Making unique music should always be the goal for any artist. Never let specific genre boundaries limit you. Our friend Celiane The Voice has continued to develop her fresh genre. New single “Inner Universe Reloaded” takes her music even further.
We caught up with the truly imaginative artist for an interview:
It has been an interesting year to say the least. How did you use the lockdown situation to your benefit?
I knew when the lockdown happened it was an opportunity to build. Unlike most people that felt it was a time to rest, and it was, but I saw my opening to really work on certain aspects of my business that was not yet developed. And now I am starting to see the fruits of my hard work.
How have you developed the Celiane The Voice sound?
When I sing, people immediately hear the opera training. I have had too many producers ask me to change my sound to chase the money. I chase the art form. So I told myself, I can learn what they do and I can keep my voice just the way it is. I decided to create a sound using elements of music I love. I wanted to make music fit around my voice, not the other way around.
What drives you to create such unique music?
What drives me is that I was told by a producer one day that the success in music is about the producer not the singer. As a highly trained vocalist, that didn’t sit well with me at all. I still study the styles of the singers in my time that “sang”, Whitney, Gladys, Aretha, Patti, Anita….the legends…music was made for their voices. This created a sound for the soul. I said, “Okay, I will make my own and find me a producer that can understand my vision, work together to build it and see where it goes.” And I did, Bill Williams. And here we are. An art form that takes an operatic voice and a mix of unlikely sounds and make it into my sound. Bill told me, “Don’t sound like everyone else. Sound like you!” Like a painter that creates on a canvas they built from scratch, it is your baby, you own it. That is how I feel about my genre I created, Electronica Hip Opera.
You seem to have connected with the Comic Con community. Tell us about that.
It has been tough because they don’t have singers come into perform generally speaking. I am still trying to be one of those that do. They do allow bands but not singers. This I don’t understand because it can enhance the experience but none the less, Comic Coners, Techers, Gamers, Animers, Sci-fiers, Comic Book lovers, Creators…those are my people I connect with because I know they will appreciate what I want to continue to create.
How does a song come together for you? What is your songwriting process?
Sometimes a song hits me and I can write it in 5 min. Other times, it takes years. It really has to hit me in a way that I understand. What I mean is, I have to feel the words and it has to have a flow. Some people can hear a song and write. I write and then listen for the right song. Sometimes the melody may come to me or the harmony may come to me. I let the song speak to me to tell me what it needs, the rest we work out together.
Your music continues to evolve with “Inner Universe Reloaded .” How did that track come together?
This track is a true labor of love. It is from the anime “Ghost In the Shell”. When I heard it, many years ago, I said, “One day, I will sing that song.” It was really love at first sound. When I started to actively pursue my music professionally, this song was on my list to cover. I also knew I couldn’t do it justice if I only sang it in English. It would lose it’s feel and what made it unique, so I sang the lyrics almost 100% to the letter, except my own flare, words in some parts and obviously in sound. I wanted to keep most of what people knew of the song but make it my own to honor the song, Origa, who originally sang it, and the original anime I love.
What emotions should the listener experience from the song?
The listener should just go on a ride. They should flow and ebb with the music and let the words wash over them. They may feel empowered, or deep thought…I am not sure, this I want to know myself. I thought about love when I made it and I thought about the love of opposites the spirit can possess. This song is about love and knowing. Many don’t understand what this means. Knowing is not just knowledge of the mind, but knowledge of the experience. Love is the vehicle for that experience. This is what Celiane the Voice is about. Showing people what love can do and how it opens your spirit up to knowing, to be aware of the real power of love in the outer universe and how it reflects in our own personal matrix in our personal universes inside our spirits. We are mirrors of a vast network connected by love. This is what I hope to elicit with this song and my character as well.
Your music is already ahead of its time. Where do you see the future of your music going?
I see my music being a unique pebble in the vast sea of genres, signals and sounds. I am hoping it will change the landscape of sound and what we categorize as “music” today. I see it being an experience that will awaken each one’s own inner universe with love. I see it becoming “Sound Art”. I know it will take a while to catch on, but it will.
