"Momentary, temporary, transient, impermanent, fugitive, short-lived, fleeting," sings E^ST on the opening lines of her breakthrough single, Life Goes On. With each adjective, E^ST – aka Mel Bester – reaches for some sort of explanation of a relationship that's come and gone, made all the more painful by the clarity of hindsight. Later, she gives up trying to define it, and looks forward. "The moment ends, and life goes on".
"I'm not very good at talking about my emotions," says Bester. "I use songwriting to deal with the more complex feelings I have about things."
Such reflective insight shows wisdom beyond Bester's 19 years – but then again, making music isn't new to her. Born in South Africa and raised in Australia, the New South Wales-based artist says she's been singing ever since she could talk. She released her first EP, Old Age, in 2014 at the age of 16 – and that wasn't even her first time releasing music. "When I was 10, I did this really Disney, sickeningly sweet pop album." she says. "Don't go out of your way to look for it. It's best left in the past."
Songs from Old Age made their way on to Triple J's Unearthed station, which eventually caught the attention of Warner Music. Two more EPs followed – 2015's The Alley and 2016's Get Money – before Bester released Life Goes On this year, an electro-pop track that takes melancholic themes and throws them over a cathartic dance beat.
