Ester Dean is only 26-years-old, but has a resume that parallels some of the music industry’s long-time veterans. She has written hits for Rihanna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Monica, Usher and more. The “Drop It Low” singer is making her acting debut in the film Pitch Perfect which in now playing in select theaters and can be seen nationwide tomorrow.
In the musical comedy, which follows an all-girls a cappella group “The Bellas” as they try to beat a reigning a cappella group, Dean takes on the role of Cynthia Rose, a college introvert with an incredible gift for music.
“Nobody was like ‘oh she’s new,’” Dean said about her debut acting gig, during an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon. “We all had a big task at hand with learning all the dances and listening to the music, so we didn’t have time for nerves or anything like that.”
Dean’s character in the film is openly lesbian, and she spoke out about the acceptance of LGBT artists like Frank Ocean, among other musicians within the current hip-hop and R&B community.
“Frank Ocean’s awesome. I call Frank Ocean the new Luther Vandross, because you know Luther was gay, I believe… and women didn’t give a damn.”
In the film Dean covers the song “S&M,” a tune she wrote that eventually was made famous by Rihanna. “It was weird, because when they showed me I was gonna sing it [“S&M”], I said ‘well you know I wrote that song, right.’”
Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC