“I HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME FEEL A CERTAIN WAY-THAT’S HOW I WRITE SONGS”
Much like the title of her single ‘Daydreaming’ suggests, the soulful croons of musician Celeste’s smoky voice are laced with hazy nostalgia. From the softness of the song’s bridge to the full-bodied, guttural sound it reaches in its hypnotic hook, the simultaneous rawness and tenderness of her voice touches the soul in the same way that the jazz greats, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Eartha Kitt, touched Celeste’s as a child. In anticipation of the release of her EP, we speak to the musician about her influences, what inspires her to write songs and where her love for music began.
WHERE DID YOUR PASSION FOR MUSIC BEGIN AND HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUR INITIAL BACKGROUND WITH MUSIC FEEDS INTO THE MUSIC YOU CREATE NOW?
It’s hard to pin point an exact time. I always knew I was interested in music-from like 3 years old. I tried learning different instruments throughout school, like violin and saxophone. I was obsessed with the violin-I still am. I always knew I had a voice too, I just never really knew what I could do with it.
WHEN DID THAT LOVE FOR MUSIC SHIFT INTO WANTING TO CREATE YOUR OWN?
I never really thought about sitting down and writing a song, until I was like 15. I remember just having an idea for a beat and some lyrics so I just sat at my computer and made it. I think that’s when I realised I could make my own music. Then I had a band with some boys from my college and we used to practise every weekend. One day we wrote this song called Sirens, which was the first thing I wrote that actually meant something. It was also the first thing my manager heard, which lead to me then going to the studio and taking writing more seriously.
WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES-MUSICAL AND OTHERWISE?
I grew up with my Mother-she could never really sing, but she loved to. I remember her off-kilter renditions of Annie Lennox in the kitchen and her attempts at singing ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’. I also spent a lot of time at my Nan and Grandad’s-their taste in music was anything from the 40s - 60s really; they listened to Jazz, Soul…my Nan was a Mod in her 20s, so her thing was a bit more rock and roll, whereas my Grandad was a bit more old-fashioned. I think that’s where I took most of my influence from: Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, Otis Redding. There’s so many I could mention, but those are the ones that stuck out. It’s much the same now, but obviously now I’m older and have the freedom to buy and discover more music, I listen everything that I can find.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT?
THE MILK AND HONEY (EP)
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR WORK FOR YOU-BOTH IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY WITH YOUR MUSIC?
To have a clear vision in my head of what I want, having the right team of people around me to listen to my ideas, and just general life-I have to have something that makes me feel a certain way. That’s how I write songs.
LISTEN TO CELESTE HERE: soundcloud.com/celestewaite
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