Macey Estes is an RnB artist based in Los Angeles. Raised in Tennessee, the state home to the Country Music Hall of Fame, it is no surprise that she has been inspired by music from a young age. Macey has found success as a self-taught songwriter with her astounding positivity, dedication, and talent. Anticipation is rising as her upcoming EP “Save Yourself” will be released on July 17.
Unheard Gems: Welcome, Macey Estes, to Unheard Gems! We are so excited to have the opportunity to talk with you. How are you doing today?
Macey Estes: I’m good as I can be!
Unheard Gems: Just so our readers can learn a bit more about you, how did you know you wanted to get into music?
Macey Estes: I’ve always been a performer, like doing all the musicals and vocal competitions etc, but it wasn’t until probably high school that I knew I wanted to be an artist. So I went to college for music production and that’s when I started truly writing and finishing songs.
Unheard Gems: How would you describe your music style as sort of an elevator pitch style, the short and sweet, for fun can you do it in 140 character style like it was a tweet?
Macey Estes: My music is genre-bending. Def a blend between soulful RnB and alternative pop. Layers of sultry tones on top of slapping drum beats. My music is natural and vulnerable yet in your face; out of the box yet current. I always want to let my eclectic energy shine through.
Unheard Gems: We love your newest single “What We’re Here For” the beat is incredible and your voice is addicting to listen to! What can you tell us about it?
Macey Estes: Thank you! It’s amazing the reactions we have gotten from that track. It's one we debated putting out for a while. I believe we had it written in 2018… but really it started as a spinoff of a Lolawolf song and gradually became what it is. I think we had an acoustic version, an electric guitar version, and it really was just a developing track that came together after my musicality was developing as well. I just love how it came out, it’s definitely a good vibe.
Unheard Gems: On your Youtube you have posted some incredible song covers of popular songs like “No Scrubs” by TLC. How do you choose which songs you cover?
Macey Estes: Sometimes I’m just super gravitated towards a song and I think I’m naturally attracted to songs already in my vocal range/style. I also take suggestions from friends and fans on instagram lol
Unheard Gems: Also on your Youtube channel you made a beautiful compilation of joyful moments during quarantine to your recent song “Wreck it All.” What went into that process and what was the message behind it?
Macey Estes: That video is so special to me! I wanted to put together something that involved people into my music more and on top of that considering quarantine, it was a way to bring people together. I sent a private link to the track to those that requested to hear the song early in hopes to get videos in return and peeps came through!!! With it being the first single off my debut EP we wanted to do something creative with it. While the lyrics may be about how imperfect I am, the song is really upbeat and I think the video portrays that it’s okay to make mistakes!
Unheard Gems: Do you have any advice to up-and-coming artists or something you wish someone told you?
Macey Estes: Honestly I’m just figuring it all out day by day but one piece of advice would be to always be yourself. It may seem like the easiest way to get ahead is to try to do things or make music that is popular, but if you stay true to yourself people inherently attach onto that energy. Making music isn’t about the final product it’s about all the moments you find yourself in the process.
Unheard Gems: We always like to know who our artists are listening to. Who are some artists you believe deserve more recognition in today’s music industry?
Macey Estes: I really be vibing to all sorts of music, from jazz to rap so my playlists are real diverse lol. Some artists I see myself in, that I take a lot of inspiration from are Kehlani and Jessie Reyez. Some artists I think deserve more recognition would be Teyana Taylor, she goes so hard, and Jojo, who I’ve been rocking with since I was like 12.
Unheard Gems: Lastly, where can our readers find you and your music and is there anything else you want to leave us with that we didn’t talk about in our questions?
Macey Estes: You can find my music really everywhere, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Youtube, etc. Look out for my debut EP, “Save Yourself” out July 17!!!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maceyestes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macey_estes/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAxQhBSZIxYEvCs3xOd9Gg
Interview by Annika Johnson