Celeste, who was considered the great musical promise of 2020, saw her plans for that year go up in smoke due to the corona crisis. The British soul singer tells in conversation with NU.nl that the extra time she got to complete her album ensured that she regained control of her own music.
The 26-year-old artist was tipped off by the main music authorities early last year and her single Stop This Flame became a hit. In February she had finished most of her debut record and in March she would put the finishing touches on it in the studio, but the corona virus prevented that.
“Those months in which I came home were very valuable to me in the making of the album”, says Celeste Waite, as the singer is called in full. “I started working on a number of songs that had faded into the background. I had more time to reflect on what I really wanted to say.”
One of those songs is the slowly building, soulful Not Your Muse, after which her debut album, released on Friday, was eventually named. “It stands for the self-confidence that I found in making the record. I became convinced of my own strength again and dared to take responsibility for my own music again. I want to make music without having to take too much into account how other people think I should sound. “
Barren collaborations and an inexperienced band
Celeste explains that studio sessions were regularly booked for her with writers and producers who did not click musically. “I couldn’t make the music I wanted to make with them. I had to break free from that pattern. I succeeded in that in the past year, because I had the time.”
The singer wanted to go into the studio with her band members, who were not very experienced with recording an album. Her environment advised against this. Her busy schedule and sessions with other writers also left little room in her schedule for studio time with her band.
“I wanted to prove that I could work best with my band, but because we had limited time, it put too much pressure on it. I got overwhelmed, so nothing productive came out of those sessions. ”
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“I was eager to prove that I could work the best with my band, but time constraints put too much pressure on them. I got overwhelmed, so nothing productive came out of those sessions. Because of the corona crisis, I had no other option than to work with my band. I could let go of the pressure and did not let myself be upset. “
After months of waiting, they were allowed back into the studio in September, where they only had two weeks due to other bookings of the space and an imminent lockdown. “We really worked like crazy, but it was more than worth it.”
‘Sound not yet perfected’
Celeste explains that there is blood, sweat and tears in the balanced production of the songs. “Tonight Tonight is gloomy and melancholic in nature and lost this a bit with drums, but without drums it was too slow and depressing. On Stop This Flame we wanted to preserve the authenticity of live instruments, but at the same time create that big sound that could appeal to a large audience. That balance is sometimes difficult to find. “
In the meantime, the British has already started writing the next album. “I’ve already written some songs that I wanted to keep, because I wouldn’t have enough time to work them out for this record. I even already know which song I want to start the next album with.”
“Not Your Muse is the beginning of finding my voice. I haven’t perfected my sound yet and want to go a lot further. “
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