Petite Celine is a Franco-American indie singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist based out of Brooklyn, NY. Celine rebelled into the arts, excelling first in acting for film & TV, working with directors such as Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood by the age of 10, and picking up a handful of instruments along the way. It wasn't until college, when Celine found herself homeless with only a small suitcase and the guitar on her back, that she started performing her own compositions for complete strangers. Busking on the streets of Lower Manhattan, she discovered the power music has to bring people together from all walks of life. Today, Petite Celine plays regularly across the Tristate area, where her LED paintings have also become accompaniment to the act. Her mission is to celebrate cultures from around the globe and build bridges not borders. Tuning in to Petite Celine’s latest “Man Made Fire”.
This single is one unique composition! I have never really heard a sound like this but to describe it, it is like a blend of electronic, soul, alternative, and just all around sound! There are so many different sounds that melt together into one perfect sound that is really one of a kind. This could easily fall into some lounge or relax music vibes maybe even under a blacklight. This song truly just gives you all the feels. Sultry, lucid, seductive, layered, I mean the list goes on and on. I would be curious to see a visual paint session to this song!
Listen to "Man Made Fire" here, and learn more about Celine in our interview below!
Hey! If you could would you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Hola, je m'appelle Petite Celine, and I am a Franco-American Indie Pop artist based out of Brooklyn, NY. Growing up between two countries as a kid really fostered an ear for fusion, and it also cemented my love for international pop. I thought it was really cool that I didn't need to know what a singer was saying in order to feel what the song was about. My aim is to explore that universality of music in my own compositions. It's precisely in these "mad-scientist moments," when I decide to fuse polka and reggae in the same song, or write a song that incorporates both koto and trumpet, or that is as much in Spanish as it is in English, that I am assured that beauty is everywhere, and it is interconnected and harmonious. Inspired by artists such as Sting, Brazilian Girls, and Sia, I believe in the power that music has to build bridges. My favorite thing to witness is how the right song can bring people together from all walks of life. My album releasing March 15th, featuring 5 languages and instruments from around the world, is tailored to that experience.
What was the first instrument that you learned to play?
My first instrument was the piano (then it was percussion/drums (I was in the drum line in his marching band), then voice, then guitar, then trumpet, then ukulele, then mandolin, and now I am trying to learn the cello!)
While you were homeless what really motivated you to keep composing and performing?
Necessity. At the time, all I had was my guitar and a carry-on suitcase. Arguably, that's was encouraged me to perform in the first place. I had performed as an actress before, in TV & film, and I had sung in choirs and school musicals, but my compositions had been a private therapy up until that point. It was that experience that really pushed me to share them with others. And when I saw the positive response, not only did it make me feel seen and heard, and no longer so alone, but I could see I had an effect on others too, and I wanted to continue pursuing that heartfelt exchange.
Can you give us some insight to “Man Made Fire”?
Written on the harmonium, "Man Made Fire" is a song that came to me from a deep meditation. I began sobbing out of no where for Mother Earth and humanity's relationship to her. I began thinking about how we have abused and used her and how much we have disrespected ourselves in doing so as well. I had always been more or less conscious of this stuff, but I had reached a new level of awareness and sense of responsibility. The song is an attempt to act upon that. To speak a message but also profess being a part of the collective problem, and the beginnings of healing that. Sonically, I wanted the track to reflect this relationship between the organic and the industrial with harmony and dissonance. I combined Portishead-esque electronic and glitchy percussion with the acoustic qualities of the harmonium, shakers, and and a choir of voices. The song, written mainly in English, also features a passage in German, "Engel tanzen auf einer blauen Flamme; Es gibt keine Rückkehr von diesem Drama," which translates to "Angels dance on a blue flame; there is no return from this drama."
What we can expect to see or hear from you throughout this year?
So this track, "Man Made Fire," is the title track off my new 10-track album releasing March 15th. I'll be at SXSW playing a show the same day at The Infinite Monkey Theorem in Austin, TX at 7pm. Then, kicking off with a show at Pianos in NYC on April 20th at 8p, my incredible live band and I will tour the album this spring & summer on the East Coast and hopefully play some festivals in the fall. Possibly trying to plan a little Euro-tour soon as well.
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