Esthero (real name Jen-Bea Englishman, born December 23, 1978) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives and works in the city of Toronto, Ontario. The name "Esthero," pronounced es-THERE-oh, refers both to the singer and to the two-person team of herself and her producer, Doc .

Esthero's sound characteristically features her voice over a mix of mellow bass lines, jazzy trumpets, Spanish guitar and hip-hop. She is sometimes compared to trip-hop artists Björk, Portishead and the Sneaker Pimps. Later artists who count Esthero among their influences include Res and fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado.

Esthero's brother, j. englishman, is also a musician.

Background

At the age of sixteen, Esthero left southern Ontario to live on her own in Toronto, where she began singing at open-mic nights while supporting herself by working at a café. Within months, a mutual acquaintance introduced her to Doc, a guitarist and studio engineer. The young duo quickly began recording together, and their debut album, Breath from Another, was released to critical acclaim in 1998.

Since the release of Breath From Another, Esthero has lent her talents to a number of collaborations, including:

• "Song for Holly" with Danny Saber (for the soundtrack to the movie Go)
• "Run for Your Life" with Jarvis Church
• "Balmes (A Better Life)" by Ian Pooley
• "Weekend" with Black Eyed Peas
• "I Feel You" with Nelly Furtado (dropped from Furtado's Whoa, Nelly! before release)
• "White Rabbit" with Blue Man Group
• "Tao of Now" with Saul Williams
• "Final Home" by DJ Krush

On April 20, 2004, Esthero released "O.G. Bitch," the first single from her upcoming album, which is due out in 2004.

Esthero has appeared on the Chris Rock Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

External links

• Nearly Civilized - a semi-official fan site
• Sirens of Song: Esthero - another fan site
• AskMen.com Profile