Life is never what we expect it to be. With the many twists and turns it takes, you may end up somewhere far from where you initially imagined. That’s what Essence Martins has experienced first-hand: trained from her childhood to become an elite tennis player, she ended up finding her true passion in music making. And we thank the universe for that! Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to listen to Sleeping On It, her new EP, out today.
The pandemic profoundly changed the course of many people’s lives, especially because many of them discovered their knack for art. Essence Martins is one of them. “After I came back home early from collage in the US due to Covid, all I could do was write songs. I had the time I needed to think about what I really wanted to do with my life — it wasn’t tennis or sports science,” she tells us in this exclusive interview. Today we speak with the singer-songwriter about vulnerability, how her name impacts her music, and her upbringing focused on top-notch performance and discipline.
Hey Essence, it’s a pleasure to speak with you. Ahead of the release of your EP, on a scale from one to ten, how nervous are you?
I’m not too nervous, I’m more excited! I’d say two or three as this is my second EP, so I don’t feel so much like a deer in headlights like I did the first time.
Your name, Essence, is so beautiful and whimsical. And I love that your twin sister’s is Destinee — I mean, your parents set you up for success right from the start! Do you think a name so meaningful has contributed to the way you see or approach life?
I think that names are very powerful and hold a lot of meaning. Whether I know it or not, it has probably shaped who I am as a person. People always have such a pleasant reaction to my name, and of course, I was born with it, so it’s all I’ve ever known. But I definitely take pride in it and more so as I grow older.
It’s funny how you say it sounds whimsical, which really works with the kind of music I make. Sometimes people think it’s my stage name, but nope, it's my government name! Perhaps my being called Essence might’ve somehow subconsciously shaped my personality and the kind of music I make.
It’s funny how you say it sounds whimsical, which really works with the kind of music I make. Sometimes people think it’s my stage name, but nope, it's my government name! Perhaps my being called Essence might’ve somehow subconsciously shaped my personality and the kind of music I make.
Your father trained your sister and you to become professional tennis players — it’s giving Williams sisters vibes. At just eleven years old, you were dropped of mainstream school so you could focus more on your career as an athlete. Tell us more about this rigorous, sports-focused upbringing, and how has it affected you as a grown-up?
Tennis was all my sister and I knew, so for us and the other athletes we trained with, it didn’t feel abnormal. We knew it was a big step to come out of mainstream school, but we were constantly competing and training every day for a goal and were used to it from pretty much age six. Music is quite different to sports, but if you’re taking it seriously, there are definitely things that overlap — the need for constant training, rehearsing for shows, and the need for repetition in learning anything new.
But other things overlap, such as having the drive to be persistent and keep going with something because you love it. I also think because I was so used to travelling when competing, going on tour and playing in someone else’s band was oddly very similar. I kept getting deja vu to being driven around for different tennis tournaments! I think certain things have stuck as an adult.
But other things overlap, such as having the drive to be persistent and keep going with something because you love it. I also think because I was so used to travelling when competing, going on tour and playing in someone else’s band was oddly very similar. I kept getting deja vu to being driven around for different tennis tournaments! I think certain things have stuck as an adult.
“Sometimes people think it’s my stage name, but nope, it's my government name! Perhaps my being called Essence might’ve somehow subconsciously shaped my personality and the kind of music I make.”
A quick pause: I guess you admired Venus and Serena growing up, especially since you were also training alongside your sister, which inevitably can draw parallelisms. Am I right about this? If so, what did you admire the most about them?
Venus and Serena Williams are incredible and they were the only Black women that young Black female aspiring tennis players could really look up to. It was amazing to have them as role models in the tennis world because, without their representation, I’m not sure we would’ve been tennis players. Our Dad was a huge fan of tennis before they came on the tour, but I think when he saw them, he probably felt it was something attainable for his daughters.
I’d be lying if I said I was a huge fan of tennis, though I of course admired the Williams sisters, but I don’t think my heart was ever in it, which is why when I found music it felt as though I was seeing the world through different eyes. All I knew was tennis and now my world just got a whole lot bigger. I’ve always been a fan of music, but never imagined I would do it for myself.
I’d be lying if I said I was a huge fan of tennis, though I of course admired the Williams sisters, but I don’t think my heart was ever in it, which is why when I found music it felt as though I was seeing the world through different eyes. All I knew was tennis and now my world just got a whole lot bigger. I’ve always been a fan of music, but never imagined I would do it for myself.
You just said you weren’t a fan of tennis but instantly fell in love with music once you got into it. What was that transition from sports to music like?
It was so weird at first — I feel weird even thinking about it still. Tennis was my whole identity; when people asked me who I was, I was a tennis player. But after I came back home early from collage in the US due to Covid, all I could do was write songs. I had the time I needed to think about what I really wanted to do with my life — it wasn’t tennis or sports science. I eventually went to University in London (ICMP), and that’s when it became real that I was no longer a tennis player but a songwriter and then an artist. The transition was fast but thorough and it felt right.
