ESKA
London, United Kingdom | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | INDIE
Music
Press
“Her voice can skip and swoop like Joni Mitchell” -
“So distinctive and confessional is Eska’s voice that she’s created a British pastoral music that defies classification” 8/10 -
“It’s sonically rich and bursting with classic soul attitude…Late night moonlight listening at its finest” -
“This is mindblowing, stop-in-your-tracks stuff” -
“ESKA creates something timeless which echoes past traditions while at the same time managing to surprise with its stunning originality” -
“For too long, Eska has been the greatest singer you've never heard of” -
“Not to mention the raw power of rising British star Eska, a young Londoner of Zimbabwean heritage who ranged freely between soul, jazz, blues, reggae and left-field rock. Next summer she will be playing bigger stages, bigger festivals.” 4/5 -
“will get its hooks in you from the very beginning…magical” -
“Insane vocal talent… empowering to listen to and the whole album is a wonderfully emotive affair” -
“Hail Queen Eska!” -
“Only a couple of times a decade does a new artist come along who so impresses that I find myself getting excited about what they’ll do next, even as I’m still assimilating their debut… Touching, powerful, experimental and sensuous – you could pick just about any positive adjective and it would apply.” 5/5 -
“I can’t remember when I last heard anything this enchanting or inventive. Her array of reggae, jazz, soul, choral, electronica, folk and classical influences collide to create a sound that is hers alone.” -
“Masterfully created with classical finesse, the skilled musicianship Eska exhibits on her self-titled debut album feels unparalleled.” -
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
When ESKA’s self-titled debut album was released in April 2015 on Naim Edge Records, the BBC Radio 6Music tastemaker Gilles Peterson proclaimed ESKA “the finest UK singer”, The Guardian dubbed her “enchanting… inventive” and The Independent called her “one of the most idiosyncratic and original talents”. The Zimbabwe-born, London-raised musician and songwriter took five years to make her album - “a mind-bending gem” (The Observer) – but it was worth the wait. ESKA's eponymous debut was subsequently nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in the UK; one of 12 Albums of the Year by a panel of some of the industry's most respected music critics.
A singer whose unique
voice has adorned the albums of such original acts as Nitin Sawhney, Zero 7 and Bobby McFerrin, ESKA’s been in high demand in recent years, co-writing with the likes of Sia, Grace Jones and James Lavelle. But her own music is
something else; imagine the psyche soul of Minnie Riperton, unexpected,
whimsical melodic twists of Kate Bush and ornate detail of folk legends
Pentangle arranged in an intoxicating meld, and you’re only getting close. ESKA has been compared to Joni
Mitchell, earned plaudits from top music critics, performed exclusively at Rick Owens' Paris Fashion Week controversial catwalk show and had
everyone from The Times to hip dance music site Boiler Room in a lather.
Having played the likes of Glastonbury and The Southbank in London, ESKA has closed a heady two year debut album journey and is currently writing and recording new material for her follow up album to be released in 2017.
Band Members
Links
