Wow, wow, wow, wow.
I'm going to say it again... Wow!
I can't wait to introduce you to my guest, Ester Dean.
Hello, hello, hello, Barbie.
Barbie: Hi Ester!
Excited to meet you.
I'm, I'm clearly very excited to meet you too.
This is actually the first time
I've ever done a vlog in a sound studio
and the fact that I get to be here with you doing that
is, uh, have I said wow yet?
Yes, but we love it.
[laughs] Yeah, we do.
So you guys probably know her for sure
from her acting in the movie, Pitch Perfect
and a bunch of other things.
But she is also a music producer
and a songwriter and an artist,
and she's written incredible songs
including for people like Katy Perry
and Usher and Rihanna.
What is the difference between writing a song
and producing a song?
The difference, which is a great question,
the difference between writing a song
and producing a song is, producing is the music.
Okay.
Basically if you want to know what a production is,
the beginning of a song where like, you know,
[imitates beat]
all of that is what the producer says to me.
Barbie: Uh-huh, okay.
The moment you hear a voice on it,
the moment you hear singing,
that's what the songwriter created.
That's why they call me a song machine.
But it's just this whole orchestra.
That's right, Ester Dean Song Machine.
I'm sayin, so funny.
But it's an orchestra
to give the world something to dance to.
What is it like being a woman in the music industry?
Well, first it's great to be a woman, honey.
Yeah, it is!
But what is it like to be a woman,
I got to do-
Let me tell you something about being a girl,
because I never say woman,
because I feel like I'm a girl,
and I feel like when I'm 100 years old
I'll still be a girl.
Me too.
I want to just be a girl forever.
Yeah!
Being a girl in the world is like having superpowers.
Superpowers, do you hear that?
Being a girl is like having superpowers.
Yes.
Then what advice would you give to someone like me,
or someone even younger
who maybe wants to start in the music industry?
Follow your magic.
I mean, what makes you dance.
Even if it's a tap, you know?
[snaps fingers]
Or a slap.
No matter what, find it
and just start talking your feelings.
Barbie: Yeah.
Like I feel good today.
Barbie: Yeah?
Feel good today. And start humming.
l feel good today.
♪ I feel good today. ♪
♪ I feel good. ♪
You know?
Because really it's all about affirmations.
Barbie: Yeah.
Pick one thing to say today and say,
and sing that all day.
Barbie: Yeah.
You know?
Like "I love myself"
and you can just keep on singing it,
and all of a sudden
you have more things to say.
And then by the end of the day
you probably wrote a song.
Oh, I love that.
So don't focus on the finish line.
No.
Because that probably feels like
a monumental task, right?
Mm-hmm.
So just focus on what makes you feel good in this moment
and then just keep adding to it
and then like you said,
by the end of the day you have a song.
Yes.
When it comes down to making the music,
that's another technical skill.
Like you know, where to put the drums,
you know where to put the bass,
you know where to put the synth.
You know how to put this here
and it's only eight counts and four bars.
So you really have to know math.
Barbie: Yeah.
And then you have to know how to let things breathe.
Music is about taking moments
to breathe as well.
Like there's never a real mistake.
It's just...
It's more a fumble.
Yeah.
And I really, like 'cause when I go in a studio,
I just restyle the whole thing
and I hear all the fumbles,
but I'm like, ooh that was good though.
Oh!
And then I start picking out what was good.
So you just got to be completely fearless about it
and not worry about messing up
or how you sound.
Yeah. There's no mess up.
There's no mess up!
Nobody can judge your creativity.
Beyonce said that.
Barbie: Yeah.
Nobody can judge your creativity.
That is creativity, art, is not to be judged.
It is to be admired and appreciated.
Right. Fantastic.
But one of the things that I thought,
like as a young girl growing up
with this big dream, right?
Because I was a young girl growing up
with this big dream, and nobody said
"well you're black, you can't do that." You know?
I had seen my representation everywhere.
I seen them everywhere.
I seen Aretha Franklin singing,
I understood that Barbara Streisand was a singer.
Voices don't have a color.
So it's just, it's just the world is colorful.
So I fit in so well because I'm a part of the rainbow.
It's the most beautiful thing you can do,
is just finding your you in the world
and creating a place,
a safe haven for yourself.
And that's what music is to me.
Yeah.
Yes, it's a career, but it started with,
as a dream and a goal,
and a... and a beautiful I love you session.
It's a beautiful thing to start where you are
and accept that and make that your superpower.
You know?
Barbie: Yeah.
Me, I'm my superpower.
Barbie: Yeah.
I was a little girl who wouldn't stop singing.
[laughs]
And had the weirdest voice.
[laughs]
So my voice was quite like, like this then.
So I was just singing all big and stuff
and I wanted to... I wanted everybody to hear me sing.
So, yeah, I love doing everything that I'm doing.
It's a playground.
And on a playground you have a slide
and a swing and a sandbox and all those things.
Yeah.
And I feel like that's what life is too.
It's a playground.
Because so many times people say
you can only do the slide.
Ah, you know what?
If you want to be good at something
you can only do the slide.
Oh, that's a boring, that's a boring choice.
Right?
I feel the same way.
Because once you get on the slide
guess what you're going to see?
The swing.
Yes!
That's why you have to follow your own.
The beat of your own drum.
Once you see that what your skill is
or what your talent is a gift to be given.
Barbie: Yeah.
You know, I'm here today because I,
instead of just hearing my songs
and singing them to myself,
after I realized that that was something
that I should share, I began to share it.
Being yourself and doing what you love will work.
Always do more.
Barbie: Yeah.
More is good.
More.
Barbie: More!
More!
I don't know if you've ever watched my vlog. But um...
[whispers] Yeah, I have.
What?
I have.
You have?
[whispers excitedly] She's watched my vlog!
[gasps]
Okay! Uh, so anyway.
Cool, I'm cool. It's fine, it's cool.
Um, so I sign off my vlog with the word P.A.C.E
which means "positive attitude changes everything"
and you are the living example of positivity
and it is positively inspirational.
So would you mind saying it with me?
Yes, I'd love to.
Oh yes.
Okay, ready? One, two, three.
P.A.C.E.