At the age of sixteen, Esthero moved from small town Harriston, Ontario on her own to Toronto, where she began singing at open-mic nights, a journey that in 1997 led to a meeting with the president of EMI Publishing Canada, whom she charmed so well during their first meeting that without hearing her sing a single note he was moved to set up and finance recording sessions with Doc, a guitarist and studio engineer. Their debut album, Breath from Another, was released to critical acclaim in 1998 and is widely seen as one of the more accessible albums of the trip-hop genre.
Though she remained active following the moderate success of the debut album, featuring on tracks by such artists as Nelly Furtado and The Black Eyed Peas, it would take over 7 years for a proper follow-up to be released (due to a confluence of factors that included a lengthy creative process, the closure of the WORK record label and marketing delays) in the form of 2005's Wikked Lil Grrrls, an album that crossed genre boundaries with its heavy debt to jazz and hip-hop. The album was preceded in 2004 by a pair of EPs, The O.G. Bitch Remixes (with the title song reaching Number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart) and We R In Need of a Musical Revolution, which served as a preview of the full length album.
After the release of Wikked Lil Grrrls, Esthero devoted an increasing amount of time to songwriting and production, with her work featuring on albums by Brandy and Kanye West (most prominently on West's single Love Lockdown).
2012 saw the release of Esthero's third full-length album, Everything is Expensive (Universal Music Canada), preceded by the release of Never Gonna Let You Go as the lead single and video. The album was partially funded through a campaign on PledgeMusic in which backers could choose from exclusives such as artwork by the singer. Everything is Expensive debuted on Billboard's Heatseeker chart at #13.
Official Websites
www.esthero.net
Everything Is Expensive
Esthero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Revenge is so costly, tell me what would you pay for a friend?
When everything is expensive
Yeah, this life is pricey
Revenge is so costly
Tell me what would you pay for a friend?
And if I tore all my good name
Sell your soul, sing a song
Sell your soul, play along
Stay the same
And if I tore all my good name
Would you can be the career change?
Sell your soul, sing a song
Sell your soul, play along
Never change
Everything is expensive
Yeah, this life is God pricey
Revenge is too costly
Tell me what would you pay for a friend?
And all the girls on the mall club
Who love the boys in the Vespas
Sell your soul, sing a song
Sell your soul, play along
Stay the same
And all the kids in the hip-hop
Just raise your hand when the beat drop
Sell your soul, sing a song
Sell your soul, play along
Never change
Not everybody knows a name, who you are
Now everybody knows your name, just who you are
But everything is expensive
Everything is expensive
Never you mind, it's not a lie near
Moment in time, you can't deny me
See my reflection in the mirror
It's clearer than you may
Everything is expensive
Everything is expensive
Sell your soul, sing a song
Sell your soul, play along
Stay the same
Sell your soul, sing a song
Sell your soul, play along
Never change
And if you're asking me, the kids are not all right
In the song "Everything Is Expensive", Esthero delves into the idea of how expensive life can be, not just monetarily but also emotionally. Throughout the course of the song, she asks a series of rhetorical questions about revenge and the price one would pay for a friend. The song also explores the idea of selling one's soul to achieve success in life.
Esthero's lyrics evoke a sense of emotional currency that is just as valuable as physical currency. The idea of revenge being costly is a clever play on the theme of the song. Revenge is often seen as a personal form of justice, but the cost of it can be exorbitant. Similarly, the song explores the idea of selling one's soul. In this context, Esthero seems to be pointing fingers at individuals who will do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means sacrificing their beliefs or principles.
The chorus of the song serves as a reminder that, despite the expensive nature of life, it is important to remain true to oneself. The repetition of "sell your soul, sing a song, sell your soul, play along" drives home the idea of how easy it can be to compromise one's morals in the pursuit of success.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything is expensive, yeah, this life is God pricey
The cost of living is high and life in general can be very challenging
Revenge is so costly, tell me what would you pay for a friend?
Taking revenge can be very expensive and might require a heavy price to be paid, so one must know what they are willing to lose for seeking vengeance
When everything is expensive
Yeah, this life is pricey
Life poses great challenges and hurdles that often come with high costs
And if I tore all my good name
Would you can be the career change?
If I were to destroy my reputation and lose everything I have worked for, would you be willing to give up your own life and help start a new one for me?
Sell your soul, sing a song
Sell your soul, play along
Stay the same
Surrendering yourself to the demands of society and conforming to its rules is a way to keep everything just the same and avoid facing any challenges or risks
Tell me what would you pay for a friend?
The true value of friendship lies in what you are willing to give up for your friend, even if it comes at a great cost to you
And all the girls on the mall club
Who love the boys in the Vespas
Many people are willing to spend a lot of money and be extravagant just to impress others and be accepted by the society
And all the kids in the hip-hop
Just raise your hand when the beat drop
Following the latest trends and fads without questioning their actual value or meaning has become a norm among young people
Never you mind, it's not a lie near
Moment in time, you can't deny me
You shouldn't doubt the importance of the present moment and the struggles it poses, as denying them will only make them harder to handle
See my reflection in the mirror
It's clearer than you may
Looking at oneself objectively and without illusions can be a way to see reality more clearly
And if you're asking me, the kids are not all right
Even though life might seem easy and carefree for young people, the reality is often far from it.
Everything is expensive
Everything is expensive
The high cost of living and the challenges that come with it are pervasive
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Jenny Bea Christina Englishman, Joshua Matthew Lopez, Ricky Tillo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cisco
i heard this on her myspace music page while she was working on this album and it was only a minute 30 and i would play it over and over waiting for the album to drop. this was like 3 maybe 4 years ago now and this song is still new and fresh to me!! I love it!
MagicalCruz
It’s the melody that gets me with this song... it addicts me somehow.
Ashmedai
...This 'sound' makes me reminisce about Esthero from '98. While I love Jenny-Bea Englishman's voice...the music just isn't the same (in my opinion) without Martin "Doc" McKinney. I've been hoping for another "Breath From Another"-esque album.
Amathene
Man this is what I'm talking about. Delicious melodies.
egyptian
how the hell did Harry Fraud even find this? Honestly, producers have some of the most well-versed expansive tastes in music and well researched minds. They listen to literally every single song made in the planet, from every country, every language, genre.
From Kanye's amazing samples of 70's soul music, to Harry Fraud finding this gem, to Timbaland finding a clip from a 50's Egyptian black and white movie for Big Pimpin LOL....these guys are incredible for going to the lengths that they do to get that perfect cut.
BROTHERTAYRO
i was thinking the same thing lol. like how tf do the producers come across these songs
BROTHERTAYRO
***** ah thanks bro! good look!
Alex Saucedo
everything is expansive
PrmWyn
This song is growing on me!
kelly wagnon
i love this. i heard it on kcrw the other day and LOVED it...