Name: Here’s Why Estelle Left the U.K. for the U.S.
Uploaded: 2017-11-14
Duration: 4 min 25 s
Description: Have you heard of John Legend?

When did you come to the United States, and why? Wow, okay so I came here 2007, ten years this year, [ LAUGH ] ten years. Because I was embarking on my second record deal. Mm- hm. I already had a deal in the UK, we had done so many great things, ooh sorry. Done so many great things, and then I got to the point where they were telling me to move in a direction I didn't believe in. And I said please let me go. I happened to have John Legend on my first album in the UK. And he said I want to help you with the next album. You know. And when I went to the label to tell them this they said who. John Legend at this time had won like 3, 000 Grammies. You know it was just such a confusion. I was confused. He was confused. So when I said okay so let me go. If you don't get that I. I don't wanna be here, let me go. In what direction did they wanna take you in? Well it was just opposite my whole career. I started as an independent artist. So, I had my own label, I looked up to Jay Z and Puffy literally, and read all the books and what not, got my own Distribution deal. Did what I had to do to become an artist, when they were telling me that they didn't understand what I look like and what I was trying to do. Made my way up in the scene and in the industry in the UK. One on my terms. We had 2 top 20 records. Things were like were unheard of for a young girl On her own label pushing her own thing from the hood. There are hoods in the UK. Okay .>> And your first album was 2004 and you were how old? I was 24. Okay. But prior to that we had our own things. We moved. We'd done so much. I say we it was me and my manager and like And like a press person. And we done so much that people really respected it. And I didn't realize what we were putting into space. And putting into time. And putting into play at the time. And were putting into sort of a legacy of young women that would come after me and be like no I'm going to do this on my terms and I'm going to do this the way I want to do it. So you felt you were a role model back then? Not really. No [ CROSSTALK ] you're talking as if you'd felt that. Now. [ LAUGH ] I see it now, I see what was happening, but at the time I was just very clear about who I wanted to be and what I wanted it to look like. Mm- hm. You know? And they didn't get it, or they got it and then they wanted me to change it completely because they started to see the money behind it and they thought well if we add our Our souls or our us- ness to it [ UNKNOWN ] it was like, it didn't work. So you strike me [ UNKNOWN ] as someone who has constantly, I talk about I sort of have become a little bit famous for this for not thinking about your career as a ladder but thinking about your career as a jungle gym. And always be looking for opportunities like having great peripheral vision. And you have done that, and so you came to the United States, you were in LA, you spotted Kanye West where? At Roscoe's cuz At Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in La. I like- Never met the man. Basic. And what did you do? Well, I had literally been praying, like for a period of months before. I had his mix tape. And I was like, this guy's amazing but I want to meet John Legend. And I did. I love his voice, it's brilliant. He's still a very good friend, love him to death. And I literally went down, I'd come over to record, invested my own money. And I went from the hotel down the street to Rosco's and they happened to just be there. and so I was hyperventilating. The two of them eating chicken just chilling, and I'm me, I walk in like " Okay don't be a groupie ," and I walk outside and I was like " Please God, if you're there please God let Kanye come out so I can say something ." Didn't know what the something was gonna be. And I literally turn around and he's walking out on his phone. I was like thank you Jesus, okay. Hey, hey, hey, I'm a big fan of you, I'm a big fan of you, but look I wanna meet John Legend. Is he in there? [ LAUGH ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ]