ME: You have two EPs out - what would you say is the main difference between the two of them?
CELESTE MADDEN: Looking back I’ve realised that the first EP was pretty much made out of lockdown boredom. Which is never actually a good idea - ‘I have so much time on my hands, why not self produce an EP’ isn’t solid reasoning. But I’d say in all the ways I was developing my style for That’s Just Extraordinary last year, the new EP is more of a passion project now I have those skills a bit more solidified. TJE went through so many revisions and cuts because I hated everything as soon as I finished it, but making IIRG was a real labour of love because I was finally working on songs I felt, and still feel proud of.
M: just from even a slight peek at your Instagram there’s a clear taste for photography. Would you say that’s another passion of yours?
CM: Good eye ! Yeah, I really love photography and film, I actually dropped out of film this year to study music instead (but we’ll ignore that bit). I’m not amazing at it, but photography was my favourite subject when I was doing A-Levels, so every photo I take ends up getting the full critic treatment, because you end up noticing that the angle’s slightly off, or it’s kind of overexposed. My friends do not enjoy me taking photos of them.
M: when did you first get into music?
CM: I’ve been really lucky to have a family obsessed with music: my mum was a singer in a punk band in the ‘80s, so I’ve grown up around those sounds and being encouraged to express myself through music. In my second primary school we did ukulele lessons, which steered me away from piano and more towards songwriting. Piano is very cool, don’t get me wrong, but I found strings a lot more liberating for some
M: what then pushed and encouraged you to release your own music?
CM: I’d been uploading covers and original songs on YouTube for a good while before I officially released anything, but I actually remember my friend Chloe sending me this discount code for DistroKid in 2018/19 and basically being like: okay, use this and release something. It was pretty much on a whim that I released Ghost, definitely not the level of planning for the EPs, but I did work on it for a long time.
M: your most recent ep has a beautiful cover / photography to go with it. What was the inspo behind it?
CM: Thank you ! I had the title for the EP in my head for about a year before anything was written for it, and basically started drawing up concept art for it relating to sleeping. I have a lot of weird dreams, and I think there’s something equally strange about sleeping. Associated lots of blues and greys. We did cyanotypes a lot in sixth form because it was easier than getting in the dark room to actually develop photos, but I really love how they look so otherworldly.
M: do you come up with all your covers/cover ideas?
CM: I think that imagery relating to what you’re writing is a huge part of it. With other people’s songs I tend to go through this reel of what I’m imagining to their music, so forming those little film stills is a big part of the process for me. A lot of my friends are hugely talented artists, so I think a lot of the styles you see in the album art are usually from me wanting to absorb their brain into mine.
M: is there anyone that helps you behind scenes with the music not just the covers?
CM: Usually, I work completely alone, slumped over my desk because I guess it’s just what you get used to. This definitely isn’t what I recommend, and I think the quicker you learn that it’s okay to let other people in the better. Having full control over your work is great but draining. Recently I’ve been working with GLVS’ Josh Wheatley on some new music, and he’s a super talented guy who can work a guitar like no other, so maybe in future there’ll be more of a collaboration.
M: your Spotify wrapped for artists showed you had over 300k streams in a year - what do those numbers mean to you?
CM: Seeing my Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year was incredible, because you do get to keep track of your stats but seeing those numbers come together was really affirming. I think a lot of independent musicians can relate to the feeling of, ‘no one will listen to this and no one will care if I put it out, so why am I bothering?’. 300k is a big number, and I’m massively grateful because it pushes me to keep going.
M: what is your next goal as a musician?
CM: I want to spent some time working on the way I write music. I don’t believe in ‘okay, I have officially finished learning how to do this, that’s how I’ll do it for the rest of my life’. Right now, I feel like I’m close to a breakthrough, or something like that. I’m going to keep my options open, whether it’s another EP or an album next, I want to make sure it’s the best it can be.
M: I like to end on a fun one - if you could go under any other name what one would go under?
CM: Oh, this is good. I really want to do a side project one day, a boygenius-type thing supergroup and call it something really stupid. Tribute act, call it ‘girlidiot’ ? Thinking about I, I really like want something pretentious like ‘Heat Death’. That would be sick.
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