Celeste (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Celeste
Celeste at the 2020 Royal Variety Performance
Background information
Birth name	Celeste Epiphany Waite
Born	(1994-05-05) 5 May 1994 (age 31) Culver City, California, U.S.
Origin	Brighton, East Sussex, England
Genres	British soul alternative R&B jazz neo-soul
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2014–present
Labels	Polydor Interscope
Associated acts	Michael Kiwanuka

Celeste Epiphany Waite (born on May 5, 1994) is a talented English singer and songwriter. She started her music journey in 2014. Back then, she sang for electronic music producers like Avicii and Tieks. She also shared her own songs on SoundCloud.

Celeste released her first solo music, an EP called The Milk & the Honey, in 2017. She then signed with Polydor Records and released her second EP, Lately, in 2019.

In 2019, Celeste became very famous. She won the Rising Star Award at the 2020 Brit Awards. She also topped the BBC's annual "Sound of..." poll, which predicts who will be the next big music star. Her first album, Not Your Muse, came out in 2021 and quickly became number one in the UK. This album earned her many nominations, including for the 2021 Mercury Prize. In the same year, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for her song "Hear My Voice," from the movie The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Celeste's Early Life and Career

Growing Up and Starting Music

Celeste Epiphany Waite was born in Culver City, California, USA, on May 5, 1994. Her mother was English, and her father was Jamaican. When Celeste was three, she moved to England with her mother. They settled in Dagenham, and then moved to Saltdean, near Brighton, where she spent most of her childhood.

When she was 10, Celeste received a scholarship to a performing arts school to study ballet. She became interested in music by listening to artists like Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald. Later, around age 14, she found new music from artists like Thelonious Monk and Sun Ra on YouTube and iTunes. One of her first musical memories is singing hymns in church in Brighton. When Celeste was 16, her father passed away.

Teen Years and First Songs

As a teenager, Celeste wrote songs and performed in bands. She wrote her first song, "Sirens," when she was 16. This song was inspired by her father's death. She put it on YouTube, and it caught the attention of her future manager. Her manager helped her get studio time, where people were very impressed with her songwriting.

At 18, Celeste started taking her music career seriously. She played her first shows around Brighton. She also studied Music Technology in college. For her 18th birthday, she asked for a MacBook laptop. She used it to record her own music on GarageBand.

In 2014, Celeste uploaded her first song, "Born Again," to SoundCloud. She also put other songs like "DEVIL" on the platform. Later that year, she released a four-song EP on SoundCloud. Vice magazine described it as a mix of "sad pop and electronic tracks." Celeste also got support from BBC Radio 1 for her song "North Circular." She sang on Tieks' song "Sing That Song" in 2014 and Avicii's song "Touch Me" in 2015. She also sang for the electronic group Real Lies when they toured in 2015.

First EP: The Milk & The Honey

Celeste released her first single, "Daydreaming," in October 2016. It was released through Lily Allen's record label. Celeste wrote the song while working at a pub. She told i-D magazine that she couldn't wait to leave the pub. She imagined herself performing in a grand hall.

In December 2016, "Daydreaming" was played on BBC Radio 1 by Annie Mac, who called Celeste one of her "New Names." The song was also added to the BBC Radio 1Xtra playlist.

Celeste's first EP, The Milk & the Honey, came out in March 2017. It included "Milk & Honey," "Chocolate," and "Daydreaming." Celeste said "Milk & Honey" was about "finding some sort of Nirvana" and her dreams of wealth and love. A reviewer from DIY magazine compared Celeste's singing on "Chocolate" to Billie Holiday.

After her EP was released, Celeste performed regularly at a venue in London. Celebrities like Riz Ahmed and Idris Elba came to watch her. She even signed a record for Spike Lee! In September 2017, she went on tour with Rae Morris. She also released a song called "Not For Me" in October 2017. It was about a love that didn't last and falling out of love with London. She also toured with the band Skinny Living and performed with Roy Ayers.

Second EP: Lately and Rising Fame

In 2018, Celeste signed with Polydor Records. She released singles like "Lately" and a live version of "Both Sides of the Moon." These songs were part of her second EP, Lately, which came out in March 2019. Celeste said "Both Sides of the Moon" was her favorite song to write because it used all the words and images she wanted.

In January 2019, she released "Father's Son," a song about absent fathers. Famous DJs like Tom Robinson and Annie Mac played her songs on the radio. Even Elton John played "Both Sides of the Moon" on his Apple Music playlist, saying, "Celeste is quite something else...watch out for her."

