Estelle Rewrites Her Parent's Love Story On 'Lover's Rock'

It’s been four years since Estelle‘s fans have gotten their hands on new music in the form of an album. But now they no longer have to wait, as the English singer is back with her fifth project — one that’s deeply personal — titled, Lover’s Rock. Blending reggae, soca, dancehall, and African music, Lover’s Rock explores the singer’s own ups and downs in relationships by retelling the story of her parents’ romance as the pair “got together, had children, broke up, found each other again twenty years later, and happily married a decade after.” Speaking with ESSENCE about the upcoming album, Estelle shared the story of her parents’ relationship, adding that after their split, the two believed that the other had moved on, so they dived into new relationships. Years later, the pair rekindled their romance after Estelle’s father spotted her younger sister while walking the streets in England. “When we started working on this album, all the songs started to feel like points in their story,” the singer told ESSENCE. The singer said the idea for Lover’s Rock came after she realized that she “had been holding onto…all the hurts and all the things that had come along with [the realization that] ‘I don’t know who my Dad is.'” Estelle admitted that all of the lovers she’s chosen in some way “resemble my stepdad. All the men I attract…resemble him in different ways. And I don’t want any of that.” Instead, Estelle said she “wanted to honor [my parents] love story as being a true love story, as something that’s true.” And Estelle has already given fans a taste of that real love with the album’s first single “Better,” which the singer said was inspired by the feeling of walking into a room and “knowing at the bottom of your heart this other person is the one.” Lover’s Rock, Estelle’s follow-up to her fourth studio album True Romance, will be released on September 7.