Rising Stars: Meet Celleste

Today we’d like to introduce you to Celleste.

Hi Celleste, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Music has always been in my family, my father was a musician and singer, so we always had music playing in the house. Our family parties were filled with live music, where everyone would play an instrument or sing a song… it made for very entertaining family gatherings. I did many shows as a child in various local dance troops, but the first time I sang into a microphone in front of a crowd was at one of those family parties… and let me tell you, I was hooked – right there I knew this was what I wanted to do when I grow up. I started a band after graduating from high school and organized performances at local church basements. That was the beginning of my DIY mindset. From there I started taking private singing lessons, which led to auditioning for a production show, where I got the role as a singer and dancer, performing as many as nine shows a week. I also had the opportunity to tour Europe as a backup singer, dancer and assistant choreographer for a very successful Canadian Sony recording artist.

I modeled, was the face of Canadian makeup brand “Élégant”, was on the cover of Summum Magazine (Canada’s equivalent to Maxim), did some acting, and was the lead actress/singer for a Yoplait Yogurt national TV ad-campaign in both French and English. I got to do lots of fun shows, including performing at Montreal’s Bell Centre arena before the legendary Alice Cooper, singing and dancing on televised galas for Montreal’s world-famous “Just for Laughs Comedy Festival” alongside the likes of Craig Ferguson and John Pinet, being featured on Time-Warner’s IndTV, showcasing at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, and performing at the NAMM music trade show in Anaheim, as well as Hollywood’s Musexpo showcase. When I met producer Eric Dick at the beginning of my artistic journey, we immediately clicked and started songwriting together. I became the singer of his show band, and we developed a great friendship. Eventually, we realized we were not only a strong working team but also soul mates. That led to releasing lots of music together for my own solo career, starting an independent record Label, and finally realizing a childhood dream we each had, moving to California in late 2017.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Has it been a smooth road? Lol. First things first… if you decide that you’re going to make your dreams come true, you’re probably in for a lot of work, tough decisions, and a roller coaster of emotions. And if you decide to be in charge yourself and do it all independently… well, expect everything I just said in double! At least that was my experience. But who cares, right? When you’re so passionate about what you do, it’s not work… it’s fun and exciting. When you’re so determined to follow your heart, nothing else matters. Every decision I’ve made was based on making my dreams come true. Was it easy to leave everything behind and move to another country? No, but when there’s a fire burning inside you, you can’t stop it, I just knew this was my destiny, and my parents understood. Did I have financial difficulties? Lol Yes, but somehow life always took care of me along the way, and solutions would come my way so that I could continue my journey. Rejection and closed doors? Sure, that’s the name of the game… but you just have to keep looking forward.

Although I’m like a cat and always land on my feet, I was not expecting the biggest challenge of my life: the sudden passing of my dad due to cancer in January 2020, right before the pandemic lockdown. My dad was my hero, my biggest fan, and we had a very strong connection through music and spirituality. After he left this world, I worked like crazy… then I went into a mourning/depression/burnout period. I didn’t feel like doing anything anymore. I didn’t want to sing or write music because I felt it was unfair that he couldn’t sing anymore… so in a way I guess I thought I was being loyal to him. I took a six-month break, spent a lot of time outside with my puppy, read books, wrote in my journal, and started meditating. I essentially took time to mourn and heal myself. Eric kept telling me – your dad wants you to sing, wants you to continue your journey for yourself and for himself too. And one day, the spark came back… stronger than ever. Once you face death, it gives you a different perspective on life. I started focusing more on the present and less on the end goal or destination. I found the kid inside me again… the one that would sing and dance every day after school in my parent’s basement and wasn’t putting any pressure on herself… she just did it because it was such a big part of her because it made her so happy. That’s a very honest, sincere and pure feeling to have… and unfortunately as adults we often get caught up with the world, business, life, work, achievements, etc… I personally tend to put too much on my plate and pretend I’m Superwoman… then I get tired, stressed out, and I forget to breathe and JUST HAVE FUN. That’s my focus now, and it’s totally showing in my creativity… more freedom, more truth, more ME.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My latest pop single is called “I’m The Boss”, but I’m presently writing and recording three EP’s that will form the basis of a full-length album. I’m super-hyped about it because since I moved to L.A. I’ve only been releasing singles. So to have a full body of work showing all my colors is very satisfying and fulfilling as a singer and songwriter. The album is 70’s/80’s/90’s-inspired, a blend of pop, dance, nudisco, and funk. It’s all about bass and drums and fun grooves that just make you want to dance. I definitely feel like the world needs positivity right now, so I want to lift up people’s spirits, make them smile and feel good. Music is such a powerful therapy, and when my music makes people happy, then I feel like I’ve done my job as an artist and, well, a human being. We’ll be “water falling” the album throughout 2023 (releasing a song a month), with the first single and music video coming out in January.

As an artist, I put no limit on my creativity. Some musicians are multi-instrumentalists, where I’d call myself a “multi-artist”. I’m a singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, model, and photographer. I also direct, film, and edit my own music videos, as well as for others. I’m a very resourceful person, I’ve built sets, made costumes, etc… whatever needs to be done, I’m up for it. Even when it comes to singing, I’ve sang countless different styles in my career – from rock to crooning and everything in between. Basically, if something interests me, then I usually want to explore it and become good at it. Sure, writing and recording music has always remained the central focus, but I think my ability to cross over into many other artistic areas is what sets me apart from others. Jumping from one thing to the next is what keeps my work exciting and fresh.

In life and in art, what I’m most proud of is the fact that I dare to be myself, follow my heart, and keep making my dreams come true… whatever people say or think, however easy or hard it is… because in the end we only have one life to live. I always want to be in a position where I look back and say – I lived my life the way I wanted, I did what I loved to do… and I did it fully with all my heart.

As far as projects, Eric and I recently worked on two special projects which we’re very proud of. We had always wanted to unite activism with our music, and so in 2018, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, we created “We Go On (California Strong)”, a song and video honoring the survivors and first responders of the historical Wolsey Fire, and other natural disasters, to help raise money for the rebuilding of California homes. Then soon after when the pandemic set in, we aligned ourselves with “Teenline Online” in Los Angeles and “Just for Kids Foundation” in Montreal and got working on a second huge undertaking: “Breathe!” – a song and video uniting 140 people from both cities, all singing together in support of mental health awareness. The project continues to circulate on social media, raising funds and awareness for mental health.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I believe we make our own luck. I’ve had some pretty magical moments in my life… call it luck, call it the universe providing, call it destiny… but I can tell you one thing for sure, it’s no coincidence. I desire something, I put it out there, I visualize it, I make it happen somehow… Do I always get what I want when I want it? Lol. Some things take longer than others… but I have to respect the process… I believe that everything happens for a reason, and we are our own limit… So if something doesn’t manifest itself as fast as I’d like it to, it might be because I’m not looking at the bigger picture, or fear is in the way blocking the energy flow… But in general, I have a lot of serendipity in my life, and when those moments occur, it’s simply amazing. It makes me tear up every time, and I’m so grateful for those blessings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.celleste.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celleste_music
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cellestemusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cellestemusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cellesteTV
• Yelp: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3tM3LCbkwu6JuDgLyPzMiE?si=bKXy4MqPRwCtNhzKWK3D8A
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cellestemusic

Image Credits
Photos by Mighty Music