Melisa Bester
South African-born Australian singer-songwriter and musician
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Melisa Bester[1] is a South African-born Australian singer-songwriter and musician, best known for her former solo project E^ST. Under that moniker, Bester released four extended plays: Old Age (2014), The Alley (September 2015), Get Money! (July 2016) and Life Ain't Always Roses (October 2018). Her debut studio album, I'm Doing It, was released on 31 July 2020. Bester also toured nationally as a support act for Twenty One Pilots in March–April 2016 and for Panic! at the Disco in October 2018.
2 January 1998
Melisa Bester | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | E^ST (2014–2022) |
| Born | Melisa Bester 2 January 1998 |
| Origin | Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Indie pop, electronica |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, musician |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Warner, Parlophone, Fueled by Ramen |
| Member of | Headaches |
As of 2023, Bester has released music under the moniker Headaches and Golden Vessel.
Biography
Melisa Bester was born in South Africa and moved to Australia's Central Coast as a child.[2]
2014–2018: Career beginnings
Bester released her debut four-track extended play, Old Age, in July 2014.[3] 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."[4] In September 2015, she performed a mashup of The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and Massive Attack's "Teardrop" for a Like a Version session on Triple J national radio.[4] Her second four-track EP, The Alley, was issued in September 2015.[4]
Bester then collaborated with Jim Eliot on the song "Life Goes On" in 2017.[5] On 27 July 2018, it was announced that she signed with rock label Fueled By Ramen.[6] She was the opening act for Twenty One Pilots during the Australian leg of the Blurryface tour in March–April 2016. She also backed Panic! at the Disco local leg of the Pray for the Wicked tour 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.
2019–2022: I'm Doing It to hiatus
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".[7] The album was later delayed and released on 31 July 2020.[8] Following a run of shows in early 2021, Bester took an extended hiatus from music. She briefly resurfaced in 2022 to appear on the song "Funeral" by Sydney singer-songwriter Nick Ward on his debut EP, Brand New You. She joined Ward in the triple j studios to perform it for Like a Version, as well as a cover of blink-182's 2000 single "Adam's Song".[9]
2023–present: Headaches and Golden Vessel
In October 2023, after her accounts had been deactivated for over two years, Bester returned to social media to announce that she would no longer be performing as E^ST. Simultaneously, Bester announced that she had started a new musical project under the name Headaches in collaboration with songwriter and producer Maxwell Byrne – also known as Golden Vessel.[10] An album was released on 24 May 2024.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [11] | ||
| I'm Doing It |
|
12 |
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [13] | ||
| Old Age |
|
— |
| The Alley |
|
—[A] |
| Get Money! |
|
96 |
| Life Ain't Always Roses |
|
—[B] |
Singles
As lead artist as E^ST
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||||
| "Old Age" | 2014 | — | Old Age | |
| "The Alley" | 2015 | — | The Alley | |
| "Get Money!" (featuring Mallrat)[20] |
2016 | — | Get Money! | |
| "Life Goes On"[21] | 2017 | —[C] | Non-album single | |
| "Blowjob"[24] | 2018 | — | Life Ain't Always Roses | |
| "I Don't Lack Imagination"[25] | — | |||
| "Alien"[26] | — | |||
| "Friends"[27] | — | |||
| "Talk Deep"[28] | 2019 | — | I'm Doing It | |
| "Flight Path"[29] | — | |||
| "Fresh Out of Love"[30] | 2020 | — | ||
| "Maybe It's Me"[8] | — | |||
| "I Wanna Be Here"[12] | — |
As featured artist as E^ST
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Get Me a Drink" (Alice Ivy featuring E^ST & Charlie Threads)[31] |
2017 | I'm Dreaming |
| "Bigbright" (Golden Vessel featuring Elkkle, E^ST & Duckwrth)[32] |
2018 | Slowshine |
| "Nobody" (Kwame featuring E^ST)[33] |
2019 | Please, Get Home Safe |
| "Funeral" (Nick Ward featuring E^ST)[34] |
2022 | Brand New You |
Notes
- The Alley did not enter the ARIA Albums Chart, but peaked at number 14 on the Australian Artists Singles Chart.[16]
- Life Ain't Always Roses did not enter the ARIA Charts, but peaked at number 34 on the ARIA Digital Albums Chart.[19]
- "Life Goes On" did not enter the ARIA Charts, but peaked at number 14 on the ARIA Australian Artists Streaming Chart.[22]
As Headaches and Golden Vessel
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Making Friends With The Space Around Me |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "Make It Somehow"[36] | 2023 | — | Making Friends With The Space Around Me |
| "Happy Days in Happy Weather"[37] | — | ||
| "I Inhabit My Life (And It Feels So Good)"[38] | 2024 | — | |
| "The Song of You"[39] | — | ||
| "Be My Own Man"[40] | — | ||
| "A Song for You"[41] | — |
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.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Live Music Awards of 2020[42] | herself | Musicians Making a Difference | Nominated |
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.[43]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | I'm Doing It | Best Record | Nominated | [44] |
| E^ST | Best New Artist | Nominated |