Voice are delighted to announce the launch of It’s Not All Black and White by Esther Humphries. You can listen to Esther’s EP on the Music page of our website, where you will also find links to CD purchase, Spotify and Apple Music.
Here, Esther tells us more about her wonderful songs and the creative faith journey that she has been through.
You’ve written and recorded your first EP! How does it feel?
To put it simply, it feels amazing! I only started songwriting in 2019, and I never anticipated that I would record an EP, but it’s been a wonderful process. Songwriting is one of the ways I connect with God and worship Him…and recording this EP has created a way for me to use the gifts God has given me, not only to share the testimony of what He’s done in my life, but also to give all the glory back to Him!
The title of the album is ‘It’s Not All Black and White’. How did you come up with this and what does it mean to you?
Sometimes I wish there was a lightbulb moment for how I came up with this title, but I’m afraid there isn’t! When I first started songwriting, I added a folder to the Notes app on my phone titled ‘It’s Not All Black and White’ (followed by a little piano emoji!). This was mainly because most of my singing and songwriting happened at my piano, so naming the EP after that folder just felt like the right next step in the journey.
As I began choosing which of my songs were going to feature on the EP, the title gained more significance, reflecting the reality that life isn’t always straightforward…but despite that, God is faithful through everything – He’s been holding my hand every step of the way, in the lowest valleys and on the highest mountains!
If you had to pick a favourite song from the EP, what would it be and why?
This is a tricky question…and actually, my answer to it has changed during the process of preparing and releasing the EP. Before I confirmed which songs were going to feature on the album, I asked my sisters to listen to all the potential songs I was considering and suggest which ones should make the final track list. Their lists both included ‘The Storm’, which wasn’t initially at the top of mine! But in hindsight, I’m so glad that I decided to add this song into the final track list…I have received so much encouragement about this song, and that’s usually because people can relate to the experience of being in a difficult situation – in a metaphorical ‘storm’. This song shares how Jesus has been with me in my storms, and the fact that God’s presence in my story has encouraged others is a great blessing to me.
You co-wrote ‘Loved’ with Annie White and Cai Grimshaw. Tell us more about the process and what the experience was like.
Writing ‘Loved’ with Annie and Cai, who are two of my best friends and truly beautiful humans, was a wonderful experience! We actually wrote the song over Zoom (and across two different countries!) during one of the COVID-19 lockdowns, and the day that we recorded it was the first time we had ever sung it together. That was such a special moment, and it’s a memory I will never forget.
Although Annie and Cai had written songs together before, I had never really tried co-writing, so the experience was entirely new to me! Despite that, it was so encouraging and inspiring to bounce ideas together, and I really enjoyed writing the different harmonies and parts in the chorus and the bridge.
The lyrics centre around Psalm 139, which is about the presence of God, who is love, joy, light, life, and everything else we could ever need. And yet He knows us deeply – our thoughts and our strengths, our downfalls and our weaknesses. He delights in us and calls us by name. By Him, we are known, forgiven, and treasured…by Him, we are loved.
You recently launched your EP with a concert at your church. How did it go and what were the highlights for you?
My EP launch was a beautiful evening! I really enjoyed sharing my songs and the stories behind them, and the encouragement and support I received from everyone who came was genuinely amazing.
I have two highlights which stand out for me, and the first was singing ‘You Are Enough’. It features as the fourth track on the EP, and it was the first of my own songs that I ever performed for a live audience. That was back in April 2022 at a Voice open mic night, and someone approached me afterwards and encouraged me to put the song on a CD. Because of that encouragement, I started considering the possibility of releasing my own album!
The second highlight was singing ‘By Your Side’ with Annie, Cai, and my eldest sister Abbi. We have all grown and changed so much since we began our individual Voice journeys and being able to sing one of our “golden oldies” together in three-part harmony was such a joy!
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