Portrait of Estelle

Birthday profile

Estelle

British musician

Born
January 18, 1980
Age in 2026
46
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1980

About Estelle

Estelle Fanta Swaray (born 18 January 1980) known mononymously as Estelle, is a British singer and actress. She is known for her eclectic blending of musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip-hop, and dance. She has collaborated with prominent American artists including Chris Brown, Kanye West, will.i.am, Nas, Akon, Tyler, the Creator, Robin Thicke, and Rick Ross, among others. Estelle was born in London and began performing in the early 2000s. She met American singer John Legend during this time, who acted as her mentor and produced her debut studio album, The 18th Day (2004). Released by V2 Records to moderate critical and commercial success, it peaked at number 35 on the UK Albums Chart. She then signed with Legend's Homeschool Records, in a joint venture with Atlantic Records, to release her second album, Shine (2008); an international success, it entered the US Billboard 200—as well as other worldwide charts—and was supported by the single "American Boy" (featuring Kanye West), which peaked atop the UK Singles Chart, peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, and won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Her third album, All of Me (2012), solely entered American and Australian charts and served as her final release on a major label; it was supported by the Grammy Award-nominated single "Thank You". Estelle provided both the speaking and singing voice for the character Garnet in the animated series Steven Universe (2013–2019), a role she reprised in Steven Universe: The Movie (2019) and Steven Universe Future (2019–2020). She also made cameo appearances in the films Beyond the Lights (2014) and Girls Trip (2017), and appeared as Linda in the Netflix original film Fatal Affair (2020). Estelle hosts and presents The Estelle Show on Apple Music, which has run for over 500 episodes. Estelle got her start in London's renowned hip-hop record store Deal Real. Three years later, US R&B singer John Legend announced that Estelle would be the first signee to his HomeSchool label, distributed by Atlantic in the US. Though it was her second album, it was the first to be released in the US and her major-label debut.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Estelle was born

Estelle was born in 1980. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1980

  • #1 song"Call Me" – Blondie
  • Top movieOrdinary People
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMiracle on Ice — US hockey team beats the Soviets at Lake Placid
  • Top headlineJohn Lennon assassinated outside his New York apartment
  • Technology milestoneCNN launches as first 24-hour news channel
  • Defining fadRubik's Cube
  • Notable inventionPost-it Notes (officially released)
  • World population4.44 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJimmy Carter
  • Sports championPhiladelphia Phillies (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population227.2M

1980 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Estelle's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19802026
Gas$1.19$3.45/gal
Average home$68,700$435,000
Average income$21,023$67,500
Minimum wage$3.10$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.15$0.73
Population227.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.