I could never package 20-year-old Esmee Denters as a charity case -- if Justin Timberlake signs you as his record label's flagship artist and touts you left and right, you've got your foot in the door -- yet my initial reaction to Esmee's "Outta Here" was, Is she scared? Having watched the video several times (I have my rewind-worthy segments, but we'll get to that), I've felt instead a vulnerability and a guilelessness in Esmee that makes me totally root for her -- even if she doesn't need me to.
If you'd like a little back story before joining up with Team Esmee, well, she's from Oosterbeek (sorry that's just fun to say), The Netherlands, and she's one of them YouTube phenoms the kids like to talk about. Esmee became somewhat of a viral giant from her bedroom thanks to her effortless covers of Mariah Carey, Brandy and, in particular, Justin Timberlake. JT took notice, signed Esmee to Tennman Records and produced, along with Polow da Don, her debut track "Outta Here."
There's a lot to like about the "Outta Here" video, which you can watch below: First off, I know it's a staple, but I love the wind machine on the dance floor; really, all dance floors should have wind machines. Also, Esmee's crumbled poses and her pained, sleepy eyes actually enhance the song's effects -- it's not a break-up track; it's a downward spiral track -- but then it's cut with Polow's beats, which make it totally listen-able.
"Outta Here"'s pretty major in The Netherlands right now, but, as we all know, I'm rooting for Esmee -- and she needs to get her footing Stateside!