Ester Dean Biography

Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her 2009 single "Drop It Low" featured singer Chris Brown. Dean has also co-written songs for many artists including Christina Aguilera, [[Florence + The Machine]], Katy Perry, Beyonc, Nicole Scherzinger, Priyanka Chopra, Mary J. Blige, Nicki Minaj, Kelly Clarkson, Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls, Usher, Kelly Rowland, Girlicious, Keri Hilson, Rihanna, R. Kelly, Britney Spears, Melody Thornton, Vanessa White, Kevin McHale, Selena Gomez, G.R.L., Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, Little Mix, Pia Toscano, Tinie Tempah, Lil Wayne, Machine Gun Kelly and Eurovision Song Contest 2012 winner Loreen.

In 2011, Dean contributed to the soundtrack for the animated film, Rio by Blue Sky Studios.

At the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, Dean was nominated for Album of the Year as a producer on Rihanna's album Loud.

In 2012, she voiced two of the characters in the fourth film in the Ice Age franchise, Ice Age: Continental Drift, and also wrote a song for the movie, entitled "We Are (Family)". Dean made her acting debut in the film Pitch Perfect (2012) as Cynthia-Rose Adams, a role she reprised for the sequel, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015).

Life and career

Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ester Dean was the youngest of five children raised by her single mother Hester, in a low-income household. At a young age Dean learned how to channel her pain into her music, writing and channeling her emotions into songs. Creative writing served as Dean"?s self-therapy, helping her cope with a hard life of poverty and bullying (inside and outside her home). Dean took to writing and singing as an escape from her small Oklahoma town with no glimpses of a positive future.

At the age of 15, Dean and her sister Deandria moved to Omaha, Nebraska; leaving her older siblings in Tulsa. The separation made Dean dig deeper for a connection, finding solace in music and the local music scene. Singing in every studio, writing for local rappers and producers, Dean unknowingly grass-rooted herself. Learning the ins and outs of her talent and creativity, at 20 years old Dean made a bold move and left Omaha with only $500 in her pocket. She drove 18 hours, alone, to Atlanta, Georgia with dreams of breaking into the music industry. She sang for anyone who would listen. While at a Gap Band concert, music producer Tricky Stewart overheard Dean singing in the crowd along with the band. He immediately asked her to set up a meeting. While going through her catalog of songs, Tricky was impressed by not only her voice but also her songwriting ability. He signed her to a small publishing deal that allowed Dean to grow and connect with other known writers and producers. This opportunity provided Dean with the tools, tricks, and skills to writing potential Top 40 songs.

Although her time with Tricky was a significant point in her career, Dean eventually parted ways and relocated to Los Angeles, California.

Upon relocating to Los Angeles, Dean began to build a name in the songwriting world. She was eventually introduced to Polow da Don, and later signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records.

In 2009 Dean released her first single, "Drop It Low", which peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first US Top 40 single. Dean's big break came when she collaborated with super producers Stargate, creating her first number one single, Rihanna"?s "Rude Boy". She went on to write "What's My Name", "Where Have You Been" and several other Rihanna hits, as well as Katy Perry's "Firework" and Nicki Minaj"?s "Super Bass".

She would go on to be named "?The Song Machine"? in John Seabrook's The New Yorker article.

Outside of music, Dean has been able to establish herself as a voice-over talent. She landed roles in Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and Rio (2011).

After making a great impression in the voice-over world, Dean was asked to audition for a small part in an upcoming movie about a female A cappella group. She jumped at the chance to audition and landed the role of Cynthia Rose in the hit movie Pitch Perfect (2012), which also led to her co-starring in Pitch Perfect 2 (2015).

Artistry

Voice

Dean possesses a mezzo-soprano range. Her vocals were described by Billboard as "raw, energetic vocals cover a wide range: from club banger to melodic doo-wop/hip-hop." Dean's vocals have also been described as similar to Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. "The songwriter's voice is pitched dead center between two artists. The first is frequent collaborator Rihanna...the other is Nicki Minaj when she sings."

Songwriting style

In a 2012 article in The New Yorker, Dean described her preferred method of songwriting: "I go into the booth and I scream and I sing and I yell, and sometimes it's words but most time [sic] it's not...and I just see when I get this little chill [on her upper arm, below the shoulder] and then I'm, like, 'Yeah, that's the hook.'"

Discography

Template:Main article

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected chart positions, showing year released

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		US	US R&B/HH	US Rap
Miss Ester Dean	Released: March 23, 2015 Formats: Digital download	"?	"?	"?
""?" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions				Album
		US	US R&B/HH	US Pop	AUS
"Drop It Low" (featuring Chris Brown)	2009	38	33	32	"?	More Than a Game OST
"Baby Makin' Love"	2012	"?	"?	"?	"?	Non-album singles
"Bam Bam"		"?	"?	"?	"?
"I Can't Make You Love Me"	2013	"?	"?	"?	"?
"How You Love It" (featuring Missy Elliott)		"?	"?	"?	"?
"Get My Dough"	2014	"?	"?	"?	"?
"Twerk'n 4 Birk'n"		"?	"?	"?	"?
"Twerkin 4 Birkin" (featuring Juicy J)		"?	"?	"?	"?
"Crazy Youngsters"	2015	"?	"?	"?	99	Pitch Perfect 2 OST
""?" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions								Album
		US	US R&B/HH	US Rhythm	AUT	BUL	FRA	NL	SWI
"Love Suicide" (Tinie Tempah featuring Ester Dean)	2011	"?	"?	"?	"?	10	"?	20	"?	Disc-Overy
"Invincible" (MGK featuring Ester Dean)		"?</ref>}}	"?	32	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	Lace Up
"We've Only Just Begun" (Michael Woods featuring Ester Dean)	2012	"?	"?		"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	Non-album singles
"Another Life" (Afrojack and David Guetta featuring Ester Dean)	2017	"?	"?	"?	73	"?	115	64	65	TBA
""?" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other appearances

Year	Title	Album	Other artist (s)
2009	"I Love U"	Graffiti	Chris Brown
2010	"I Know You Got a Man"	Battle of the Sexes	Ludacris, Flo Rida
	"Grammy"	The DeAndre Way	Soulja Boy
2011	"Let Me Take You To Rio"	Rio: Music from the Motion Picture	Carlinhos Brown
	"Take You To Rio"
2012	"Let It Grow (Celebrate the World)"	Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: Original Songs from the Motion Picture
	"We Are (Family)"	Ice Age: Continental Drift (plays during credits only)	Keke Palmer, Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Heather Morris
2013	"Bad Bitches"	RockaByeBaby	Cassie
	"Wide Open"	Underground Luxury	B.o.B
2014	"Rio Rio"	Rio 2: Music from the Motion Picture

Music videos

Year	Title	Director	Ref.
2009	"Drop It Low"	Joseph Kahn
2012	"Invincible"	Isaac Rentz
2014	"Baby Making Love"
2015	"New Shit"
	"Crazy Youngsters"

Filmography/television

Year	Film	Role
2011	Rio	Boy in Gondola (voice)
2012	Ice Age: Continental Drift	Sloth Siren and Gutt's Siren (voice)
	Pitch Perfect	Cynthia-Rose Adams
2015	Pitch Perfect 2
2016	Crazy Ex-Girlfriend	Connie's client
	RuPaul's Drag Race	Guest Judge (season 8)
2017	Pitch Perfect 3	Cynthia-Rose Adams