Since music was created, people have interacted and sought it out for reasons ranging from inspiration and beauty to admiration and, most importantly, escape. While many art forms possess the power to transport those who interact with them into another world, music immerses its audience into an extraordinary space. This art form has a unique way of viscerally impacting listeners, taking them on a journey through storytelling and imagery and leaving them with a memorable feeling. This essence is what made Celeste Ojatula turn to music as the art form she chose to create.
Being a child who grew up around different types of music, Celeste was no stranger to the sheer beauty it carried. The cocktail of experiences from her family, community, and literature filled her with a resolve to one day create art capable of entirely transporting people into another world. From nature and storytelling to life and humanity, Celeste’s music today is a time machine that transports its listeners to a place beyond the mundane.
In this interview with Modaculture, we chat with Celeste Ojatula about her recent project, her musical journey, and what she seeks to achieve with her music as a unique medium for storytelling.
To set the ball rolling, I think you have a fascinating stage name, and I’m curious about how it came to be. Can you give me some backstory on its origin?
This is interesting because both names come from my actual name. Growing up, many people at home called me Celeste, which I later discovered was short for Celestina. However, it was essentially how it sounded that made me choose it for my stage name. It’s peculiar in such a way that you’ll remember the name after reading or hearing it.
How did your journey into music start?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had some interaction with music. When I was 4, I moved with my family to a quiet community that didn’t have a lot of people. The few people there are familiar with each other, and we experienced actual Tales By Moonlight. I also had a lot of experience with nature, enjoying the silence and the sound of trees and birds. These experiences are some of the things that influence the music I make today.
I also read a lot while growing up. Many of these books featured interesting stories, and I enjoyed being transported by them. Besides reading literature, I could also read and write Yoruba. I remember conversing with my grandmother in Yoruba because she wasn’t an English speaker. I found Yoruba fascinating and wanted to do more than speak and communicate in it.
In light of all these, I wanted to be able to do something similar to when you read a good book, where you become absorbed in the story, and then at the end, you carry the story around. Music was how I could do that, and hence the type of music I ended up creating.
How and when did you start singing professionally?
It was honestly out of frustration. When I was 10, I sang in the choir, and I was tasked with creating the songs we performed. These times led me to decide that these songs could be used to pass messages, and I was able to test my theory out by singing them.
Singing professionally eventually became an ambition after a teacher taught me guitar, other instruments, and how to come up with instruments beyond just our voices. I think that was where it became a little more interesting for me, because I also learned more than just creating musical tones, I could also understand instruments, and at some point, make the compositions.
From there, I started creating my own music. In 2018, I decided to fully go into music, and I released a song titled “Black.” The song was written initially for a series, but it blew up and a lot of people loved it. That’s really how I started singing professionally. Even though I took a break at some point, I’m proud to say that I’m now back fully.
What inspired Alo (Live Edition)?
To be candid, I think it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Over the years, I had written a bunch of songs that I had felt could tell the story or reflect my childhood experiences. I wanted to keep mementoes of that while passing across the messages that I wanted people to experience.
Studying English also influenced all its storytelling parts. I wanted to create a unique body of work that was written in a language other than English. And in light of that, I started this album.
You mentioned how being a songwriter is instrumental for you on this project. Can you tell us a bit about your songwriting process?
Songwriting, in my opinion, is something I believe you can learn. Begin by practicing it consciously. When it comes to how songwriting works for me, first, I need to be in tune with the things that I’m experiencing. That could be the books that I’m reading, the trees around me, all the things that I’ve seen, and the activities that I do. All of these influence what music I choose to make at that moment.
So when I’m feeling that this, what I do is pass them into some type of writing. When I’m at that point where I feel comfortable, I then think about how I can use a few words to express how I’m feeling. After knowing how I feel or recognizing what I’m experiencing, the next thing is the melodies, which should be peculiar. I believe to make music that stands out, you have to be able to make a different type of sound.
Apart from the Yoruba language, what are the other things that inspire your music?
Honestly, it’s just nature, humans. That’s what inspires my music. I want people also to have a good time. I want my music to create experiences for anyone who listens to it. My songs are an experience that I want people to feel, something they can visualize mentally and think about after listening.
I think we are beginning to see an increase in the release live versions of albums just like yours. Why do you think this is happening?
I think music artistes are trying to go back to originality. People are bored with the same thing over and over again, and they are trying to create a renaissance. And what better way to do that than to create something that feels organic?
What do you hope your fans hear and feel when they listen to Alo (Live Edition)?
For me, putting out this version of Alo was like making an alternate universe where my fans can experience another side of my music. In essence, I just want my listeners to experience what it feels like to hear my songs live.
To bring this all to an end, I like to play just a little game. So I’m going to be throwing some words at you, and you’re going to be telling me some of the songs on your album that come to mind first. Let’s begin with the word, “Goat”
Oluronbi
Love?
Oyin.
The third word would be nature.
Lights. I’ll also throw in Opipi. I think it gives jungle vibes.
On to the fourth word. Let’s go with purple. What song comes to mind?
A Wa N Lo and Lights.
And then to our last word, what song do you think about when you think of film?
That would be Aditi, Oluronbi, Light, and Oyin. Funny enough, these songs were featured in a movie released last year titled Insecure.
