On 29 January 2021, Celeste released her eagerly anticipated debut album Not Your Muse. The record is a sublime mix of soul, R&B, jazz and everything in between, topped off with crisp modern production. Celeste’s soulful approach to writing music takes the best of what’s gone before and brings it up to date with a striking new energy. Not Your Muse sounds familiar yet feels like a breath of fresh air at the exact same time.
The R&B record features a number of pre-released singles including the joyously epic Stop This Flame and the heart rendering Strange. Stop This Flame was first released last year on 9 January, not long after Celeste had been announced as the BBC’s Sound of 2020. Blending a choppy jazz piano line with an uplifting R&B arrangement, Stop This Flame sits one third of the way through Not Your Muse.
Celeste’s latest single to be taken from Not Your Muse is the retro-soul number Love Is Back. The track is infectious, confident and cool with its laid back beat, stomping brass section and Celeste’s strong R&B vocal.
A Little Love features as the penultimate song on Celeste’s debut album and the track was also featured on the annual and greatly anticipated John Lewis Christmas advert for 2020. A Little Love is a classic and timeless ballad and presents a perfect example of the spectacular range in Celeste’s work contained on Not Your Muse.
We take a look at where it all began for one of the UK’s most exciting talents.
Born on 5 May 1994 in Culver City, California to her British mother and Jamaican father, Celeste moved to Saltdean in England at the age of 3. Growing up in the Brighton area, Celeste first started making music in her teens and went on to study Music Technology at Varndean College. In July 2014, Celeste posted her first song to Soundcloud. That same year, Celeste compiled four tracks through her Soundcloud to create her self titled EP. It’s around this time that she submitted her track North Circular to the BBC Music Introducing website and the song was subsequently picked up by BBC Radio 1 DJs.
Celeste then began gaining the attention of producers and industry professionals and started picking up vocal guest slows. Celeste provided her soulful vocals for TIEKS summer house jam Sing That Song in 2014 and Avicii’s groovy trance anthem Touch Me the following year.
Having worked her way up through the circuit by providing backing vocals for electronic duo Real Lies, Celeste eventually released her debut single Daydreaming through Lily Allen’s record label, Bank Holiday Records in 2016. The track is a slick R&B number and features the soul fueled vocals that Celeste has continued to develop as her signature sound.
The following year, Celeste released her debut professional EP Milk & Honey. The title track from the release combines atmospheric synth pads with cinematic strings, glitchy drum hits and a stunning trumpet breakdown. Celeste’s vocal is extremely confident and the track is layered to perfection.
In October 2017, Celeste released the promotional single Not For Me. The track features a soulful motown quality mixed with a sharp hip hop beat. Celeste’s vocals are dusted with a certain hint of Amy Winehouse with whom comparisons have been made throughout the artist’s rise over the past couple of years.
Celeste released her next EP Lately in March 2019. The title track is a new soul gem featuring a string section that builds tension throughout, matched perfectly with Celeste’s effortlessly cool and timeless vocals.
At the tail end of 2019, Celeste rolled out Strange which would end up being the lead single from her debut album, Not Your Muse. The track presented a more stripped back composition as Celeste’s emotionally charged vocal, bearing similarities in tone to the great Billie Holiday, was laid confidently alongside a beautiful piano arrangement.
Also in 2019, Celeste worked with mod legend Paul Weller for a captivating duet which came in the form of You Do Something To Me.
Celeste was announced as the BBC Introducing Artist of the Year in 2019 and the following year took the top spot in the BBC Sound of 2020 as well as being announced as the winner of the Brits 2020 Rising Star award.
And these awards proved to be right. 2020 was a sensational year for Celeste. Having performed on Jools Holland’s annual New Year’s Eve Hootenanny, at the Brit Awards, on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge and The Voice Finale Performance (to name but a few), Celeste quickly became a household name and certified herself as one of the most exciting talents in the game with her timeless, confident and soulful sound.
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