Sylvan Esso Biography

Sylvan Esso, consisting of vocalist Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, is an American indie pop duo formed in 2013. One year later they released their debut album, Sylvan Esso, peaking at number 39 on the Billboard 200. Furthermore, their second album, What Now, is due for 2017. Their music “embraces saccharine synths, bright xylophone tones, and dance beats” stated Elle Magazine.

Early Years & Career

Amelia Meath initially formed a trio, Mountain Man, in 2009. She is currently still part of them, though in the meantime she met Nick Sanborn, thus leading to Sylvan Esso. The duo formed after the two artists met in a club from Milwaukee. They collaborated on Amelia’s song Play It Right and, after touring with Feist, the singer moved in with Nick, in his apartment from Durham. They began working on their debut album, recording in Nick’s bedroom.

Music Career

In 2014, Sylvan Esso released their debut, self-titled album. The record received positive reviews, Stereogum calling it “a breezy, joyous piece of work”, while AllMusic declared it “artsy and cool”. Notably, it reached top 5 on Billboard’s Electronic Albums charts. Additionally, it spawned 2 extremely acclaimed singles, Hey Mami and Play It Right. They made their TV breakthrough on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where they performed another single, Coffee. Finally, in the spring of 2017, they released their latest single, Die Young.

Photo credit: NYTimes