Music Waves Q&A: CELIA
learn more about CELIA through dipity's monthly music interview spotlights
Introduction
CELIA is grieving. The Chicago-born singer/songwriter, known for her honest and cutting lyricism over moody pop production, is riding the wave of her first EP release, Stages. Based on the five stages of grief, the EP spans the emotional turmoil of loss in many forms, playing from nostalgia to desperation to the promise of future happiness. The EP pairs with a beautifully-produced visual album, immersing listeners into a world of loss and heartbreak with an eventual happy-adjacent ending, reminding everyone that better times will come. Stages is out everywhere you listen to music, with the visual album exclusively on YouTube.
Q: What is your name? AND Where are you currently located?
I’m CELIA! I was born and raised outside of Chicago, IL, and spent most of my twenties living and working in downtown Chicago. Nowadays, I’m based outside of Los Angeles, CA.
Q: What’s the story behind your artist name?
Celia is my actual first name (not Cecilia, it’s just the one ‘c')! Early on I played around with the idea of using a stage name, but eventually settled on using my real name as a way of taking ownership of my work. While my music tends to be more concept-driven, it all comes from me and my point of view and I wanted to honor that by literally putting my name on it.
Q: How did you begin your journey into the world of music? AND How long have you been in the music industry?
When I was a senior in college and the job search began to drag on, I’d answer each kind inquiry into what I would be getting up to after graduation with, “I’m going to run away to become a rock star.” That didn’t quite happen (I landed a nice 9-to-5 and settled in a familiar city to live a familiar life), but I kept the itch alive by scratching out lyrics in my journal and setting them to simple guitar chords, visiting an open mic alone when I could muster up the courage. My first real foray into the world of music came via invitation: a good friend of mine reached out and asked me to write a song for her. She had written and directed her first short film and wanted an original song to go along with it. Remembering the silly songs I would share with her, she showed more faith in me than I had in myself and through her commission I officially recorded my very first song “Escape (Mandy’s Song)” and met my producer and now good friend, Will Chorski. We collaborated again for her next short film (that I also ended up starring in, funnily enough), and through those experiences I gained the confidence to pursue my own project. After five years of testing the waters, I released my first EP Stages on September 16th, 2024 as an independent artist with a visual album directed by my friend who first believed in my music.
Q: What inspires you as an artist? Give us some insight into your creative process.
When it comes down to it, I’m first and foremost a writer. Songwriting is just one form of writing, and honestly I’m only a songwriter because I love to sing. I’ve always seen things through the lens of a narrative; stories are everywhere, especially in my own head. When I’m songwriting, every path I take has to best serve the story I’m trying to tell. And the stories don’t have to be big, sweeping tales; some of the best songs come from focusing on one emotional beat, one moment of feeling that deserves deep exploration. The fun of songwriting is that every element of the song combines to create an overall impact; it’s not just about the lyrics, but the arrangement, the instrumentation, the vocal performance, the production choices. Inspiration for me comes from everywhere, but I find the songs I love the most come from reflection on my own thoughts and experiences. Unsurprisingly, sometimes those can be the hardest songs to write.
Q: What's your favorite song you've released? AND Why?
My favorite song I’ve written to date is “Breathe,” which is the fourth song off my EP Stages. It’s also the first song I wrote for the project, before I even knew there was a project I was writing for. “Breathe” came in a fit of desperation at two in the morning when I was spiraling in the depths of my depression and looking for anything that spoke to how I was feeling. Thus came the first lines “I’m searching for a sound / Searching for a word.” I sang it over a little guitar riff (honestly, more of a glorified bass line) that I would pick when I was thinking, and the entire song came out in less than 30 minutes. It’s the first song I ever wrote where I listened back to it and realized something I’d made might actually be good. It’s continued to hold a special place in my heart as one of my most honest and personal songs. And frankly, you never forget your first.
Q: What's a recent project you’d like to share?
My first EP Stages is out everywhere! And there’s a beautiful visual album that goes along with it, available to watch on YouTube. The EP explores the stages of grief, giving my interpretation of each stage as I’ve felt it in my own life through a myriad of losses (loss of loved ones, loss of relationships, loss of self, loss of purpose). For such a personal project, I’m genuinely more amazed by the incredible work by the many creatives I had the honor of working with on both the music and the visual album. If you decide to give it a look or listen, please know that I am so thankful.
We love to read and get inspired by lyrics. Share the title of a song and its lyrics (one of your favorite songs you've either written or released).
Recognize.
