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Singer Estelle has reflected on her collaboration with Kanye West amid ongoing controversy surrounding the rapper.
The 45-year-old, whose real name is Estelle Fanta Swaray, rose to fame with her hit song “American Boy”. The song was co-written by West and featured a verse from the musician at the peak of his music career in 2007.
The single sold 1.8 million units in the UK where it remained at number one for four consecutive weeks, and went double platinum in the US, selling over 2 million copies. The popular video, shot in black and white, starred Estelle and West, with guest appearances by John Legend and Kardinal Offishall.
West, who has been shunned from mainstream media circuits for antisemitic comments, other controversial statements an inconsistent behaviour, was most recently branded a “snivelling little coward” for storming out of an interview on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored.
Estelle reflected on her time working with the rapper in the Noughties, before he gained notoriety for his unpredictable actions.
“To me, “American Boy” is a hit with or without Kanye West,” she told the i.
“I’m happy that he came on it at that time and the record did what it did, but before Kanye came on board the label people took the song and played it to their kids and friends, and everyone lost their minds to it. It’s an infectious record and it’s the same when we perform it without Kanye.”
But, she added: “Beyond that, he’s taken a different path to me, which is fine. Everyone’s on their own journey but I’m the same as the rest of the world watching him. I’m like, ‘What?!’ but I give everything empathy. I don’t judge because I’m not in it. I don’t condone things, but I don’t judge either. For me, I work on my personal discernment. I’m in tune with myself.”
The British singer, who lives in LA and is due to release her sixth studio album this summer, said that she could not have imagined how the musician, who is largely considered a titan in contemporary music, would have turned out.
“I remember recording the song with Kanye and there was no sign of what was to come. He just had very clear, focused eyes. I was in several rooms with him recording it with John Legend – who signed me – and it was honestly like a masterclass in music production.
“All these different ideas were bouncing and flowing. It was wildly chaotic, and I fully understand the part Kanye played in making it a global record and I’m grateful for it.”
The rapper has been open about his challenges with bipolar disorder and endures a strained relationship with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, with whom he shares four children. He is reported to have split with his second wife Bianca Censori and was criticised for his treatment of Censori at the Grammys in February this year, where he appeared to instruct her to remove her clothes. He appeared to double down in response to backlash saying, “I have dominion over my wife,” in a series of tweets on X/Twitter.
However, he added that he would never force his wife to wear anything she was not comfortable in, writing in all capital letters: “People say the red carpet look was her decision, yes, I don’t make her do nothing she doesn’t want to but she definitely wouldn’t have been able to do it without my approval.”
English (US) ·