Her Lately EP included five songs. The Guardian newspaper praised it, saying it showed Celeste's ability to touch people's hearts with her soulful jazz sound. Celeste performed at big music festivals like SXSW, Glastonbury Festival, and Field Day in 2019.

Later in 2019, Celeste released more singles, including "Coco Blood" and "Strange". "Coco Blood" was a "warm coming-of-age song" that honored her British-Jamaican background. She filmed the music video for it in Jamaica. Celeste also sang the theme song for a BBC documentary called Black Hollywood: They Gotta Have Us. She supported Janelle Monáe on tour and made her TV debut performing "Strange" on Later... with Jools Holland.

In November 2019, Elton John added "Strange" to his playlist again. James Corden also tweeted about how much he loved her song "Strange." Celeste performed sold-out shows in London and toured with Michael Kiwanuka. On December 3, 2019, she won the BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year Award.

On December 6, 2019, Celeste was announced as the winner of the Rising Star Award at the 2020 Brit Awards. She also released Compilation 1.1, which was a collection of her best songs so far. The BBC named her the winner of their "Sound of 2020" poll, calling her "the one to beat." She performed "Strange" on French TV and on the New Year's special of Top of the Pops.

Debut Album: Not Your Muse

At the start of 2020, many magazines like Vogue and The Guardian predicted Celeste would be a huge star. On January 9, 2020, she was officially announced as the winner of BBC's "Sound of 2020" poll. She then released her single "Stop This Flame". GQ magazine called her "the most hotly tipped singer for 2020."

Celeste made her American TV debut on The Late Late Show with James Corden in January 2020, performing "Strange." After her performance at the 2020 Brit Awards, other famous artists like Billie Eilish and Stormzy showed interest in her music. Forbes magazine included her on their "30 Under 30" list for influential people in Europe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Celeste performed from her bedroom on The Graham Norton Show to encourage people to stay home. She also sang a cover of Bill Withers' "Lean on Me" for a charity event. She was part of the Live Lounge Allstars' charity single "Times Like These," which became her first number one song in the UK.

In May 2020, Celeste released "I Can See The Change", produced by Grammy-winning musician Finneas. Her song "Stop This Flame" became the theme song for Sky Sports' football coverage.

Celeste sang three songs for the movie The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). One of these, "Hear My Voice," was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. She also sang "A Little Love" for the 2020 John Lewis Christmas advert. This was the first time an original song was used for the famous advert. She performed this song on The Voice UK and at the Royal Variety Performance.

On December 31, 2020, Celeste released "Love is Back" and performed it on a New Year's Eve TV show. Her first studio album, Not Your Muse, was released on January 29, 2021. It went straight to number one on the UK Albums Chart. At the 2021 Brit Awards, she was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Female Solo Artist. Her album was also nominated for the 2021 Mercury Prize.

Personal Life

In 2017, Celeste moved to London with very little money. She even lost her job because she would skip work to make music. She said she would rather go to the studio than have money for that month. She lives in London and is a big fan of the football team Arsenal F.C..

Music

Celeste has released several successful music projects.

Studio Albums

• Not Your Muse (2021) - This album reached number 1 in the UK!

Extended Plays (EPs)

• The Milk & the Honey (2017)
• Lately (2019)

Singles

Some of her popular singles include:

• "Daydreaming" (2016)
• "Strange" (2019)
• "Stop This Flame" (2020)
• "A Little Love" (2020)
• "Love Is Back" (2020)

She has also been featured on songs by other artists, like Tieks' "Sing That Song" and Avicii's "Touch Me." She was also part of the Live Lounge Allstars charity single "Times Like These" in 2020, which reached number 1 in the UK.

Awards and Nominations

Celeste has won and been nominated for many awards for her music.

• Brit Awards: She won the Rising Star Award in 2020. She was also nominated for Album of the Year and Best Female Solo Artist in 2021.
• BBC: She won the Introducing Artist of the Year in 2019 and the prestigious Sound of 2020 poll.
• Academy Awards: She was nominated for Best Original Song for "Hear My Voice" in 2021.
• Golden Globe Awards: She was nominated for Best Original Song for "Hear My Voice" in 2021.
• Mercury Prize: Her album Not Your Muse was nominated for the 2021 Mercury Prize.

Images for kids

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  Celeste's local Saltdean charity shop where she worked at age 17.

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  Celeste at Omeara in 2019