Ten years after her Mercury Prize-nominated debut, British artist ESKA returns with a genre-defying masterwork: The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman. Released today in physical formats via Earthling Recordings, this deeply personal album is a radiant reflection of motherhood, survival, and self-determination.
Described by The Wire Magazine as “an album of adventurous Avant Garde fusion that goes as hard as any Miles Davis, Björk, Prince or A Tribe Called Quest,” the record is an odyssey through sound and selfhood. Crafted in the early hours of Southeast London, The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman is ESKA’s sonic journal — a mirror of life as a first-generation African British woman, home-educating her daughter while conjuring bold, mystical compositions.
The latest single, "Daddy Long Legs", released today alongside the album, is a cathartic, synth-laced ritual of reclaiming power. Co-written with Jesse Hackett and featuring spectral sax by Soweto Kinch and vocals from Laura Groves, the track pulses with hypnotic force. “It felt so good that you would think it was love,” ESKA sings — an unflinching lyric that cuts deep.
This single follows three standout releases: "Down Here", "Magic Woman", and "Human", each offering a different facet of ESKA’s evolving sound. The full album, which blends glitchy textures, funk-infused beats, and mythic lyricism, lands today on vinyl and CD, with digital to follow May 23rd.
In a bold move, ESKA has chosen to lead with physical formats. “Some listeners crave a deeper experience,” she says. “This is about reclaiming control and honoring the ritual of music.”
Upcoming in-store performances and appearances throughout the UK offer fans an intimate glimpse into the world of one of Britain’s most innovative voices. With collaborations spanning Esperanza Spalding, Grace Jones, Shabaka Hutchings, and more, ESKA is not just “one of the most important singers in the UK” (Gilles Peterson), but a visionary composer and conceptualist rewriting the rules of music its
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