Best of 2021: Esther Rose Has Been on a Techno Journey This Year

Inspired by the honest writing and timeless melodies of American greats such as Hank Williams Sr. and Joni Mitchell, Esther Rose’s songwriting has been called “The happiest saddest music.” Her 2017 debut, This Time Last Night, caught fire as her listeners tuned-in to a storied chronology of this soulful, heart-worn artist.
Influenced heavily by the collective pulse of her New Orleans musical community, Esther’s distinct sound began early in her Michigan upbringing. Reared on gospel records and folk songs on the family farm, she learned to sing the high end of three-part harmonies with her sisters. Rose moved to New Orleans in 2010 and became an active player in the traditional jazz and blues scene as a singer and percussionist, gigging regularly on Frenchmen Street and touring both at home and abroad.