Meet The 28 Year Old Female Songwriter Masterminding Every Bump And Grind Hit You Love

Ester Dean was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on April 15, 1986, and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  She grew up in a family of musicians, but she wanted to be a chef.  Her family kept pushing her to sing and perform, however, and she eventually capitulated, saying, “Okay, well I’ll sing and get the money and set-up a restaurant.”  Her mother was a successful performer in gospel plays, and took her family with her on tour. Ester Dean grew up watching the shows, and eventually performing in them.  After graduating from high school, she relocated to Los Angeles to launch her own singing career.  Though everyone agreed she had an awesome voice, it was her songwriting skills that began to attract attention.  After being introduced to Polow da Don, she was signed to Interscope Records, and began writing for everyone.  Here is just a short list of the many songs she has crafted for other artists since 2006, along with just how much those tracks pulled in. *Numbers are based on digital downloads only. “Rude Boy” Rihanna Chart Position: #1 US Billboard Hot 100, Top 10 in 31 other countries Units Sold: 3 million Approx. Profit:  $4 million “Not Myself Tonight” Christina Aguilera Chart Position:  #23 US Billboard Hot 100 Units Sold: 2 million Approx. Profit: $2.6 million “Letting Go (Dutty Love)” Sean Kingston Chart Position: #36 US Billboard Hot 100 Units Sold: 1 million Approx. Profit: $1.3 million “Super Bass” Nicki Minaj Chart Position: #3 US Billboard Hot 100, Top 10 in 7 other countries Units Sold: 5.3 million Approx. Profit:  $7 million “Firework” Katy Perry Chart Position: # US Billboard Hot 100, Top 10 in 24 other countries Units Sold: 9 million Approx. Profit: $12 million “What’s My Name?” Rihanna Chart Position: #1 US Billboard Hot 100 Units Sold: 4.5 million Approx. Profit:  $6 million “S&M” Rihanna Chart Position: #1 US Billboard Hot 100, Top 10 in 29 other countries Units Sold: 4.5 million Approx. Profit: $6 million “Mr. Know It All” Kelly Clarkson Chart Position:  #18 US Billboard Hot 100, Top 10 in 7 other countries Units Sold: 2.5 million Approx. Profit: $3.5 million “Turn Me On” David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj Chart Position: #4 US Billboard Hot 100, Top 10 in 16 other countries Units Sold: 3.1 million Approx. Profit:  $4 million “I Love You This Big” Scotty McCreary Chart Position: #11 US Billboard Hot 100 Units Sold: 1 million Approx. Profit: $1.3 million “You da One” Rihanna Chart Position: #14 US Billboard Hot 100 Units Sold: 2 million Approx. Profit: $2.6 million “Where Have You Been” Rihanna Chart Position: #5 US Billboard Hot 100, Top 10 in 23 other countries Units Sold: 2.5 million Approx. Profit:  $3.5 million “Come & Get It” Selena Gomez Chart Position: #6 US Billboard Hot 100, Top 10 in 13 other countries Units Sold: 3.2 million Approx. Profits:  $4 million Other popular tracks written by Ester Dean include Mya’s “Ridin’”; T.I.’s “Remember Me”; Mary J. Blige’s “The One”,  “I Am”, and “Stronger”; Ciara’s “Never Ever”; Keri Hilson’s “Change Me”, “Make Love”, and “Lose Control/Let Me Down”; Monica’s “Here I Am”; Katy Perry’s “Peacock”; Kelly Rowland’s “Lay It On Me”;  Trey Songz’s “Already Taken”, as well as tracks for 50 Cent, Pia Toscano, Karmin, Keke Palmer, Britney Spears, Jennifer Hudson, Ginuwine, Tinie Tempah, Kelly Rowland, Jesse McCartney, Nelly, Ludracris, Esmee Denters, and the list goes on. As a solo artist, her sound has been compared to a cross between Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, and her first solo single, “Drop It Low” reached #32 on the US Pop charts when it was released in 2009.  It has since been sampled by multiple artists.  She was slated to release her first studio album under Interscope Records in 2013, but the album has not yet materialized.  She reportedly ended her relationship with Interscope in early Mary 2014, and will now be producing her work independently.  With her track record, going out on her own seems only logical.