Esther Crow

I am an award-winning singer, songwriter, kids’ entertainer, teacher, care-giver, and sometimes-actor, who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in the very apartment I grew up in, with my husband, Dan, and our 9-yr-old son, Vincent. 

I have been writing and performing music for many years (including touring with my rock band, The Electric Mess), but after Vincent was born, became inspired to write material for children. 

In June 2021, I released my first solo album, produced by Grammy-winning engineer, Dean Jones, called  All Together Now, with lots of rock songs about animals and the climate. On Earth Day, April 22nd, 2023, I will release my 2nd solo album, "Listen Lead Love", also produced by Dean Jones. This album will include Homemade Halloween, Christmas Socks (both released in 2022) as well as The Leader in You, released on January 27th, 2023.

I have performed all over New York, and NJ, both as a solo performer, and with Thunder & Sunshine.  I was a regular guest reader at Bank Street Book Store, and I’ve worked with children in shelters through ArtStart. Currently, I teach independently both in Riverside and Central Parks, and also do "pop up" shows in both parks, in which I donate part of proceeds to an environmental or social cause.

During the beginning of the quarantine in NYC due to Covid, I started performing regularly on Instagram Live (both independently, and thru the Brooklyn Public Library)  YouTube Live (including an Earth Day show via Fort Greene Park), and FaceBook Live (as a guest of Little Miss Ann, Matt Heaton and Suzi Shelton). I have several videos for kids on my YouTube Channel- including some fun “family jams” with Dan and Vincent!

I was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, just below Columbia University. In the 70’s and 80’s, it was even more of a melting pot of sounds, cuisine, and people, than it is today. My parents were both classical musicians at the Metropolitan Opera: my mom was a soprano, and my dad was a principal cellist. My mom was also 
a jazz lover, and some kind of jazz or classical music was always playing in our house. 

Our apartment is between Broadway and Amsterdam, and as a kid, I have distinct memories of the soundtrack of Dominican music swelling with every step eastward. (That soundtrack, thankfully, still often plays today.) With the advent of hip hop in the late 70’s/early 80’s, groups of teens carrying boom boxes would also pepper these streets. Those beats definitely left an imprint in my musical psyche. 

MTV was born on August 1st, 1981, and I was hooked by the first video. I welcomed those New Wave sounds with open arms. Lots of swirling synths and a parade of bombastic costumes. I loved the pomp pageantry of it all. 

I feel very lucky to have been exposed to so many genres of music, and my goal is to incorporate lots of these influences into the music I write, especially for children. Variety is a big component in holding the attention of both music-maker, and listener. I hope you enjoy exploring my music as much as I enjoy writing and performing it!