Ester Dean, if you don’t know who she is, is a phenomenal singer and songwriter.
I first discovered her in the movie Pitch Perfect, where she totally steals a few scenes.
But unbeknownst to many, Dean has written songs eventually recorded by, among others:
- Rihanna
- Nicki Minaj
- Pitbull
- Selena Gomez
- 50 Cent
- Britney Spears
- Mary J. Blige
- Beyonce
- Usher
- Christina Aguilera
But before all that, Ester Dean was discovered by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart at a Charlie Wilson concert.
Of course, this is how it always works, isn’t it? Someone looking for talent bumps into someone with talent.
Like Matthew McCaughey walking into a bar…
“I heard this singing coming from somewhere around me,” he recalls, “and my producer’s ear started listening to it. And I’m thinking, ‘Wow, that is not natural.’ Charlie Wilson is a damn good singer, but this other voice is keeping right up, executing all the tricky little runs perfectly. Finally, I just had to find out who that was singing like that.” He followed the sound through the crowd, and it led him to Ester Dean.
-John Seabrook, The Song Machine