Estar Nabaasa's way of shutting up the music industry

By Dennis Asiimwe

That’s what she calls herself now; ‘Estar’. It is not a typo. The outrageously gifted singer/songwriter/pianist has been in hibernation or something.

Marriage, the burden of creating a family nest and all that meant that the former Tusker Project Fame Season II winner has been off the scene.

Seemingly in an attempt to refute the inevitable rumours of having quit the music scene, she has released this intriguing tune that clocks in at three minutes and 26 seconds.

I will get back to that in a bit. Reaching Out showcases all those things we know about Estar: powerful soulful vocals, an ability to develop a memorable melody at the drop of the hat and some consummate lyrical skills.

That beautiful piano intro, and the arrangement of the song, its complexity and depth, and the way it all builds to a crescendo, and then fades to its subtle beginnings shows some masterful production... the genius of her husband (a producer affiliated with Fenon called Michael ‘Fingers’) maybe?

Reaching Out is a potent, powerful and beautifully crafted piece of work; that is obvious. Here is my problem: those 3:26 minutes. It might sound like I am griping, but you get the niggling feeling that Estar dropped this track just to make the industry shut up.

People get to the top of their game for a variety of reasons: talent, or ability, their environment, passion and need.

Estar is hugely gifted; she has grown up in musical environment that honed her gifts as well. But you get the feeling she is not that passionate about the music industry here (which is not to say she is not passionate about her own music); she probably got bored with the whole thing.

Also, quite frankly, she doesn’t need it. Reaching Out feels, to me at least, like Estar’s way of telling the industry to shut up about all those ‘quit’ rumours, and about all those queries as to whether she could make it in the industry if she wanted to.

Because what those 3.26 seconds of music tell us is that she could, very very easily…if she wanted to.