Industry newbie, Celine willingly chooses to not put herself in a box by restricting her talent to a particular genre. She believes she can make music and deliver hits cutting across every genre she pleases.
"OMG! You're so pretty!" I literally yelled once Celine hopped on our Zoom meeting and her camera came on, after a well-worth 10-minute delay. She had a subtle yet fierce face beat, fresh jumbo braids, and a white tube-like bodysuit. I was absolutely thrilled that she actually went all out for a virtual interview on e-rated's Chat Room with little ol' me.
Meet Celine
"Celine's my actual name and I really love it, so I maintained it as my stage name".
Born and basically grew up in Benue State, Nigeria (home to other popular Nigerian artistes such as 2Baba and Terry G), Celine developed her singing skills through inter-house singing competitions in primary school and went on to join the school choir and band in secondary school. She believes she is ready to harness her skills and start putting out more music we can all vibe to.
Celine gets motivation for her music from her four siblings and two highly supportive parents. "My parents have always known I like to sing. Like the first time I went into the studio, they didn't stop or restrict me, they were just okay with it and when my first song came out they actually used it as their ringtone" Celine recalls tilting her head back and ending with a very hearty giggle.
"Hmm first song?" I asked giving her a somewhat perplexed look. Apparently, sis had previously dabbled in the Gospel genre and recorded 'Sugar' in 2015 which was her trial at urban gospel. "Can I find the song anywhere?" I asked. "I have the song in my phone but back then, I was still very naive. I didn't know much about music distribution, so I did not put it out there".
Celine released her debut single, 'Vulnerable' in January and the song is absolutely phenomenal for a first take. Celine takes on an RnB vibe on a sound that progressively grows into a soft and mellow electric dance beat.
"Let's get vulnerable, I know you got a girl but I want you if you want me"
Vulnerable tells a tale of two parties each in separate relationships, who are considering risking it all to seek the possibility of being with each other. Using her captivating yet sultry storytelling skills, Celine takes us on a very familiar journey of ojukokoro (Greed) in relationships that can eventually be liable grounds for emotional hurt in the short and long run.
Currently in her final year of university, doing a major in Mass Communication, Celine absolutely loves research and journalism but wants to focus on making more music after she graduates.
Let's get into the chatroom with Celine for more details about little Miss Vulnerable!
The Chat Room with Celine
The Epiphany: 'I love Singing'
Where did you pick up your musical influences from? Is it something you've always been keen about from childhood or something you started getting more interested in while growing up?
I have always tried to write music using stories from things I found in my environment and the influences around me since I was a child. Then I started taking it more seriously in primary school by participating in the singing inter-house competitions.
Would you say you've always had a singing voice?
Hmm, at the age I was when I just started singing, I would say my voice was just okay and progressively got better as I got older. Thinking about it now, however, maybe it was actually good because I remember people always wanted me to take the lead role while singing.
That makes sense, so if you personally think it was just okay back then, how did you build it up to how it sounds now?
I used to be in the church choir when I was younger and once I got into secondary school, I joined the band as a singer. Our school's band leader always took us on voice training lessons so that really helped a lot.
You're in Uni now and I can bet it's hectic af, are you in any school choir or band? How do you manage your time and practice to make your sound better?
Haha! It really is! I am currently not in any singing group, club or band. I used to be in those about two years ago, but not anymore. Right now, in my final year I just want to be done with school, so I currently mostly just listen to music, sing on my own and write when I have some free time.
What genre of music do you mostly find yourself listening to?
I've always liked Gospel from my childhood, I also like RnB, Reggae, Afro Beats, and Afro Pop. Although right now, I mostly find myself listening to RnB.
Who's your favourite RnB musical influence?
I love Summer Walker.
Celine's Introspect
What kind of artist would you classify yourself to be?
I honestly do not like to classify myself under any genre because I feel I can make music cutting across all genres, so I don't like to say "this is my field or genre". I am also still trying to find my sound, so until then, no classification.
Okay, and what's your brand like? Do you mostly just vibe to beats in the studio or actually take your time to write songs then listen to beats that fit into what you want a song to sound like?
