusicNerd Q&A With Esthero

Toronto native Esthero might not be the most prolific artist in music today. In fact, the number seven figures quite prominently in her career. Her 1998 debut record Breath From Another spawned a pair of hits (Heaven Sent & That Girl) but a record label change among other factors delayed her sophomore record Wikked Lil’ Grrrls until 2005. More record label turmoil and a growing discontentment saw the artist take another seven years to release her third and most recent effort Everything Is Expensive, released late last month.

Much like her previous works, Esthero’s newest record shows that she is not one to be content to travel down musical paths previously explored. Here Magazine recently had the chance to connect with the lovely Esthero at her home in Los Angeles and spoke about what the past seven years have held for her.

What have you been up to over the past seven years?

The first part of the past seven years was me somewhat working my second record. I played some acoustic tours for a couple of years and did some collaboration with others but I also went through a period of depression and apathy. I had no desire to make music for myself.

So is it safe to assume that this record wasn’t entirely seven years in the making?

The record was recorded over the course of three years. The recording process was very broken up and spread out during that time.

Was it counter-productive to make a record in such a way?

I really consider my new record to be a big blessing and finally a matter of me getting my priorities straight. With my previous record, I was so immersed in the making of it that I more-less had forgotten to enjoy the process of making an album. I didn’t necessarily set out to make this record; I didn’t plan on it and I didn’t care what happened to these songs and honestly, this was the most fun I have had making a record in quite some time.

Will it be seven years until your next studio album?

I have never been a fast song writer but I already have a number of new songs floating around. I think the next creative step for me is creating a cool live show. I really want to see that come to life next.

Article published in the November 15, 2012 edition of Here Magazine