Your debut EP, Deer in the Headlights, came out just a little bit over a year ago. So what sparked the making of a second EP so soon?
I have soooo much music and I just need to share it!! All of the songs on the Sleeping On It EP had been written two to three years prior to its release, so I just want to keep putting out music as long as I can.
“Whether I become super successful or not, I will never regret the decision of choosing music as it has made me experience pure joy in a way tennis never could for me.”
Sleeping On It is comprised of six songs, five of which were out before the full EP release. I find that curious, since artists usually give us a glimpse of a couple of songs before launching the full project. So what prompted that decision?
Yeah, I did that with the last EP, but all of these songs were giving single to me and I wanted them to each have their own moment. I don’t know if my next project will be the same as the roll out has been going on for MONTHS, but I’m so glad I’ve got to give each song on this record its own little spotlight as they’re all so special to me.
The only song left to listen is the one that gives the EP its title: Sleeping On It. How so?
It felt right to have the title track be the last single on the EP. I feel as though Sleeping On It is one of the best songs I’ve ever written (in my opinion). I’m so proud of how I executed a specific feeling in the lyrics, it really reads like poetry. I try to do that with all my songs, which can be difficult for me sometimes, but the lyrics for this one reads like slam poetry and I’m so proud of that because I never was that good at English in class. I feel like I’m making little Essence proud!
I had battled a little with this one before it felt right. I had written three different chorus and struggles with the chords for the pre-chorus; something in my gut told me I could do better and I followed that feeling and came up with something that felt right. I’m also proud of that too as sometimes, when you’re stuck, you’re just stuck. But I found clarity in this song and it became clear to me that it’d be the title track.
I had battled a little with this one before it felt right. I had written three different chorus and struggles with the chords for the pre-chorus; something in my gut told me I could do better and I followed that feeling and came up with something that felt right. I’m also proud of that too as sometimes, when you’re stuck, you’re just stuck. But I found clarity in this song and it became clear to me that it’d be the title track.
The expression to ‘sleep on it’ means you’ve maybe taken too long to do something, but as you say, “no decision is a decision, and no one can wait around forever.” Have you ever regretted not being more decisive and impulsive?
Yes (laughs)! I think my song Told Me So explains that. But I also think people who are decisive are really hot — it’s an attractive characteristic to have and I want that, so I’m manifesting it. I overthink things too much and often let other people’s opinions get the better of me, but this year I’m combatting that — so far so good lol.
Speaking of regrets and decisions. Making it as an artist is so hard — but so is making it as an elite, professional athlete. Do you ever look back and regret leaving tennis aside? Or make yourself the draining questions ‘what if…’?
No. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Whether I become super successful or not, I will never regret the decision of choosing music as it has made me experience pure joy in a way tennis never could for me.
Your sound is so soft, even healing. Your voice feels like a caress. As someone who’s consolidating her artistic identity but also forming it still, what would you say goes into crafting the Essence Martins sound?
Ooooh, good question! I’d definitely say a good melody. That’s almost always the first thing I notice in a song I like. Then, simple yet evocative lyrics — I love a lyric that’s a little witty, thought-provoking, warm or deep. I love some time-signature changes or odd time here and there. A good chord progression and organic instrumentation.
There is a profound sense of vulnerability in these songs. In Told Me So, you confess to having a crush on someone but never daring to act. And in Mrs. Right, you open up about not finding the right person (the heartbreaking lyrics “It happens way too many times going strong / they cut the ties to find a better bride / Cos their Mrs Right is never me”). Do you ever fear being this vulnerable?
No, I wouldn’t say that I fear it. I sometimes think about how people might perceive me, but some songs are the raw truth and others aren’t. I love a song with some over exaggeration and drama — Mrs Right is that for me. It’s true but not completely, and that’s the fun of songwriting: it can be anything you want it to be, and once it’s out, it’s no longer yours.
I love how so many people connected with Mrs Right even though the story wasn’t a hundred per cent accurate for me. I’ve never even been in a serious relationship and it was a small thing that happened that inspired the song, which allowed me to create a bigger story and world around it, which real people have struggled with.
Told Me So is pretty accurate though and I’m still good friends with the person I wrote it about, so it’s all good (laughs). It’s good being vulnerable, and if I write something too vulnerable, I probably won’t put it out… straight away.
I love how so many people connected with Mrs Right even though the story wasn’t a hundred per cent accurate for me. I’ve never even been in a serious relationship and it was a small thing that happened that inspired the song, which allowed me to create a bigger story and world around it, which real people have struggled with.
Told Me So is pretty accurate though and I’m still good friends with the person I wrote it about, so it’s all good (laughs). It’s good being vulnerable, and if I write something too vulnerable, I probably won’t put it out… straight away.
You’ll be performing the EP live in London on the 29th of April. What can you tell us about the event?
Yes, on the 29th of April at The Courtyard Theatre. It’ll be a full band show, which are my favourite shows. I love my band so much, they’re all such good friends and we have so much fun performing and in rehearsals. It’s going to be such a fun night (if I do say so myself). You’re not going to want to miss it!