So after I wrote Vulnerable, I went through the lyrics and made up my mind to be more intentional about my songwriting and lyrics. So going forward, I want to write more affirmative lyrics, so like positive affirmations and good stuff because I believe words are very powerful. When you sing certain songs you might think you're just singing or vibing but you might actually be singing it into reality. So for my future songs, I am going to be more intentional about my lyrics.
Which artiste would you like to collaborate with in the coming years?
I'd like to work with Tems, and Wizkid as well.
Did you know Tems is a producer too?
Yeah and I love that for her because it is one thing to have an idea of what you want, but to also actually get it done yourself is amazing.
Have you ever tried producing?
Hahha! I'm not going to lie yeah, I have but I found it very difficult. I appreciate producers so much.
Which producer would you like to collaborate with in the coming years?
For international producers, London On The Track. For Nigerian producers, Kiddominant.
Oh yeah? What are your favourite productions from both of them?
Hmm for London, it has to be Summer Walker's body of work (Over It). For Kiddominant, I love e-wallet.
"Let's Get Vulnerable"
Vulnerable's such a tune, I loved it once I heard it. When did you record it?
Thank you so much, I recorded it in August 2020.
Okay, and it dropped in January, why did that take so long?
The most important part of recording a song is what happens after. So, I had to really work on planning to promote it. Being my first official release, I was trying to wrap my head around everything I needed to do post-release. I could not just put out the song without a plan on how to push it, so that was what I was working on within those 4 months.
What was the creation process like for Vulnerable?
I wrote the song two months before I recorded it and I had it in mind that I was going to start putting out music in 2021. So when I found a good producer, he made what I wanted to hear and we made it happen.
Who produced it and what was it like working with him/her?
T-brizy! The baddest in the game! [Find T-Brizy's productions here]
At the time I wanted to record the song, I couldn't find any good producers around. So my friend gave me his number and was like "this guy is good, hit him up", I did that and he sent me songs he has produced, I was impressed with his sound and literally went to the studio the next day. I was present while he was making the instrumentals for the song and loved watching and learning the process from him in real-time. He just put my thoughts for the song's beat into reality and it was amazing.
Wow! Was it a one-take beat?
Yeah! That was the only beat we made.
That's crazy! The song has a story to it, can you tell me who or what inspired the story?
I remember the day I wrote that song yeah, I actually was not thinking of anyone. I randomly got the idea for the chorus *sings chorus*, and I liked it so I immediately recorded it as a voice note on my phone and started building on it. When I had some verses and everything was kind of complete, I was listening to the lyrics and was like "what's going on?" because it was not for a particular person or from a personal story.
Hm, so Vulnerable is basically fiction?
Haha, yeah it is but I'm sure in reality, someone must have been in that situation.
How do you think the song has done so far? Being your first song, will you say the reception it has gotten so far has surpassed or fallen below your expectations?
I would say for my first official song, it actually surpassed my expectations. My friends as well as strangers have left good comments about it and are looking forward to new music from me. I am really happy about it and strongly encouraged by the reception.
I'm glad to hear that! What are your plans to take Vulnerable to the next level? Should we expect a video soon or are you more focused on working on more music?
I have a couple of songs I wrote last year but for now, I'm more focused on promoting Vulnerable. I am working on getting out the official video soon, nothing too complicated - just a live session video focused on me so that my audience at least has a face to the name.
Perfect! What promotion plans are you considering?
Hmm for now, online digital marketing and promotions. After I am done with school, I want to do radio rounds too.
A solid plan for starters. After dropping Vulnerable, what is something about releasing music that you know now that you wish you knew before?
Haha! Well, majority of my post release plans are being handled by myself so I've definitely made some mistakes so far. For example, I recently paid for a dance video for Vulnerable but I don't think I'll ever do that again because instead of a dance video, I'd rather invest in making an actual video for the song.
P.N. - I had about an hour plus long conversation with Celine, so this written interview is edited down to just include the important parts. We also had a little cute game at the end of the interview where I asked her some music related questions, you can watch that here.
I think it's important to get to know artistes during their initial trial and error stages because you can understand their thought process going into the industry and watch their growth as time goes by.
It was so much fun getting to know Celine and more about the creation of Vulnerable. Sis is currently planning to impress her audience with a video for Vulnerable and more music coming through within the year. I cannot wait to hear more from little Miss Vulnerable.
Listen to Celine's Vulnerable on the following interactive streaming services:
