Itâs almost a year to the day that Celeste Waite made an almighty splash at the 2020 Brit Awards, wowing an audience of Billie Eilish, Courtney Love, Stormzy and Harry Styles with a pin-drop version of her gothic jazz ballad âStrangeâ before picking up the hotly contested Rising Star gong. The following evening, still in something of a daze, Celeste found herself at another starry event, sitting next to Florence Welch at a Gucci show. For Florence â whoâd won the Rising Star gong in 2009, back when it was called the Criticâs Choice Award â it was like looking through a portal to the past.
Credit: Elizaveta Porodina
At the end of November 2019, Celeste played a three-night residency at London’s Omeara. The intimate shows were a true ‘I was there’ moment. In a sight that would now give you goosebumps: the 320-capacity venue was stacked, punters craning their necks from the back row as the crowd spilled out the door, all trying to catch a glimpse of Britainâs next soul hero.
These gigs â that showcased Celeste as a once-in-a-generation talent â were spectacular, the culmination of years of hard graft trying to break into the industry. It then came as no surprise that Celeste then topped a slew of ones-to-watch lists in following months.
BBC News
By Mark Savage
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image captionThe annual Sound Of list predicts which acts are going to break through in the following year I m really, really happy, said Celeste, as she won the BBC s Sound of 2020 last January. I can t wait now to see what the rest of the year will look like. I m so thrilled and so excited. I can t wait.
Celeste went on to win the Brits Rising Star award and soundtrack the John Lewis Christmas advert. But, as we all know, 2020 didn t quite go as planned.
So how did the top five acts on the BBC s Sound Of list spend their first year in the spotlight? There were number one albums, missed flights, phone calls with fans and adventures inside arcade machines.
Jools’ Annual Hootenanny on BBC Two from 11.15pm GMT.
‘Love Is Back’ follows a series of new material from the singer this year. Last month, she shared new single ‘A Little Love’, which soundtracks John Lewis’ 2020 Christmas advert.
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The track, as well as ‘Love Is Back’, will feature on Celeste’s debut album ‘Not Your Muse’, which was announced last month and will come out on February 26, 2021.
Listen to ‘Love Is Back’ below:
“‘Not Your Muse’ is the power I found when I felt powerless…” Celeste wrote on social media when announcing the album. “In making this album I have allowed myself to arrive at a place where I feel empowered, fiercely wide-eyed and fulfilled.