Estelle is the stage name of Estelle Fanta Swaray born on January 18, 1980 in Hammersmith, West London, England. In 2004 she broke into the charts with "1980" and "Free" and won a Mobo Award for Best Newcomer. "Free" was written with and produced by Jimmy Hogarth. Her first album,The 18th Day charted at number 35 in the UK Albums Chart. In 2008, Estelle broke into international success with her collaboration with Kanye West, titled "American Boy". This song reached the top 10 in many countries worldwide, including the United States and Canada, as well as achieving number-one status on the UK Singles Chart and in Belgium and Israel. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, as well as being nominated for Song of the Year and many other awards worldwide. "American Boy" was #7 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. Shine was released following the single on John Legend’s HomeSchool label, reaching the albums chart in most countries worldwide, including number six in the UK. Shine sold enough copies to be certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry, and was shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Mercury Music Prize.
|
