Having already made her mark with two stirring singles in 2018, ‘Both Sides of the Moon’ and ‘Lately’, Brighton soul singer Celeste kicks off 2019 with her most personal release to date, ‘Father’s Son’.
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Accompanied by a beautiful video directed by Bob Harlow from an original concept by Celeste, the subtly devastating track ruminates on the now West London-based singer’s complicated relationship with her American father, who sadly died when she was 16.
Celeste plays with gender on the song as a means of coining a universal anthem for those left searching for explanations for their behaviour. “I heard it’s in your blood baby,” she sings. “I heard you got the same taste in your mouth.” She explains it by way of example of a guy friend, who is a womaniser and has been told that his dad used to be the same. It’s not an excuse for your actions, but it’s perhaps a respite from the searching and the self-loathing that comes with figuring out your brain. “My mother has covered so much in my life but there were points where I thought it would be cool to ask my dad this one question,” she says.
Celeste’s previous single ‘Lately’ saw mass radio support across Radio 1, 1Xtra and Beats1 from the likes of Huw Stephens, Phil Taggart, Twin B, Julie Adenuga and more. The track was first debuted in Celeste’s Boiler Room session earlier this year (watch here) before its official premiere as Taggart’s Chillest Record on Radio 1, with Clara Amfo noting the track’s “Amy Winehouse meets Portishead vibes.” Revisit the Sam Hiscox-directed video here. ‘Lately’ followed October’s spellbinding ‘Both Sides of the Moon,’ which caused Elton John to remark on his Beats1 show, “Celeste is quite something else … watch out for her.”
Both tracks were the culmination of a busy year for the rising artist, who held a hugely successful month-long artist residency in October at West London’s Laylow club, hosting workshops, screenings, club nights, writing and recording sessions and a slew of exciting collaborations and performances in the Bella Freud-designed club throughout October, which saw everyone from Spike Lee and Idris Elba to Moses Boyd and Klein pass through along the way. Eagle-eared listeners will also have heard new music from Celeste soundtracking the BBC’s acclaimed Black Hollywood series They’ve Gotta Have Us.
Celeste recently signed to Polydor Records following 2017’s ‘The Milk & The Honey’ EP for Lily Allen’s Bank Holiday label, which was produced by SBTRKT collaborator Tev’n and Rinse FM’s JD. Reid and saw praise from the likes of Annie Mac, Julie Adenuga and publications including FADER, Wonderland, Interview Magazine, The Line of Best Fit and DIY.
With some truly spectacular music in the pipeline, in the words of i-D magazine, there’s no doubt “Celeste is a star on the rise.”
Image Courtesy: Supplied