products of procrastination - es. hampton
I remember the first time I heard es. hampton’s voice, it was a startling, yet beautiful surprise. From the deep baritone soothing voice to the depth of his lyrics, I could tell that he had something. products of procrastination is a project that though spans the past fast few years of es. hampton’s life, it fully came to fruition during this time of social isolation. A time that for many of us is filled with self-reflection, heartache, and finding our own self-worth and this project encompasses all of that.
From the start of products of procrastination, you see es. hampton caught in a crossroads between a shift in his relationship and how he feels about himself. He can sense there is lack in his relationship but doesn’t know how to let go. By the time you get to my favorite track, “prayer to the unrequited,” you see that he's is in the throws of wanting out, knowing he deserves more, and not feeling like he’s worthy of more. The depth in storytelling carries the listener through to this project without a skip which is very important to es. hampton. Even though he never wrote music before this and being a songwriter wasn’t necessarily in his plan, he says that these songs were actually pretty easy to write because the time in quarantine gave him the space to revisit these feelings and start the new venture of making this EP.
But songwriting wasn’t the only first for es.hamption and products of procrastination. This is also his first time producing, mixing, and mastering. Also, like many of us being extremely resourceful during social distancing, he mostly recorded this project on a set of wired apple headphones with his computer. In some ways, he would describe the process of creating this project as something he just fell into, but it is something he wants to do long-term. In his words, “COVID just allowed him the space to finalize this project and the things that I had been doing on weekends and sporadically. Now in COVID, it’s like why not give this more attention and more intention.” That intention rings true to the success of this body of work.
By the end of this products of procrastination, you’ll see that es. hampton has found the love he’s looking for, not in another person but in himself and God, who gives a love that is omnipresent and never shifting. When asked what he wants his listeners to get out of this project, it is the hope for self-love. He states, “You know what you want, you know what you like, you are your greatest historian, but you are still willing to sacrifice a lot, and it doesn’t need to be that way. I don’t want this to sound cliche, like love yourself, but this was applicable at the time when I needed to come to this realization. I cannot depend on people to choose me when I am more than willing and able to do it.”
To follow es. hampton on this creative journey and see what is next for him, follow him on Instagram and click below to hear products of procrastination.