When I released Stages, I was surprised by the number of friends and family who reached out telling me they loved the lyrics of the last song, “Recognize.” Some of my favorite lines from that song come in the bridge:
It doesn’t get easier It just gets a little less hard The pain doesn’t go away You just learn to live with the scar It doesn’t get easier, but Maybe that’s alright The pain doesn’t go away, but Maybe I’m alright Being someone I recognize again
The first four lines are the first lines that I wrote for this song before I even knew what this song would be; they lived in my Notes app and as a little ditty in my head for probably 18 months before I started figuring out what they would become (as if you haven’t heard this by now, let me remind you: write down every little idea you have in a safe place. Maybe you’ll use it, maybe you won’t, but if you forget it, I promise you’ll regret it).
At the core, the lyrics speak for themselves: grief doesn’t ever get easier. It never gets easier to bear the reality that what you once loved is now gone forever. But it does get less hard. Life continues on, wounds heal and the scar tissue remains as a reminder that you loved and were loved and once upon a time had it all even if you didn’t realize it at the time.
“Recognize” is the song that represents my perspective on acceptance in the five stages of grief. For me, acceptance is allowing space for the truth that sometimes the hardest part of grief is not only moving on from it, but moving on in a way that isn’t mired in compartmentalization or dissociation. Grief changes you, and change is a part of life. Wanting to be who you were before is an insult to not only the love you had, but also how that love changed you, because love does change you. And isn’t that a beautiful thing?
Q: Are there any poets that you're a fan of or do you have any favorite poetry books?
My favorite book of poetry is William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, though I doubt you need to hear another soliloquy on why that body of work is so impactful. In terms of modern poets, I’ve been drawn to Olivia Gatwood’s work since her inaugural release New American Best Friend. The frank yet clever way she addresses girlhood, womanhood and every messy yet beautifully human moment in between makes me smile, cry, and think, which I think is all we can ever ask from a good piece of writing.
Q: What is one read you’d recommend to others?
Look, sometimes classics are classic for a reason. Whenever I feel stuck or uninspired with my writing (usually because I feel like I’m not skilled enough to express what I’m trying to share), I’ll either re-read Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2010) to remind myself that writing is a craft or I’ll read something lighthearted and incredibly soapy to remind myself that not everything has to be that deep. Also, expand your reading horizons! Some of my best realizations as a writer have come from my analysis of other people’s work (the parts that I hated just as much as the parts that I loved). I’m constantly taking recommendations from friends who have different tastes than I do to see what I can glean from what they love. Even if it doesn’t speak to me, it spoke to someone and that’s worth exploring.
Q: What was the last song you listened to that you recommend others check out?
Since I’ve been listening to Paramore’s set at 2022 Austin City Limits while writing all of this, I’ll call out one of my favorite Paramore songs, “All I Wanted.” When I tell you that:
1) Paramore was the first band I ever called my favorite band and that
2) I could die happy if I could see them perform “All I Wanted” live, please know it is the truth.
Also, as a vocalist, the deep awe/envy I feel at that high note is so real. Hayley Williams is a vocalist like no other, but never forget that Paramore is a band.
Q: Who are some of your favorite artists and musicians that you listen to?
I’ll share a few favorites:
Favorite singer/songwriter: Ingrid Michaelson
She wrote an entire concept album based off the Stranger Things television series titled Stranger Songs, and if that’s not the most relatable artist-inspired-by-pop-culture moment of the last 10 years I don’t know what is. The albums I regularly go back to are Human Again (which holds the unique honor of being one of three albums I have downloaded on my phone) and “It Doesn’t Have to Make Sense.” I’ve seen her live four times and she’s by far one of my favorite live performers (she’s so goddamn funny and engaging on top of being an incredible artist, it’s simply not fair).
Favorite band: The Wonder Years
My favorite song of all time is “There, There.” Dan Campbell is by far one of my favorite lyricists, and if you truly want an exploration of grief I implore you to listen to the “No Closer to Heaven” album; my only warning is that “Cigarettes & Saints” will destroy you a little, but in the best/worst/most beautiful/most heartbreaking way. Also, I am not-so-secretly a pop-punk heathen at heart, and The Wonder Years are the perfect example as to why I love the genre so much.
Favorite fellow Illinoisian: Lissie
When I first discovered Lissie in 2010 with her single “When I’m Alone,” I was so floored to learn she was from small-town Illinois just like me. Lissie is the first artist that made me feel like I could maybe, possibly be a girl who writes songs and sings for people and that maybe, possibly they just might listen because I hung on her every word with every scrap I could find online. “Everywhere I Go” is forever one of my go-to songs to belt out. Her latest album “Carving Canyons” is well worth a listen to.
To Check Out More of CELIA’s Music Visit:
Instagram: @justthe1c
Follow and listen to more on Spotify [Here]
Check out [TikTok Here]
Subscribe to YouTube [Here]
Stream on Apple Music [Here]
Website: https://www.justthe1c.com/
Any other thoughts, comments, or shares after listening and reading the interview?
[Interview Processed By VFORROW]
Thank you so much, CELIA, for sharing and submitting to Dipity Lit Mag! ~ Jazz Marie Kaur (Vevna Forrow).
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