Ester Dean

American actor, R&B singer and songwriter Ester Dean has earned the nickname "The Song Factory," for being the author of many Top 10 hits. Dean started to channel her feelings into music from a young age and by the time she was 20, she was already writing songs for local Omaha rappers and producers. Not long after she was scouted by a producer and signed her first publishing deal. Dean eventually relocated to Los Angeles and released her debut single, "Drop it Low," featuring Chris Brown. Her big break into the industry came in 2009, when she wrote the song "Rude Boy" for Rihanna, earning her first number one single. She went on to establish a lasting partnership with Rihanna, also collaborating with other entertainment giants, such as Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera, Drake, Britney Spears and Katy Perry. Dean's debut into the movie scene was in the movie "Rio" (2011), for which she contributed to the soundtrack. Her first acting role soon followed, with "Pitch Perfect" (2012) and its two sequels, "Pitch Perfect 2" (2015) and "Pitch Perfect 3" (2017). In 2022, she was on the jury panel for the American Song Contest, representing Oklahoma.