Unclassifiable, Bold and Con Mucho Dembow: Meet Esty, La Sailor Moon Dominicana

Breaking away from the expectations that surrounded her music and career, Esty managed to find her own voice in the industry and is now using it to create new sounds and to talk about social issues that matter to her.

mitú spoke with Esty about her career, her music, her love for roller skating, and the story behind her nickname. 

When did your love for music first begin?

The weekends in a Latin household (Dominican at that) were for blasting music and cleaning, and my parents would do just that. My mom has a beautiful voice, but she never pursued music, and my papi is just an overall music lover. The day he played Michael Jackson’s “The Wall” album was the day I fell in love with music. 

You took a break from music a few years ago. How did it feel to come back after your hiatus? 

I felt like I needed some time to recenter and rediscover myself. I remember being at my happiest when I picked up my guitar and somehow all of that got lost in someone else’s perception of what my career and music should look and sound like. So I went back to square one, and it felt scary and uncomfortable, but it was all worth starting the journey back to myself.

What’s one thing you hope people take away from your music?

If people take anything from my music at all, I hope it’s the fearlessness to do whatever the hell you want. Mix genres and explore all spaces in music and art. That’s how new things are made. If I feel like making a bachata record one day or a city pop record, that’s what I’m gonna do.

You often blend different genres in your music, from dembow to rock and electronic. Who were your musical influences growing up?

[My] biggest influences are Michael Jackson, Sarah Vaughan, Madonna, Dembow Dominicano Viejos, Aaliyah, and My Chemical Romance.

We’ve seen you roller skating on TikTok, even creating your own challenge for your song “Por Ahí.” When did you start roller skating?

I started roller skating in October 2018. I was obsessed. I would wake up early and go skate around the town with my friends blasting music from my little clip-on speaker. We would skate all day then go eat food in restaurants in our skates. It was like a movie.

You call yourself “La Sailor Moon Dominicana,” how did you get that nickname?

I grew up watching Sailor Moon and still watch it religiously before I go to bed! I see myself a lot in Usagi. She’s a Cancer, I’m an Aries, Cancer Rising. So a lot of how she reacts is how I react too. I’m sensitive, but I’m also strong, and fearless like her. She’s survived so much, yet she’s still standing. What more can I say? But yes, one day I was in the studio and just freestyling at the end of ‘Por Ahí’ and said “La Sailor Moon Dominicana, la que jala,” and it’s my little stamp now. Kind of like the intro to my cartoon character. 

What’s next for Esty?

I’ve never released an album, so that’s what I’m working on now. I’m in the creative visual phase, which is one of my favorite parts of being an artist. I started as a painter before becoming a musician, so I view this process as me painting again. But in the meantime, there is a remix my friend Nick León jumped on that I can’t wait for the world to hear. He’s one of my favorite DJs and producers, so when he agreed to remix Chibi, I lost it. That’ll be out in November.

Stream her latest EP ‘Estyland’ on all digital platforms to get a taste of what Esty is all about!