Chapter 5
FIVE
An excerpt from Orla Monroe’s interview with Estelle Lavigne
ORLA MONROE (OM):
Estelle, Estelle. The woman of the hour.
I haven’t been able to go anywhere in the past few months without hearing your song, and I must say I’ve loved every moment of it.
It’s relatively rare for a new artist to burst onto the scene like you have, so let me start by asking you how you got to this point.
Where did you come from and what has this journey been like for you? I’m sure our readers are curious.
ESTELLE LAVIGNE (EL):
So thrilled to be talking to you, Orla. Well, first of all, I’m not sure that I would call myself a new artist, but I understand why it may seem like I am to the wider audience.
The truth is that I’ve been writing songs and performing since I was old enough to hold a guitar.
My grandfather gave me my first one. Music is in my genes, you might say.
His family ran a café in a small town outside Paris at the turn of the century, so he’d play for customers there.
In fact, he’d later play for the soldiers during the Great War, and he used to say it saved the family—that extra coin he got for entertaining the weary men.
He brought his love for music with him when they immigrated here.
With his encouragement, I spent all my free time after school growing up immersed in music.
Singing is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, and while my parents might have preferred a more traditional path for me, they were still supportive, as was my late husband.
My only regret with having reached this point right now is that none of them can be here to celebrate it with me.
It’s sounds cliché, but it truly is a dream come true.
OM:
Would little Estelle have believed it if someone had told her we’d be sitting here today?
EL:
I’d like to think so. I come from a long line of tenacious people and was raised to set goals and follow them.
Failure wasn’t an option. So little Estelle would have told you it was possible if she worked hard enough.
Anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
You just can’t be too precious about your creature comforts.
Success takes sacrifice and a willingness to make tough choices. And I’ve got that in spades.