Today we’d like to introduce you to Estani Frizzell.
Hi Estani, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but I was never raised on just one kind of music. My dad loved artists like Bob Seger, Buddy Holly and Otis Redding, and when I moved with my mom, the soundtrack changed to Billie Holiday, Linda Ronstadt, Heart, along with a whole lot of Conjunto and Tejano music. My grandmother, Rosita Lopez, had also been a Conjunto and Bolero singer in San Antonio, so music was woven into my family and how I was raised.
I think what stayed with me most was the emotion behind all of it. I became fascinated by singers and the way one voice could make you feel something completely different from another. I immersed myself in those sounds without really thinking about genre. I was also dancing Ballet Folklórico and flamenco from a young age, so there was always this mixture of cultures, rhythms and influences around me. Looking back, it makes perfect sense that I eventually became an artist who has never fit comfortably into one musical box.
My life followed a similarly winding path. I moved to New York, studied theatre and English Literature at Adelphi University, spent many years in Los Angeles, became a mother, taught school, wrote songs and continued performing. I’ve had the opportunity to sing on incredible stages, tour as a background vocalist for Joan Sebastian, release my own records and work across everything from soul and jazz to Latin music, Tejano and Conjunto. Every chapter added something different to who I became as an artist.
Coming back to Texas eventually led me to rediscover my grandmother’s recordings, which became the inspiration for my album Tú de Mí Te Acordarás and, ultimately, the documentary I’m directing now. What began as something deeply personal grew into a much larger exploration of the music, the people behind it, and the stories that can so easily disappear if no one takes the time to preserve them.
At this point in my life, all of those seemingly unrelated chapters finally make sense together. The music, my family, motherhood, teaching, performing, storytelling and even coming back to Texas. They have all somehow led me back here. My work now feels less about chasing one particular destination and more about creating something meaningful that preserves where I came from while adding my own chapter to the story.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I raised my daughter as a single mother, and for many years I felt like I was constantly in survival mode. I was teaching, waiting tables, taking whatever singing or performing gig came my way, and doing whatever I could to make enough for the two of us to live in Los Angeles. There were times when we actually lived on the property of the school where I taught because they gave me a break on rent, and other times when we stayed with friends or people I had worked with. There wasn’t much room to stop and ask, “What do I really want?” It was more often, “What do I need to do next to keep us going?”
I also had to learn some difficult lessons about the music industry and about myself. When you’re young, trying to survive and afraid of losing an opportunity, it’s very easy to become a people pleaser without even realizing it. You say yes. You try to be easy to work with. You don’t want to make waves because you want to be liked, hired again, or invited back. As a woman in this industry, especially one without a strong support system or someone advocating on your behalf……that can leave you vulnerable to people who recognize that you need the opportunity more than they need you.
It took me years to understand that being kind and being accommodating are not the same as undervaluing yourself. I know my boundaries now. I know when something isn’t right for me, and I’m much more comfortable saying no. Those were hard lessons to learn, but I think they’ve given me a very different relationship with my career today. I’m still ambitious and I still love what I do, but I’m no longer willing to lose myself trying to make someone else comfortable.
And through all of it, my daughter was always the reason I kept going. I may not have had the luxury of taking the easiest or most direct path, but looking back, I’m incredibly proud that somehow I continued to make music, create, perform and dream while also making sure she had what she needed. Survival may have shaped a lot of my choices, but it never completely took away my ability to create.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve always had a hard time answering the question, “What kind of artist are you?” because the truthful answer is that I’m a little bit of everything. I’m a singer, songwriter, producer and performer first, but my work has never lived comfortably inside one genre. I’ve made soul and R&B records, Latin music, jazz and big band music, and now a deeply traditional Conjunto/Tejano album. For years I thought that was something I needed to figure out or somehow narrow down. Now I realize it’s probably the thing that defines me most.
I think what connects all of it is storytelling and emotion. Whether I’m singing Billie Holiday, an Amy Winehouse song, one of my own originals, or a Conjunto song my grandmother recorded decades ago, I’m always looking for the emotional truth in the music. I’m not particularly interested in singing something just to sing it well. I want to understand what it’s saying and make somebody feel it.
I’m also a creator beyond being a vocalist. I write and produce music, conceptualize and direct visual projects, and I’m currently directing my first documentary. I love taking an idea from that very first spark and figuring out how the music, imagery and story can all work together. I think my background in theatre, writing, dance and even teaching has found its way into the way I approach my work.
What I’m most proud of, though, is probably the fact that I’m still evolving. I’ve performed on enormous stadium stages and tiny ones, sung behind legendary artists, released my own records, received awards and nominations, and had some incredible experiences, but I don’t feel like my most interesting work is behind me. At 51, I actually feel more creatively certain of myself than I ever have.
For a long time, I thought being difficult to categorize was a disadvantage. Now I see it differently. I don’t think an artist has to choose between all the things that made them who they are. My music is a collection of all of it….soul, jazz, Latin music, Conjunto, storytelling, and every version of myself that existed along the way.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy has actually become much simpler as I’ve gotten older. My daughter, my family, making music, creating something from absolutely nothing, being onstage and having that moment where I can feel an audience connecting with me. That gives me a kind of joy that’s hard to explain.
I also really value freedom now. Freedom to create what I want, to change my mind, to reinvent myself, to travel, to laugh with people I love, and sometimes just to have a quiet day where absolutely nothing is required of me. I think when you’ve spent a lot of your life in survival mode, you eventually realize how valuable peace can be.
Creatively, I’m happiest when I’m right at the cusp of a creative breakthrough. It’s happening now with the soundtrack for the documentary!! I love the beginning of an idea, writing a song, discovering an old photograph or piece of family history, imagining a scene for the documentary, hearing an arrangement come together, or suddenly seeing how all the pieces connect. There’s something so incredibly magical about making something exist that wasn’t there before.
And honestly, at this stage of my life, happiness is also being able to know with conviction….I’m still here, I’m still creating, I’m still dreaming, and I’m still excited about what I haven’t done yet. I think that’s pretty special.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://estanifrizzell.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/estanifrizzell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estaniofficial
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EstaniFrizzell
