I remember the first time I ever saw Celine Love play live as she supported her friend Cha:dy’s EP launch and I knew at once that this was an artist destined for success; her ability to bring so many genres together into her music is so refreshing.
In a world where we are so keen to label and identify in an effort to appear as if we are not, Celine manages to be entirely genre fluid. Her music takes the strong lyrical ability taken from her core story telling style and merges seamlessly with the melodies and beats of contemporary R&B giving us cool, modern music but with thoughtful, honest lyrics.
This has never been more evident than in her new single ‘Temporary Tattoo’; who can resist a turn of phrase like “bad apples might make the sweetest pie” as Celine brings acoustic guitar and dreamy soul together in a wonderful fusion as she examines negative thought patterns. She says:
“‘If I bruise a little then I’ll know’ means that I accept that opening my heart could open up old wounds. The inspiration was the literal heart I have tattooed on my wrist. Believe it or not, the same night I performed the song for the first time, was the night I allowed my heart to heal and open itself up to someone new. The outro features a voice note of one of my closest friends expressing the self-growth she’s witnessed within me. I wanted to add it because it described perfectly why I felt ready to love again.”
The second song of this recent release is ‘No Longer Fun’ which feels very much like the other side of the coin featuring the line: “If you don’t feel the same it would hurt, but it would be worse if you do” which seems to suggest to me that moment in a relationship when one of you realises the fire has burned out and that it’s no longer fun but when you are both afraid to bite the bullet. The beauty of music and lyrics are that they can mean different things to different people; the song very much felt like an end to me, however, the artist reveals a different take on the lyrics as she says:
“This song feels like the opposite of ‘Temporary Tattoo’ because it describes falling for someone but being afraid those feelings will change once they are reciprocated. ‘Hate the game but once it’s done, it’s no longer fun’ describes the fear that the person you are opening your heart to is only in it for the chase. Creating and performing these songs has uplifted me in so many ways and I hope it can give others a sense of hope as well”
For the first time, Celine has produced her own music; writing and recording in her bedroom with each track exploring the different fears of opening your heart. So, you can imagine how exciting it is that BBC Radio 1 DJ Victoria Jane gave Celine her first spin with ‘Temporary Tattoo’ on her Future Soul programme. Having seen the artist live several times I’m so excited for her and I’m sure this will be the first of many appearances on the radio. Celine Love is a name that you must remember. Stream her music, try to catch her live; she’s amazing and you’re still in with a chance of being able to say I was there at the start when she’s selling out our major venues.
