Celleste

At the age of two, she was already posing for the camera, and by the age of five she told her mother she would be a star… a naturally gifted performer, Celleste is a multi-talented artist who is ready to leave her mark on the world.
With her debut CD “Ready To Fly”, the Montreal native, singer/songwriter offers up an in-depth foray into rock, taking the listener on a journey packed with beautiful melodies, elaborate instrumentation, catchy songs, and of course her unmistakable vocal prowess. Celleste always draws from her own life experiences as the basis for her song-writing, and tackles subjects as diverse as love, regret, abuse, peace, and female empowerment. Her lyrics give us a bird's-eye view into the core of her life and soul, on which she comments: “In order for me to perform with conviction and connect with my audience, my lyrics must be brutally honest and come straight from the heart. The most gratifying of moments is when my fans let me know my words have really touched their lives... so I strive for that kind of success in every song I write.”
Inspired by the rock bands of the 60’s and 70’s, Celleste's music is a blend of rock, folk, blues, country and pop, that she likes to call “Modern Classic Rock”. She explains the roots of the eclectic blend in her own words: "I’d often hear Led Zeppelin blasting in my brother's room while dad was strumming Chet Atkins tunes in the basement... then I got my hands on [Lenny Kravitz's] “Are You Gonna Go My Way”, and [Sheryl Crow's] “Tuesday Night Music Club”. Throw in some CCR, Black Crowes and Janis Joplin, perform it all like Steven Tyler and Madonna, and presto... you know all my secrets :).”
After finishing high school, Celleste’s love of classic rock bands found her going to see many tribute acts, often ending up on stage singing with them. It was then that the she decided to start her own band, singing cover tunes and writing some of her first melodies. She eventually found herself performing to thousands as an opening act for a major local artist, and recalls about that show “I always knew the stage was my home, and seeing that crowd only made me hungry for more.”
She continued to perfect her art with vocal lessons, and soon record-deal offers and other opportunities began to appear. While the offers were both tempting and flattering, there was always something that just didn’t sit right. “I always followed my instincts - not that I wasn’t grateful for the opportunities, I just felt like I had to do it my way, on my own terms”. With that said, Celleste left her management at the time and refused the offers knowing that something else was in store for her.
The next few years of Celleste’s life would be all about putting the pieces together and establishing the dream she had always been preparing for. She embarked on a European tour as a back-up singer/dancer with Sony recording artist Garou (managed at the time by Celine Dion’s husband, Rene Angelil), performing on arena stages across Europe. She became the face of a Canadian make-up company, and acted in numerous TV commercials, most recently gaining lots of exposure from a national Canadian spot where she sang and danced in both English and French.
A pivotal point occurred when her future producer, Eric Dick, first saw her perform. That meeting led to her becoming the lead singer of Eric’s band at the time, where the two forged a solid working relationship, becoming close friends and sharing the stage together. In 2006 they began working on material for what would later become the “Ready To Fly” album, writing “Real Love”, “Best I Can”, “Beyond Words”, and “Falling”.
For the sound of the record, Celleste and Eric set out to create songs reminiscent of yesteryear, while still remaining relevant today. “Real Love was one of the first tunes we worked on”, recalls Celleste. “As soon as I heard Eric’s riff, the verses and chorus came to me instantly. The song really set the tone for the exact blend of pop and rock we wanted to achieve on this record. Lyrically, the theme is all about never settling for less... so Real Love was really the perfect way to begin this project.”
While it is first and foremost a collection of rock songs, one thing that certainly stands out about “Ready To Fly” is the diversity. “I’m not all about one thing, so why should my music be?”, explains Celleste . “I want to take the listener on a journey like some of my favorite albums did for me. What I loved about bands like Zeppelin was finding ‘Rock and Roll’ on the same album as ‘Going To California’. I think it’s all about the balance, almost like I can’t appreciate one without the other.”
In 2008, Celleste and Eric decided to join forces as business partners and started their own independent record label, “Mighty Music” (www.mighymusic.ca) . Doing the job of ten people, they took on the roles of graphic design, website building, photography, shooting and editing videos, all administrative functions, and of course, writing and recording “Ready To Fly”. If that wasn’t enough, during the same period the two signed a second artist to Mighty Music, also produced by Eric. “The last year and a half has been a crazy schedule, lots of decisions taken, lots of things learned and accomplished, I’ve never been so creative and productive in my whole life. It’s a great feeling to be in control of my career, fulfilled in my life, doing exactly what I’m supposed to, and knowing I’m exactly where I should be.”