The UK soul-pop singer-songwriter Celeste got a whole lot attention from the music industry when she was just starting out. In 2020, she won the BBC's Sound Of 2020 poll and the Rising Star Award at the Brits. Her 2021 debut album Not Your Muse was a #1 hit in the UK, and it got a Mercury Prize nomination. Celeste was also nominated for an Oscar for "Hear My Voice," her song for the 2020 film The Trial Of The Chicago 7. But now that she's getting ready to release her sophomore LP Woman Of Faces, Celeste has had a very different experience with the business. She's not happy about it.
On her Instagram story yesterday, Celeste wrote about the "unfortunate circumstances" surrounding her new LP's release. She says that PolyDor, her label, threatened to drop her if she didn't include two songs, that she has been shown "very little support" for the record, and that she believes she's "being shown a set of consequences for essentially not doing as I was told." Here's what she wrote:
Hello! I have to be honest right now and say there's some really f'd stuff happening behind the scenes, but I keep it moving regardless but I'm also told that essentially if I don't post don't keep making 'content' that I won't get support from my label. Who currently have showed very little support towards the album I have made, I get a lot of pressure to post which I understand but it doesn't always feel right to post and not really be able to speak honestly about what's happening in your life.
Today is that day where I've kind of had enough of it alllllll
I have an album coming out on November 14th that I worked really hard for it even to come into existence against a lot of unfortunate circumstances.
I was at one point threatened to be dropped if I didn't put two particular songs on the album and now I feel I am being shown a set of consequences for essentially not doing what I'm told.
Also it seems I am seeing some of my ideas and creatives that I have relationships with be used on other projects more resourced and focus etc.
Unfortunately there are some deeply embedded practices and tactics that can act to destabilise the artists, practices and contracts that do not protect the artist, practices that are volatile and abusive, but remain to be accepted.
These practices are upheld by each individuals pursuit of self preservation, and greed.
The organisations themselves can become faceless when it's time to hold individuals responsible and accountable for their actions and behaviours.
It is no coincidence that over so many years too many artists die from depression, suicide, exhaustion, or addiction, or endure long slow painful lives in a depressive state, this will not be me.
I have learnt from my experiences that a lot needs to change and this perhaps comes at the turn of huge cultural shift that needs to occur not just in the music industry.
