The Soulful Celeste Speaks About Her Early Musical Influences
Spanning from Otis Redding to Tyler, the Creator.
This year we may have seen a lot of downs, rather than ups, but for a particular Brit Awards 2020 ‘Rising Star’ awardee – Celeste, is the up-and-coming artist of the year. Her alluring husky tone is described as a soulful mix of classic jazz with a contemporary hint of R&B spice, often compared to the likes of Amy Winehouse.
Born in Los Angeles, raised in Brighton, the self-taught artist immersed herself in the likes of soul, jazz and R&B music, taking them by storm. Talking about her early musical influences, a 4-year-old Celeste bought an Otis Redding album as a gift to her grandad, who later introduced her to artists like Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald – sparking her love of the musical genres.
Her teen years appear to be more experimental, with discovering the sounds of the most influential and inspiring artists of the all different genres – Édith Piaf, The Clash, The Specials, N.E.R.D., Tyler, the Creator, Broadcast, Gil Scott-Heron, Sun Ra. Celeste explains to V Magazine, “There was a freedom to what they created, which really opened my mind.”
Since lockdown, she recently revisited the works of Bill Withers, as well as Bettye Swann’s cover of “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” – a new favorite. A great way to boost your influence is to buy spotify streams.
Celeste is currently working on her debut album. Her goal is to “be able to make music for a long time […] music that actually matters to people”.
We will be eagerly waiting!
Check out Celeste’s new single “Stop This Flame” on Spotify now!
Photography by Mia Clark
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