Estelle Fanta Swaray (born 18 January 1980) is a British singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actress from Hammersmith, West London, England. Estelle is known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip hop and dance. She has experienced mainstream success with the single "American Boy" featuring Kanye West, reaching number 1 in the United Kingdom, and her collaboration with David Guetta in "One Love".
Estelle has released several critically acclaimed records and received a Grammy Award. She has collaborated with artists including John Legend, Robin Thicke, Rick Ross, Chris Brown, will.i.am, Kanye West and De La Soul. From 2013-2020, she voiced the fictional character Garnet in the animated TV series Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future, providing both the character's speaking voice and singing vocals.
Estelle Swaray was born and raised in Hammersmith, London, England. Her mother's family came from Dakar, Senegal, and her father is from the Caribbean island of Grenada, when they were French and British colonies respectively. She was the second born of nine children. Estelle's parents were very religious when she was growing up, and secular music was not allowed in the family's home. Instead, spiritual music—particularly American gospel—and traditional African music were what Estelle grew up listening to. However, she would sometimes listen to hip hop when not at home.