CELESTE

There's a quiet softness to Celeste that makes you feel instantly relaxed by her presence. Her voice evokes jazz greats like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan, with a timbre that's wise beyond its years. This is a sound formed through her upbringing. Her father was a former Rastafarian who brought a diverse record collection into her childhood home: everything from Otis Redding and Nat King Cole to the Ethiopian jazz of Hailu Mergia. Celeste's mother was a fan of pop music and neo-soul, bringing in Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Alicia Keys. At the age of 18 she'd befriended a group of young talented local boys. They'd gather around a tiny pub in Saltdean, where she'd sing soul, funk, and jazz with them: a collection of...