“Filler 2.0” is a heartfelt ballad by New Zealand-born Indie Pop artist Estella Dawn. Her vocals are powerful and range from neo-soulful verses to beautiful breathy tones soaring high in the chorus that are sure to leave many listeners goosebumps. Her sultry vocal inflections are comparable to Billie Eilish and Lorde. The song presents us with an echoing pop hook “what did you expect” tied up into a well-crafted set of layers that are soothing and sometimes even gritty. Her tone and the mix are modern mainstream, and she fuses deep soul into different dynamics from simple electric keyboard tones to heavy-laiden harmonic chants. Estella is a multi-instrumentalist and considers herself a constant writer and producer, and I personally find it impressive that she is quite versatile musically and has been very involved in the making of such a polished track. She is currently residing in Colorado and has been building an enthusiastic following through continually releasing music every couple of months.
We are pleased to have had the chance to interview Estella, and here it is below:
Q&A with Estella Dawn
Your voice is phenomenal! When did you first start singing in your life, and how long have you been singing since then?
You’re far too kind, thank you so much!
I began singing around the same age that I started to speak. Apparently I would make up songs that went on for HOURS as a young kid and I’ve been singing consistently ever since. It’s definitely something that I actively worked at, I generally sing for at least a couple of hours every day and I also think recording my own vocals over the years has allowed me to experiment with different styles and keys to see what best suits my voice.
I love how you music is such a unique fusion of indie pop and soul, tied together in a beautifully produced package. What was your writing and recording process for “Filler 2.0”?
Thank you, I really enjoy writing in different genres and I think blending a few together can have interesting results so I’m stoked you enjoyed it!I wrote the first version of Filler 2.0 around 3 years ago, I was home alone, it was around 7pm, I had blue hair, I was probably wearing sweats and I sat down in front of my keyboard and started diddling about. When I got the melody fleshed out I started tracking everything into Logic and it grew from there. I knew as it started to come together that I wanted the chorus to be guitar driven and I worked all of the sounds around that. The whole song came together in a couple of hours. I released it as a demo track a few months later and it bopped along for a while. Then at the start of this year I revisited it and felt that it could be improved, my voice had matured, my songwriting had refined slightly and I was inspired to rewrite it and make the concept a little clearer. So Filler 2.0 was born. I also work with Shark at Purple Star Productions who co-produces and mixes all of my songs, he’s a legend and he definitely sprinkled his creative flare and expertise on this song.
Did any real-life events occur to inspire “Filler 2.0”?
Yes! When I first moved to the US from NZ I met this guy on Tinder (because that’s what all of the cool kids were doing back then) he was super lovely but he’d recently broken up with his girlfriend. Looking back I don’t think he was in a place to pursue any kind of relationship with me but at the time I thought he would move on from his ex and become more loving and present. However as the months went by it felt like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fill the void this woman had left, I couldn’t be her and his words and actions made me feel like being myself just wasn’t cutting it. Safe to say, things didn’t work out between us and Filler 2.0 was my way of working through the feelings I had about our relationship.
If you could collaborate with any artist in the world, who would it be?
Goodness, that’s such a tough question. There are SO many fantastic artists out there creating unique music, I’m not sure I can pick one above them all. Jaymes Young, Lizzo, Halsey, Pharrell, Lorde, SZA, Dermot Kennedy, Beyoncé (a girl can dream), Eminem, Elton John, Alanis Morissette. The list can and does go on…
Any new projects in the works that we can look forward to?
There sure are, I have a new single coming out in a few weeks called Dear Mr Producer, it’s an electronic/pop/rock moment. I’m also releasing an album by the end of the year titled Self, it will be a collection of all of the songs that I’ve put out this year as well as a 5 or 6 new ones. AND early next year I’m planning another album that will be more upbeat with a band feel, I’m incredibly excited!
What would you like to say to all your fans out there?
I think the biggest thing I’d like to say to anyone following my musical journey is THANK YOU! Thank you for listening, for sharing, for supporting, for all of the kind messages and for all of the encouragement. I love creating music and it means more than I can express that you all take the time to listen to it.
