"American Boy"

“American Boy” is the newest single from Britain’s latest export to the United States, Estelle, featuring rap super star Kanye West. Already well known to the British musical scene, Estelle Swaray (birth name Fanta Swaray) is the first addition to John Legend’s new record label ‘Homeschool’ records.

The song chronicles the adventures of a British girl coming to America where she finds herself “loving this American boy”. Truth be told the song’s message does not aim to educate the listener, as Estelle has done in her earlier works – her 2004 single “Free” being the most notable and popular of these such songs. Yet the fun, flirty song is bound to be a club hit.

Estelle’s easy-breezy-beautiful-Covergirl vocals blend with Kanye West’s cocky to create a song with swagger. The beat, provided by uber-producer Will I am, is an energizing blend of 80s electronic, hip hop bass and rock-star guitar. The mixture is tantalising—the song moves to your body with determination. Eminently danceable, it is near impossible not to follow the song’s command.

The story of the British superstar attempting to crack the American market generally follows one of two paths. Some artists go the Joss Stone route and shake off their British exterior for a much more stateside sound. Others, say Lily Allen, attempt to borrow some American influences and then fuse these with their uniquely British tunes.

Estelle seems to be following the latter path—her vocals lend the song a distinctively British flavour. Yet “American Boy” is a departure from Estelle’s more rugged British garage sound. The song is more polished; the beats, sharper. Whereas Estelle had often intertwined her light yet sultry vocals with her own rough raps, in “American Boy” she rests firmly in ‘singer’ territory. With the release of her highly anticipated album Shine, we will be able to judge whether she still holds the Union Jack high.—Yasmin Belo Osagie