“Always be open to learning and trying new things. Learn to forgive and be kind to others. There’s always better days after struggles. Lastly, always remember that we only have one life, so we should live it the best we can!” – Esty 

This Is Esty’s Story

Esty Richard was born and raised in Damansara, but she’s a true Sabahan by blood. Currently, she maintains a professional career in Business Development while actively pursuing her passion in music. 

Fun Facts About Esty 

While she’s mostly known as a person who loves singing, she actually loves gaming as well! “I’ve once clocked in about 50+ hours of gaming within 6 days on my week off. It was incredibly intense but super fun.” 

Despite gaming being fun, it also helps to improve her cognitive thinking and problem solving skills which she applies to both her work and personal life. 

Aside from gaming, you can find her writing songs and collecting fantasy paraphernalia, with the white-gold Arwen necklace from Lord of The Rings being her favourite! 

If Esty could be a superhero, she would love to have invisibility as her super power! “I think it’d be cool to disappear but still be in a room full of people or in the middle of nature. Just observing. I could also probably get away with free ice cream!” 

Everyone has their own role model, and for Esty, it’s none other than her parents. 

“I look up to my parents a lot. They taught me through adversity comes strength. They taught me to challenge myself, that learning never ends, to be independent but never too egoistic to ask for help when I need it the most,” Esty shared. 

Her Journey As A Singer 

She started off with her first experience in a recording booth to do a jingle for a local dessert brand when she was 7 years old. Growing up surrounded by alternative and punk rock music, naturally, led her to front a rock band that launched her music career. 

“From winning various ‘Battle of the Bands’, to scoring gigs with Volkswagen, Absolut Vodka, Crocs, Levis etc. We even opened for The All American Rejects and Five for Fighting in front of tens of thousands of people!”

As mentioned earlier, she has been actively pursuing a corporate life for the last 8 years or so after kick starting her music career. “It taught me so much about work ethics, discipline and a deeper understanding of the business world.”

At this point in time, she’s doing both – having an awesome day job while pursuing her passion for singing at the same time. “Who says you can’t do both, right?” Esty mentioned with a grin. 

How Her First Dance Track ‘Through My Mind’ Came About

It all started one night when she was sitting on her bed, admiring the beautiful hills through her window during the first MCO last year, pondering on what to write about. 

“I have a thing I do when I have writer’s block where I text a friend and ask for 3 random words. This time around it was – run, mind and love.” 

Her song, Through My Mind, started off as a slow number with vocals pitched lower for a more lo-fi, chill vibe. “Then, I found this amazingly talented EDM producer, DJ Karazey, and the next thing you know we were on Zoom making the beat from scratch. We decided to increase the tempo, used my original vocals and voila – my first dance track!”

On Dealing With Negativity And Practicing Self-Care 

As a normal human being, we all face some sort of negativity one way or another. While some of us may not know how to deal with it, Esty shares how she manages when faced with any shape or form of negativity. 

“I pause and shower myself with good energy. For example, I turn on happy music even though I know my mood says otherwise. I watch funny/inspirational videos on Youtube, I go on 9gag for memes or play with my dog, Holly. 

When I am in the correct headspace, I then assess the situation on neutral grounds and try to understand why I felt this way or why it happened.

I find this method gives me the opportunity to grow as a person and be better than I was yesterday,” Esty shared. 

As for ways on how she practices self-care, Esty shared that she regularly goes for facials and spa sessions, as well as giving herself an allowance to splurge on one thing every month. She also has a crystal healing bowl that she meditates to at least once a week. 

“Most importantly, I learnt to cut myself some slack, give myself a pat on the back every once in awhile acknowledging my achievements and tell myself every day, ‘I got this!’” 

We hope Esty’s story has inspired you the way it inspires us!

Do you have your own story to tell? Drop us an email at: contact@happyhormones.my 

Esty’s Instagram: @estyrichard

Esty’s Latest Single on Spotify: tinyurl.com/4axw3snx