Formula Indie Sessions : Interview with Cameron Esther
What is your earliest memory connected to music? How did your passion for creating music begin?
I remember making up songs in elementary school. Through brainstorming rhymes in the empty basketball court and whispering melodies at bus windows, I discovered an intangible home too crowded to fit loneliness.
My father and I were also devoted American Idol, X-Factor and America’s Got Talent fans. Every week we would watch and analyze the singers together, and I would occasionally indulge in the fantasy of competing myself.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
This album started out as a vague desire to start some sort of music for real. While writing music privately for several years, I had been acting and writing in music-adjacent areas. After enough inspiration and encouragement from friends, I decided I wanted to pursue… something. I submitted some demos blindly, and the only studio that got back to me wanted a full album. Although I ended up deciding to vary my studios for different songs, the idea of an album started to stick more to me. I am not making a commercial product and my artist persona is not a brand. The point of making this music is to make a complete and thought-out piece of art.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
In a previous interview I referred to my music as “danceable poetry,” but that feels pretty pretentious. I aim to offer a similar niche of fun, but emotionally-substantive-upon-reflection as Outkast’s Hey Ya, Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know and other “crying at the house party” sort of songs. I train in jazz and musical theater vocals, and I call the genre alternative singer-songwriter. Girl just listen for yourself and decide!
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Billie Eilish’s last two albums exploded the assumptions I made about what the limits (or lack thereof) around successful music. The production, arrangements and structurally-innovative songwriting have definitely reminded me not to assign myself a formula.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Not to be fourteen and brooding, but the notes app. Whenever I hear an interesting string of words or other brief piece of inspiration, it’s the most efficient and accessible way for me to record it in a busy moment before I forget. I use it for initial drafts and tabs, too. I use a ukulele and voice memos to compose chord progressions. I am a very low-tech person whenever I can help it.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Musicians in no particular order: Dorée, Morgan Juliana, Against Me!, Aggie Miller, Angels of Light, Be Your Own Pet, clipping., SoSo!, Punch Brothers, Erin Rae, Jesse Cohen-Greenberg, Lionmilk, Sarah Jarosz, The Microphones, Murphy Severtson, Akintoye, Polsky West, Dr. Boat, Madeline Francis, DUCHESS, JW Francis.
I’m also a drag queen, performance artist and arts producer. A lot of my creative influences emerge from those worlds as well.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I live in my favorite place in the world and it offers me inspiration every day. When I open the front door it’s like an overstuffed closet spilling onto me. My renaissance-people friends also offer lots of artistic fodder.
Falling in love, the terror of living in a poisoned Earth, grief and other everyday spiritual trials certainly influence my lyrics. An extreme example: once, mid-panic attack, I realized the phrase I was repeating to ward off hallucinations contained incredibly ear-wormy alliteration. I immediately locked into writing it down for future use!
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Let comfort die and let pleasure live. Let the hard feelings start in order to let them end. Make it a gift because it is has to be something. Woo!
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
The only limit to musical confidence is your own investment— and that can be an important limit.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I’ve gotten to perform at LPR which was pretty amazing. Honestly, I don’t really have huge places in mind for now. I enjoy the basement and church and DIY shows the most, especially for music.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Past: I want to write a song for Etta James to sing. Her voice is so powerful and captivating!
Present: Writing and performing with the Mountain Goats. I’ve been especially into them lately—- Love Love Love??? Shirtless in Hamburg??? Cotton??? They are killing me. Ugh.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Website under construction. This link will take you to all my music and social media.
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Finishing this album would be nice. Once I can afford it, I’d love to make some EPs focused on more niche categories, like covers or traditional jazz. And performing live more, of course!
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Beyond that they enjoy my work, I don’t really care what listeners discover about me. The goal is for them to discover more about themselves through the music.
