Ester Renay Dean is an American Singer, Actress and Grammy Award Nominated Songwriter.
Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and raised in Tulsa, Ester is the youngest of five children and was raised in a single mother, low-income household. At a young age she learned how to channel her pain into music, using creative writing as a kind of self-therapy. When she was 15 her mother moved Ester and her sister Deandria to Omaha, Nebraska, leaving her older siblings in Tulsa. The separation made Ester again dig deeper for a connection, drawing her closer to the music. Singing in every studio, writing for local Omaha rappers and producers, Ester unknowingly grass-rooted herself and learned the ins and outs of music production.
At 20 yrs old, Ester made a bold move. She packed her bags and left Omaha with only $500 in her pocket and drove 18 hours alone to Atlanta, Georgia determined to break into the music industry. She sang for anyone who would listen. As fate would have it, Ester sat alone backstage at a Charlie Wilson concert, humming a tune to herself. When music producer Tricky Stewart happened by and heard her, he immediately set up a meeting. Caught unawares by Ester’s talent, he was blown away when she played him some samples of not only her singing, but also of her excellent songs. He signed her to a small publishing deal that allowed the fledgling artist to grow and connect with other known writers and producers.
Ester broke into the big leagues when she collaborated with Norwegian record producers, Stargate and major label recording artist, Rihanna to write and record Ester’s first #1 hit song “Rude Boy”. Going on to write “What’s My Name”, “Where Have You Been” and several other Rihanna hits, Katie Perry’s “Firework” and Nicki Minaj’s “Superbass”, as well many, many other hits by a Who’s Who of contemporary popular artists has earned her the well-deserved nickname, “Ester Dean the Song Machine”.
Modern popular songs are often a collaborative effort by a songwriting team, with each member responsible for a different aspect of the song, such as the initial beat, chord structure, lyrics, etc. Ester Dean has established a reputation as a master of the top line or “hook” of a song. Her preferred method is to go into the vocal booth and start improvising over top of the beat, knowing she is onto something when she starts to feel “a little chill” go up her arms.
Esters goals and dreams did not stop there. In 2012 Esther set out to conquer the voice-over world, lending her voice to the hugely popular Blue Sky Studios, Ice Age Franchise, in Continental Drift. As well as in the CG animated Fox film, Rio.
In addition voice-over work, Esther has also contributed to movie soundtracks. When she was approached to write the end title song, Let it Grow for the movie The Lorax, Ester somehow managed to write and deliver the song within five hours of receiving the request. Impressing all with her amazing work ethic, Ester was eventually asked to audition for a small role in an upcoming movie about an all-girl a capella group. She jumped at the chance and landed the role of Cynthia Rose in the hit movie Pitch Perfect, going on to co-star in Pitch Perfect 2 and 3.
“Entertaining is what I love to do. From writing fun songs to make you dance. To singing a love song to make you fall in love. Being silly on the TV screen to make you laugh. To delivering a great line of dialog in a drama to make you cry. My life is all about connecting with people. Hoping to make the world feel like we are all one beating heart if only for second”…….Ester Dean
