New York native, Christopher Estrada debuted his first full length album ‘The Other Man’ this summer. The album tells the story of a doomed lust fueled encounter. Using his own life as a source of inspiration, Estrada provides an honest look into heartbreak and the journey to redemption. We recently caught up with Christopher to discuss his debut album and what projects he has coming up next.
Interview Alicia Avery
You must be excited to have your first full length album out. Tell us a little about the inspiration behind it. Was it inspired by something that happened in your own life?
My album is inspired by heartbreak, which is something I’ve definitely had my fair share of. I am an incredibly passionate person, which leads to searingly intense love affairs, which leads to songs about heartbreak. There were times I thought I could be the younger man, there were times where I thought I could be the older man, and there was a time where I thought I could be The Other Man. Things didn’t go nearly as far as they could have, but that experience moved me deeply. It raised a lot of questions about what I truly thought about love, relationships, and ultimately what I thought about myself, and what type of love I truly deserve. And I poured all of that into my music.
What was the writing process like for this album in comparison to your EP? Did you approach the songwriting differently?
Although I wrote every song on my EP, it was still very much a collaborative effort with my production team at the time. Everything was subject to approval of some sort. And each of those songs were written as stand alone singles. The truth is, they were never really intended to be an album together, but the studio I was working with ended up going through some structural changes, literally overnight, and I was forced to release everything together on an EP, otherwise I would have lost all my work.
I started work on this album immediately after I released myself from that situation, and I knew that I wanted to allow myself to write about what ever came to me organically. I didn’t put myself under any time constraints, and most importantly, I played the role of executive producer for the project, which meant I didn’t need anyone’s approval but my own. It wasn’t about ego though, it was about honesty. And I honestly went through a lot in the 2 years I spent working on The Other Man. I rented an apartment in Brooklyn with 2 of my closest friends, I turned it into my home studio, and that’s where I did the bulk of the work on the album. I had the people closest to me as a soundboard, but other than that, I was on my own with this one. And I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
The album starts out like the beginning of a party, very fun and a little arrogant. In a a lot of ways the first 3 songs are really me puffing up my chest, trying to attract a mate. It’s very animalistic that way. Then what happens next, as I open up and become more vulnerable, I begin to realize that getting what you ask for is not always the best choice. And by the end of the album, I’m making my peace which the decisions I’ve made, I say my goodbyes and move on. It’s the story of a love affair gone wrong, from the perspective of the other man. But in reality, it’s about so much more. It’s about how I’ve matured, how I’ve learned from my mistakes, and how I’ve become the man I am today.
Are there any music artists, past or present who have inspired you and your style of music?
I love Madonna, and how she seamlessly transitions between several genres of music. I adore Jennifer Lopez’s drive, and how much fun she has on stage, and I am obsessed with everything about Shirley Manson. Those 3 woman are my musical holy trinity, and Stevie Nicks is my fairy Godmother, and Sade is the air that I breathe. I love women in music, they work harder and they take more risks. Men sometimes shoot themselves in the foot by trying to be too cool, or too suave. It’s rare you find a man to really bare their soul the way a woman will. A woman will show you her pain, a man will allude to it.
For those who may not be familiar with your work, how would you describe your sound?
I wouldn’t. I would tell them to have a listen for themselves. If I could describe my sound, then I would have no need to create it.
Do you have any shows or upcoming projects in the works?
Right now I’m in New York for the rest of the summer, I’m filming a movie for the Tribeca Film Institute. I’m the lead in a really great story, and I’m working with an amazing cast and crew. I play a character who has to make a choice between doing what’s best for his career verses doing what’s best for his soul. I can certainly relate to that. It will debut at next year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which is such an amazing opportunity, and I am so humbly grateful for it. It’s a very timely story with everything going on in America today, and it has nothing to do with music at all! I’m having a lot of fun bouncing back and forth between being on set for this incredible film project, and then running around performing songs from the new album. It makes for a pretty complicated sleep schedule, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I intend to tour throughout the country starting in the fall, and then Europe next spring. Nothing is set in stone just yet, first things first, I have to finish this movie. I also have an EP that I’ve been working on with Global, who is an incredible producer who I’ve worked with before, as well as a couple of other music projects coming down the pipeline. But right now, it’s all about The Other Man.
