Here's Five: Estère Shares Her Favourite Greek Myths — 'Archetypes' NZ Tour

Estère is looking forward to an epic 2021, as befitting the timeless themes explored on the Pōneke-based powerhouse's forthcoming third album Archetypes. Recorded in collaboration with Massive Attack producer Stew Jackson, the multi-talented producer / artist / performer / composer is embarking on an extensive celebratory release tour for her new record in February and March. Joining Estère on her musical travels will be seasoned sonic adventurers Zoe Moon Mahal (Brockaflower), Ben Lemi (Trinity Roots, French for Rabbits, Dawn Diver) and Cory Champion (Borrowed cs, Clear Path Ensemble), including high profile festival appearances at Newtown Festival and Splore. With ideas of mythology threaded through the new record, she generously opened up about her five favourite Greek myths. Read Estère's illuminating words below and nab your spot for her eco-friendly Archetypes tour of Aotearoa — with $1 from each ticket contributing to "offsetting Estère’s New Zealand tour carbon footprint through tree planting, sustainable energy and community education initiatives"...

UPDATE 16/02/21: Due to this week's current Covid-19 restrictions, Estère's South Island Archetypes release events have unavoidably been postponed until May. Here's the full statement from the organisers, hold onto those tickets and stay tuned for new dates...

"Well, here we are. We can't predict how Covid Levels will unfold in 2021, and unfortunately this recent development means that Estère's South Island Archetypes release tour will need to be postponed until May. It just can't happen with Level 2!

We hope to be back to you by the end of this week with new tour dates in the same cities: Dunedin, Lyttelton, Blenheim, Nelson and Onekaka. With many apologies, we look forward to seeing you in a couple of months. Thank you for your patience and for being ticket-buying superstars.

PLEASE note that the rest of Estère's tour dates are still proceeding as planned!"

Estère - Archetypes Tour

Wednesday 17th February - Dive, Dunedin* - postponed
Thursday 18th February - Wunderbar, Lyttelton* - postponed
Friday 19th February - The Plant, Blenheim* - postponed
Saturday 20th February - East St. Cafe, Nelson* - postponed
Sunday 21st February - Mussel Inn, Takaka* - postponed
Friday 26th February - Meow, Wellington
Saturday 27th February - Splore Festival, Auckland
Thursday 4th March - Auckland Arts Festival
Friday 5th March - Historic Village, Tauranga
Sunday 7th March - Newtown Festival, Wellington
Friday 26th March - Paisley Stage, Napier*
Saturday 27th March - The Stomach, Palmerston North*

Tickets available HERE via UTR*

Estère: I could write an essay on this. I’m a big fan of myth in general and my new album ‘Archetypes’ is threaded with myths I’ve picked up over the years.

What I love about myths is that they are always metaphors for life lessons, and almost every culture you look to - will have their own.

Some of my favourite Greek myths are…

Aphrodite and Adonis

I based one of my songs, Mad About Your Sea [see video below] — off of this myth. Adonis is supposedly Aphrodite’s greatest love - although being the ‘goddess of love’ I guess she had countless interludes. It seems like Aphrodite is driven to the brink of madness by her obsession with Adonis, whom she cannot save from death. I like how this myth leaves you feeling helpless. I always end up thinking of poor Adonis. Despite all of Aphrodite’s magic power, she was unable to save him from his own deathly destiny.

Circe

There is a book by Madeline Miller about Circe, which paints her as the empathetic misfit child of Helios - the glorious and emotionally cold sun god and Perse her inattentive, ocean nymph mother.

Circe has this incredible journey throughout — where she is exiled onto the island Aeaea and creates a garden of healing plants. Monsters and men wash up on her shore — it’s a really compelling story.

Daedelus and the Labyrinth

I feel like the story of Icarus is such an archetypal ‘life lesson story’ that it wasn’t until later that I was properly introduced to his father, Daedelus ‘the greatest inventor of all time’. While Icarus was just a young child — Daedelus had created the Labyrinth to keep the Minotaur trapped. The Minotaur was the demon child of Circe’s sister Pasiphae and a sacred bull. I love how in Greek mythology all the characters start to interlink. They’re a whole network of stories.

Persephone and Demeter

The link between gods and the seasons is particularly strong in this myth. As the story goes Persephone is kidnapped by Hades to be with him in the underworld and her mother Demeter (goddess of the earth) is so devastated that all things die and become winter. Only upon Persephone’s eventual return does life appear again, signalling spring. I feel like a lot of myths are used to explain things that happen in a way that can be related back to human experience.

Prometheus giving fire

Mythology is brutal. The suffering of Prometheus because he passed on knowledge to ‘mortals’ — is a good example of that. Prometheus simply told humans how to make fire — among other things — and was then punished to an eternity of having his liver eaten out by a hawk. It’s interesting that performing a good deed is rewarded by so much pain and suffering. According to a book I have on Greek myth - a lot of these stories were based on actual events that took place in ancient Greece. Battles, land wars, annexations, mutinies - were then transformed into stories about the gods. I don’t know enough - but I wonder what this story of Prometheus may have represented historically….

Press release:

Estère announces her most extensive tour of Aotearoa yet, to celebrate the release of Archetypes, hitting the airwaves and record stores in late January.

Estère's October 2020 San Fran show was described as an inspired and refreshing performance, fuelled by high octane riffs and punchy back beats that alternated with slower, more soulful explorations of vocal harmony and background keyboards.

Expect more of the same from the tour, with her über-talented band of multi-instrumental musicians: Zoe Moon Mahal (Brockaflower), Ben Lemi (Trinity Roots, French for Rabbits, Dawn Diver) and Cory Champion (Mara TK, sound artist). Their on-stage chemistry sparks the delivery of Estère's magical music to main centres and regions she's never previously performed.

Archetypes is a departure from the bedroom beats of Estère's previous two albums. Co-produced with Massive Attack producer, Stew Jackson, each track on the album comes alive through the Wellington-based artist's deft production. Defying categoristion, her music is a mixture of folk, R&B and electronica, blended in a unique fashion, easily identified as ‘Estère'. Archetypes is the sound of an artist who entirely commits to creative instinct.

Estère’s tour will be conducted with sustainability at the forefront, reducing emissions and consumption wherever feasible. A $1 carbon offset has been added into each ticket price, which will contribute to offsetting Estère’s New Zealand tour carbon footprint through tree planting, sustainable energy and community education initiatives. Thank you for thinking of the environment and your own carbon emissions when attending Estère’s shows!