Until you experience Esnavi it may be difficult to understand the name or what defines it. The moment you meet her it all makes sense, Eclectic, Soulful, Natural, Authentic, Vivacious, and Intriguing – E S N A V I {Es-Nah-V}. A singer/songwriter hailing from Milwaukee, now residing in New York City, she is a multifaceted artist with a voice of undeniable soul, lyrics of thought provoking truth, and music that harmoniously blends everything in between. With the release of her debut album, Exit E, a 16-song musical journey inspired by love, society, and real life, her mission to enlighten the world with her music has begun. Her first single, Unexpected Love, reached the Top 40 on the Urban Adult Contemporary Charts shortly after its release and remained in the Top 40 Urban AC Charts for over 10 weeks. The video for the single has remained in rotation on VH1 Soul & Centric since its release and was selected as one of Centric Hot 10 Countdown picks. Unexpected Love and her second single, Morning Dew is also currently in rotation on Music Choice-R&B Soul channel on cable television. Now with the anticipated success of her next single, What U Need, television appearances, music licensing deals and two beauty campaigns, Esnavi is on the brink of becoming a powerful brand in the music industry.
After the release of Exit E, word traveled quickly about the sultry songstress who has not only been praised for her original collection of soul stirring music, but also for her electrifying performances. From her YouTube video impromptu freestyle with beat box legend Rahzel, member of The Original Roots Crew, at Paris Blues to her performance at S.O.B.’s Sol Village, hosted by Eric Roberson, where she exemplified her prowess to go off script, or when she effortlessly rocked the stage of over 200,000 people at the 2011 Taste Of Soul Music Festival in Los Angeles with Tyrese, Eric Benet, Lenny Williams, Johnny Gill, and Goapele, Esnavi has proven that she is more than just a singer/songwriter, she is also a dynamic performer that commands the stage on any level. Watching her perform you sense a savvy entertainer with a deeply embedded passion. “I belong on stage. This is my home. It’s where I connect to the audience with my live energy.” She remains true to that connection by living in the moment each time she graces the stage.
Her track record put her on a platform to make 2012 a noteworthy year for this talented star on the rise. She performed at ESSENCE Music Festival during a live broadcast on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, headlined in front of a sold out crowd at Apollo Music Café, performed on Good Day New York morning show on FOX 5 NEWS, which has over 2 million viewers daily, rocked the stage at the historic Blue Note Jazz Club, performed at BAMcafé Live (Brooklyn Academy of Music) for an audience that reached capacity before she stepped on stage, secured a music licensing deal with H&M, Old Navy, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nine West, Ann Taylor and Arden B stores worldwide, became the first African-American face for Alison Raffaele Cosmetics beauty campaign, a cosmetics line carried in Duane Reade/Walgreens stores nationwide, which launched in Puerto Rico, New York City, Los Angeles, CA, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, New Orleans, LA, Weston, FL, Birmingham, MI and Washington, DC, and to top it all off, she closed out the year by opening a New York Knicks game with an exceptional performance of The National Anthem at Madison Square Garden.
This year seems to be no different as she kicked off 2013 in the same direction. In January, she joined BET Music Matters monthly showcase and ripped the stage for the enthusiastic crowd filled with her fans. BET Music Matters is a campaign which focuses on highlighting the music industry’s next superstars. Shortly thereafter she landed not one, but two television appearances on cable television. She was seen on the TLC reality show, Starter Wives, and she performed for a memorial service on the VH1 hit reality show, Mob Wives. And yet again Esnavi displays her multi-faceted talent of being more than just a singer/songwriter, by obtaining another beauty campaign – this time with Dazzle Drynail line by VB Cosmetics, in which she will have her own nail collection entitled, Esnavi Live, featuring colors named after songs on Exit E available in June 2013.
These major accomplishments have made Esnavi an independent powerhouse in a short amount of time. Although new to the mainstream, she has been on her mission for years. As a very young child, her performing and writing skills were fostered. At the tender age of 3, she performed for the first time at a Miss Wisconsin Pageant and acquired a love for writing poems around the age of 8. A love for music was evident during those years as well. Her vocal ability, however, wasn’t discovered until she was in high school. It was then that the music she listened to growing up started to subconsciously mold the artist Esnavi is today. From Stevie Wonder to Annie Lennox to U2 to Miles Davis, she was drawn to all genres of music. Once she graduated from high school, the layers came together and Esnavi was writing, recording and performing with a local studio. After high school she pursued a marketing degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While studying, “Music became the driving force in my life while in college, and after graduating, I had an epiphany. Singing was the only thing I envisioned myself doing. I became so passionate about it because I knew I had something unique to share.” No stranger to recording and performing, she had no qualms about making her move to New York. Although her first album entitled, Uncommon Ground, in which she co-wrote with fellow Milwaukee native, Fulani Hart, was never officially released, it created enough buzz to land her on BET’s, The BET J List, as the featured unsigned artist, and MTV’s, The City.
Esnavi is definitely in her own lane, despite comparisons to the likes of Lauryn Hill, Sade, India.Arie, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu. Her voice is clearly distinct and the beautifully arranged story that comprises Exit E, which she co-wrote with producer, Michel Kunz, is incomparable. The album which she describes as a musical journey is just that, displaying her versatility musically and vocally. “We wanted to create good music that transcends everything. Music that anyone in the world could listen to and love.” When you listen to her music, see her perform live and feel her energy, you experience Esnavi. “This journey is not about becoming a celebrity. It’s about sharing music that stems from a real place with substance people can feel and relate to.” Esnavi is truly an original artist delivering a unique sound of soul to the world…her soul.
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