ABOUT
Estelle (from her real name) was born in France to a French father and a Vietnamese mother. At the age of 12, a DVD of a Celine Dion live show changed her life. She quickly started imitating her, becoming more and more drawn to performing and singing. Unfortunately, life events made her doubt her skills and herself to the point she stopped pursuing her goals.
At 20, she moved to London in the hope of finding herself back, but it's only at 25 that Estelle entered BIMM London. In 2020, she released her first single 'Haunted Castle', portraying herself as a vulnerable princess; followed by 'Lucifer' in 2021 with a more mature outtake.
Growing up singing and listening to Pop mainly, Estelle took lots of Pop Rock and Rock influences throughout her degrees at BIMM, creating her new alter ego Zelda Jeane in 2022. 'Zelda' is a reference to her favourite character and video game, 'The Legend of Zelda', and 'Jeane' is a tribute to one of her role models, Marilyn Monroe (birthed 'Norma Jeane'), whom Estelle found lots of similarities with.
In 2023-2024, Estelle got diagnosed with ADHD and PTSD. After taking a while away from the spotlight, these diagnoses made her want to come back with a stronger message to share, pouring her struggles into her craft.
ZELDA JEANE's
timeline
When she was about 13 years old, Estelle already knew she wanted to sing. One evening, while taking her shower, she was imagining herself on stage, but most of all, she started wondering how she would be introduced on stage. She could not hear "Welcome to the stage... Estelle!" But... What else?
Once she got out of the bathroom, her first sight was her brother's closed door. On that door, there was a poster... 'The Legend Of Zelda, Twilight Princess'. And it instantly clicked. 'I am Zelda.'
For years, she was terrified someone would steal her stage name until she could "make it". As a symbolic gesture, her cousin - who was the only one to know Estelle wanted to sing at the time - took 'Z ' and added it to 'Estelle'.
Among her friends and family, 'Zestelle' became her nickname for more than a decade, sometimes even shortened to 'Zest'; without them even knowing where it really came from.
Little Estelle was born in 1994...
Circa 2006-2007
September 2019
2019-2022
April 2022
May 2nd 2022 🥀
June 2022
'Birth of Zelda'
27th February 2025 - TODAY
V
Estelle sees her brother's 'The Legend Of Zelda' wall poster when she is only 13. She instantly knows she wants 'Zelda' as her stage name - if she ever gets to use one someday.
Estelle kept 'Zelda' secret throughout her whole life for fear of someone stealing it. Only her cousin knew about it until really late. When Estelle enters BIMM London in September 2019, she decides to scrap the idea of a stage name and simply go by her real name.
Throughout her degree, Estelle struggles with a massive lack of confidence, stage fright and panic attacks. The idea of officially creating an alter ego for herself isn't growing in her mind until the end of year 3 in 2022, but she starts researching about it in late 2021 when studying Rock & Metal.
Feeling quite depressed after a heartbreak in early 2022, Estelle decides the only way is to 'split personalities' into a persona to take over her music studies, while 'Estelle gets into survival mode'.
One night while researching stage name's ideas, 'Zelda' comes back to her mind: it instantly clicks.
Estelle performs with her band for a 30min set at The Half Moon (London). She finishes her set by reusing Taylor Swift's 'The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now' from 'Look What You Made Me Do', by instead screaming 'The Pop Estelle can't come to the stage right now. Why? 'Cause, she's DEAD!', marking the end of an era - and the beginning of a pop/rock one as Zelda.
After hesitating with many different surnames for two months, Estelle decides 'Jeane' is going to be Zelda's last name. It is in reference to Marilyn Monroe's real name, Norma Jeane. Estelle grew an adoration for Marilyn Monroe a few years prior (circa 2016).
Estelle even discovers in late June that Marilyn once used 'Zelda' as a new alter ego's name to escape her tough reality.
After taking years to heal 'Estelle' behind closed doors & writing songs about her struggles, Zelda Jeane finally goes back up on stage. On the 27th February 2025, she performs new unreleased songs, including 'Drama Queen', her first single under the name of Zelda Jeane, 'silently' released in May 2024.
With her conceptual art, visuals & songs, Zelda aims to heal while sharing her journey to recovery without filter, hoping to incite others to heal too.
Unfolding as we speak...
