Even after a massive 2019, including a feature on Kwame’s hit “NOBODY”, 2020 is set to be an even bigger year for E^ST, who has already been announced on the line-up for one of Australia’s biggest and most favoured regional festivals, Groovin’ The Moo, alongside world-class headliners like Tones and I, Clairo, Hayden James, and Gang Of Youths.

“My music’s always been driven by my emotional state,” said Melissa Bester, the force behind E^ST. “It’s the way I express how I’m feeling, but just as often it’s how I find out how I’m feeling.” Either way, she says, it ends up being raw; “As raw as I can possibly make it.”

In a world where it’s hard to know what’s real, E^ST’s opulent pop provides a rare glimpse of honesty. Historically, E^ST has used music to explore her passion for fantasy, poetry and storytelling, but now it is time for a new chapter. Her debut album “I’M DOING IT”, set for release in June 2020, was recorded with acclaimed long-term collaborator Jim Eliot (Ellie Goulding, Anne-Marie, Halsey), and CENTRES on dealing with heartbreak and feelings of isolation and failure. It signals a huge leap forward from her EP releases “Old Age” and “Life Ain’t Always Roses”, which drew plaudits from the likes of The Fader and Paper.

“The first half of the album is all about being a heartbroken mess as your life falls apart, and it’s wallowing in that with no effort to make sense of it,” she said. “I mean you need to have a wallow — it’s crucial.”

E^ST, whose name was inspired by her mother’s maiden name Oosthuysen (oost means east in Dutch), has supported the likes of Panic! At The Disco and Twenty One Pilots on tour. The dynamic tunesmith has also become an in-demand writer for other artists, from global concerns like Noah Cyrus to acts from back home like Nicole Millar. With 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and millions of views on YouTube, including her triple j Like A Version raking in 2.5 million views, E^ST has cemented her position at the forefront of Australia’s alt-pop scene.