Melisa Bester, who performs as E^ST or East, is a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n-born Australian singer-songwriter and musician. She has released four

extended plays An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Old Age'' (2014), ''The Alley'' (September 2015), ''Get Money!'' (July 2016) and ''Life Ain't Always Roses'' (October 2018). Bester toured nationally as a support act for

Twenty One Pilots Twenty One Pilots (stylized in Letter case, all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris ...

in March–April 2016 and for

Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...

in October 2018. Her debut studio album, ''

I'm Doing It ''I'm Doing It'' is the debut studio album by Australian Indie pop singer E^ST. The album was announced on 10 March 2020, and was originally scheduled for release on 10 June 2020 but was delayed until 31 July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. T ...

'', was released on 31 July 2020.

Biography

Melisa Bester was born in

and moved to Australia's Central Coast as a child.

2014–2018: Career beginnings

Bester released her debut four-track extended play, ''Old Age'', in July 2014. Dean Elphick of ''Happy Mag'', described her first EP, "One thing that was evident on that debut was that she already sounded like a confident, established artist. Lots of people can sing well but it's obvious she has serious songwriting ability that stretch beyond her young years." In September 2015, she performed a mashup of "

Bitter Sweet Symphony "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by the English rock band the Verve, from their third studio album, ''Urban Hymns'' (1997). It was produced by Youth and released on 16 June 1997 by Hut Recordings and Virgin Records as the album's lead single. ...

" and " Teardrop" for a ''

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs (an "original") and then a cover version, h ...

'' session on Triple J national radio. Her second four-track EP, ''The Alley'', was issued in September 2015. Bester collaborated with

Jim Eliot Jim Eliot is an English songwriter, record producer and singer from London. He has written and produced for artists including Foxes, Ellie Goulding, Will Young, Kylie Minogue, Rae Morris and Olly Murs. Eliot (synthesizer, vocals) is also a me ...

on " Life Goes On" in 2017. On 27 July 2018, it was announced that she signed with rock label

Fueled By Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the lab ...

. She was the opening act for

during the Australian leg of the Blurryface tour in March–April 2016. She also backed

local leg of the

Pray for the Wicked tour The Pray for the Wicked Tour was a concert tour by Panic! at the Disco, in support of the project's sixth studio album ''Pray for the Wicked'' (2018). The tour began in Minneapolis on July 11, 2018, and concluded in Rio de Janeiro on October 3, ...

in October 2018. She headlined her own tour in support of her fourth EP, ''Life Ain't Always Roses'', which was released on 26 October 2018.

2019–present: ''I'm Doing It''

In March 2020, Bester announced the release of her debut studio album, initially scheduling it for release on 12 June 2020. The album was preceding by the singles "Talk Deep" "Flight Path", "Fresh Out of Love", "Maybe It's Me" and "I Wanna Be Here". The album was later delayed and released on 31 July 2020.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Notes

Awards and nominations

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - , National Live Music Awards of 2020 , herself , Musicians Making a Difference , , -

Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The

Rolling Stone Australia Awards The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. The awards initially commenced in 201 ...

are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. ! , - , rowspan="2", 2021 , ''I'm Doing It'' , Best Record , , rowspan="2", , - , E^ST , Best New Artist ,

References

{{authority control 21st-century Australian women singers Living people Australian women pop singers South African pop singers Warner Records artists 21st-century South African women singers Parlophone artists Fueled by Ramen artists Australian indie pop musicians Electronica musicians 1998 births