Celine Ellis is an accomplished singer-songwriter and independent recording artist from Northamptonshire, UK. With 20 years of songwriting tucked under her belt, she’s been around a block or two, and down enough roads to have a few stories to tell. 2021 was an incredibly successful year for the talented songwriter, who saw international radio play, BBC Introducing support and a #6 iTunes Chart peak for “Fallen Angel”. She has also taken her stories on the road, performing at a number of festivals across the UK, with some big shows in the pipeline for 2022. A powerhouse on stage, Celine delivers more than your average singer with an acoustic guitar, imparting a full range of emotions within her songs and performances.
We thought that with the release of her new EP 'Unravelled', it was the perfect opportunity to get to know Celine a little better (and, keep reading for an exclusive new track title!)
I (Rachel) wanted to know how the ideas for Celine's songs came about and what inspires them to be written. "Life! I try to write songs from what I know, and what I've experienced. Sometimes those experiences are second hand through others, but I rarely write a song I haven't 'lived' in one shape or form. I had what I am now referring to as an 'interlude' in my music career, where I took a break from it for a number of years. Since restarting my writing and performing again, it's like a flood gate has opened that had been holding back all these stories and songs I now need to write! I also think that now I am older, I definitely have a lot more life experience to draw upon when I am writing." I also wanted to know whether Celine has a favourite track that she has written to date, and why? "This is such a hard question! It's like asking which child is your favourite!! I'm probably going to get around this by saying I have songs I love to perform, I have ones I love to listen to the recording of and, some I love because I pushed my songwriting comfort zone. A track I'm working on in the recording studio right now for release later this year called 'Leave The Light On' has fast become a big favourite to play live as it always gets the audience singing and is a lot of fun. The recording of 'Paper Aeroplanes' is a favourite because it was the first song of mine I had recorded for about 10 years so signifies a huge milestone for me and has been the catalyst for me. I recorded it in my home studio during 2020 and was a big turning point for me!"
For those involved in the music industry, it can be very difficult to make it as an independent musician but, there are many incredible moments that one can be thankful for. We asked Celine what she found hardest about being an independent musician as well as what she found the easiest/best... "The hardest thing is just how many hats you need to wear! I am a songwriter, musician and performer. I am a photographer, a video editor, a graphic designer, a booking agent, a promoter, a merch sales manager and a content creator. I have to be good at networking, organising, planning, time management. The list is endless, but I genuinely do enjoy the process even if it's exhausting sometimes. I think you have to love the journey and not just the end goal for any passion project or else you will forget to have fun on the way. The best thing about being an Indie artist is the flexibility to do what I want and go in the direction I want to with my music. I also get to choose to work with other like minded people/small businesses to maximise my exposure and output. As Indie artists we can now get our music into the ears of people all around the world so easily thanks to digital distribution and the online world."
Naturally, I then wanted to know what Celine's most memorable moment of her musical career so far has been... sometimes it is the small, unexpected moments that we remember forever!
"I got to perform a home town show back in November, for the first time in many many years. After reconnecting with so many of my old school friends during lockdown live streams, it was really a very special show for me seeing them all there as well as lots of friends, family and friends of friends etc. There was lots of singing from everyone that night but when the whole audience was singing along with me on a song I wrote back in high school it really made me fill up. There really is nothing that beats that feeling for me, it was magnificently special. Speaking of welling up, I played a brand new song I had written for my sister that night too, and the whole room was in tears."
At Scarlet River, we are very honoured to work with a lot of up-and-coming artists and songwriters. It can be really difficult when starting off in the industry. Here are Celine's Top Tips!
1) Enjoy it! Enjoy everything about the process and don't be in a rush to get anywhere or you might miss stuff on the way 2) Be Yourself - it takes wayyyyyy too much energy in this industry to try and be someone you are not at the same time 3) Engage with people whenever you can - on your social media, at gigs and shows etc. - with your audience and with other artists. Connections are one of the most important things to building. 4) Surround yourself with positive people but be open and listen when anyone has anything constructive to say 5) Wear Sunscreen!
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