Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence as a pop songwriter in the late 2000s and wrote numerous hit songs for singers including

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

, and

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

through the 2010s. She has acted in numerous films, including the 2012 musical comedy '' Pitch Perfect'' and its sequels.

Life and career

Esther Renay Dean was born in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...

, to single mother Hester Dean and raised in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, as the younger of five children. She is of Black Indian descent. She began singing at a young age. When Esther was 15, her mother moved her and her sister Deandria to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, where she began working as a

session singer A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a record ...

and writing for local musicians. At the age of 20, Dean moved to Atlanta with $500 to pursue a career as a songwriter and record producer. She was discovered by music producer Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, who overheard Dean singing along in the crowd of a Gap Band concert. On the strength of her voice and songwriting ability, Tricky signed Dean for a publishing contract. Dean later parted ways with Tricky and relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where she was introduced to

Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977 or 1978), known professionally as Polow da Don, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career as a recording artist in the late 1990s, leaving college to pursue a career with ...

and signed a deal with Zone 4 Records under the aegis of

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

. In 2009, Dean released her debut single as a lead artist, " Drop It Low", which featured singer

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

and production by Polow da Don; the song peaked at number 38 on the US ''

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

'' and became her only Top 40 single as a lead artist. Dean's commercial breakthrough came when she collaborated with

Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...

on the number one Rihanna single " Rude Boy". She continued to write hit songs for Rihanna, including "

What's My Name What's My Name? or What's My Name may refer to:Rustam Baloch * What's My Name (China Anne McClain, Thomas Doherty and Dylan Playfair song), "What's My Name" (China Anne McClain, Thomas Doherty and Dylan Playfair song) * What's My Name? (Rihanna so ...

" and " Where Have You Been", as well as

's "

Firework Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

" and Nicki Minaj's " Super Bass". In 2011, Dean contributed to the soundtrack for the animated film '' Rio'' by

Blue Sky Studios Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American visual effects and computer animation animation studio, studio, which was active from 1987 to 2021. It was based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was founded on February 22, 1987, by Chris Wedge, Michael F ...

. She has written, and sometimes produced, Top 40 hits for artists including

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

Florence + The Machine Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, ''Goodies ...

The Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a neo-burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the troupe mainstrea ...

, Usher,

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling gir ...

, R. Kelly,

, and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

. She appeared as Cynthia Rose in '' Pitch Perfect'', released in 2012, and reprised the role in the sequels '' Pitch Perfect 2'' (2015) and '' Pitch Perfect 3'' (2017). In 2022, she was on the jury panel for ''

American Song Contest The ''American Song Contest'' is an American music reality competition television series based on the Eurovision Song Contest. The sole season of the series was hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson; it consisted of eight episodes airing be ...

'' representing Oklahoma.

Artistry

Voice

Dean possesses a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

range. Her vocals were described by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' as "raw, energetic vocals

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

cover a wide range: from club banger to melodic doo-wop/hip-hop." Dean's vocals have also been described as similar to

and

. "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 ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', 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 icit's not...and I just see when I get this little chill n her upper arm, below the shoulderand then I'm, like, 'Yeah, that's the hook.'"

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Accolades

{, class="wikitable" , - !Year !Ceremony !Nominated Work !Category !Result ! , - !rowspan="4" , 2011 , rowspan="4" , BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards , " Hot Tottie" (as a writer) , rowspan="4" , Award-Winning Urban Songs , , rowspan="4" , , - , " I Am" (as a writer) , , - , " Rude Boy" (as a writer) , , - , "

Sex Therapy Sex therapy is a therapeutic strategy for the improvement of sexual function and treatment of sexual dysfunction. This includes dysfunctions such as premature ejaculation and delayed ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, lack of sexual interest or ...

" (as a writer) , , - ! rowspan="11" , 2012 ,

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

, '' Loud'' (as a producer and writer) , Album of the Year , , , - , rowspan="7" , BMI Pop Awards , Herself , Songwriter of the Year , , rowspan="7" , , - , rowspan="2" , "

" (as a writer) , Pop Song of the Year , , - , rowspan="5" , Award-Winning Pop Songs , , - , " Super Bass" (as a writer) , , - , " Rude Boy" (as a writer) , , - , " S&M" (as a writer) , , - , " What's My Name?" (as a writer) , , - , rowspan="3" , BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards , rowspan="2" , " Super Bass" (as a writer) , Urban Song of the Year , , rowspan="3" , , - , rowspan="2" , Award-Winning Urban Songs , , - , " What's My Name?" (as a writer) , , - ! rowspan="5" , 2013 , rowspan="3" , BMI Pop Awards , " Mr. Know It All" (as a writer) , rowspan="3" , Award-Winning Pop Songs , , rowspan="3" , , - , " Turn Me On" (as a writer) , , - , " Where Have You Been" (as a writer) , , - ,

MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards is a film and television awards show previously presented annually on MTV. It began as the MTV Movie Awards in 1992, when its 1992 MTV Movie Awards, first edition was held, and adopted its current name in 2017, beginnin ...

, '' Pitch Perfect'' (shared with the cast) , Best Musical Moment , , , - ,

Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origi ...

, '' Ice Age: Continental Drift'' (as a producer) , Best Music in a Feature Production , , , - ! rowspan="1" , 2015 ,

Hollywood Music in Media Awards The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honoring original music (Song and Score) in all forms visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special p ...

, " Dancing in the Dark" (as a writer) , Best Song – Animated Film , , , - !rowspan="3" , 2016 , rowspan="2" , BMI London Awards , rowspan="3" , " Hey Mama" (as a writer) , Dance Award , , rowspan="2" , , - , Award-Winning Pop Songs , , - , rowspan="1" , BMI Pop Awards , Award-Winning Pop Songs , , , - , rowspan="1" , 2021 ,

Canadian Country Music Awards The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The groundwork for the association began on June 3, 1973, when a gr ...

, " Champagne Night" (as a writer) , Songwriter of the Year , ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Ester 1986 births Living people African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters American contemporary R&B singers American dance-pop musicians American mezzo-sopranos American women pop singers American women record producers Record producers from Oklahoma Judges in American reality television series Roc Nation artists 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers Singers from Oklahoma Songwriters from Oklahoma Interscope Records artists