Calgary's Elle Celeste – formerly of Copperhead — has released her debut solo album Call on Me today.
The singer-songwriter began recording the nine-track LP in December of 2019 at the National Music Centre under the guidance of producer Tyrek. When the pandemic brought her studio sessions to a halt, Celeste took to remote recording for the next 18 months, with her former Copperhead bandmate and primary musical collaborator Kirill Telichev eventually coming on board to co-produce several tracks and mix the album.
The genre-fluid spirit of Call on Me can be distilled in a lightbulb moment the artist experienced while listening to "Southern Man" by Neil Young; she couldn't help but realize how the song could be reimagined equally powerfully with a hip-hop beat. "I decided that I wanted to create an album that combined beats and loops with soulful back-up vocals and singer/songwriter-style melodies," Celeste explained in a press release. "I also played around with some inspiration from the '80s."
With the exception of closing track "Big Mistake," which was contributed by her friend Bryce Janssens of Vancouver band the Fine Options, Celeste wrote the material all herself, drawing from experiences losing colleagues to addiction ("Call on Me"), reckoning with her sexuality ("Lorianne"), familial relationships ("Blue Moon") and coping with ADHD ("Back Again"). She even paid tribute to one of her favourite movies, Blade Runner, with the Vangelis-inspired synth tone of "So Few."
"I feel I've matured in almost every way making this record," she added. "It's motivated me to keep looking for ways to connect my experiences and song concepts with audiences."
Watch the video for the gospel-inflected title track below, where you can also stream the album.
The singer-songwriter began recording the nine-track LP in December of 2019 at the National Music Centre under the guidance of producer Tyrek. When the pandemic brought her studio sessions to a halt, Celeste took to remote recording for the next 18 months, with her former Copperhead bandmate and primary musical collaborator Kirill Telichev eventually coming on board to co-produce several tracks and mix the album.
The genre-fluid spirit of Call on Me can be distilled in a lightbulb moment the artist experienced while listening to "Southern Man" by Neil Young; she couldn't help but realize how the song could be reimagined equally powerfully with a hip-hop beat. "I decided that I wanted to create an album that combined beats and loops with soulful back-up vocals and singer/songwriter-style melodies," Celeste explained in a press release. "I also played around with some inspiration from the '80s."
With the exception of closing track "Big Mistake," which was contributed by her friend Bryce Janssens of Vancouver band the Fine Options, Celeste wrote the material all herself, drawing from experiences losing colleagues to addiction ("Call on Me"), reckoning with her sexuality ("Lorianne"), familial relationships ("Blue Moon") and coping with ADHD ("Back Again"). She even paid tribute to one of her favourite movies, Blade Runner, with the Vangelis-inspired synth tone of "So Few."
"I feel I've matured in almost every way making this record," she added. "It's motivated me to keep looking for ways to connect my experiences and song concepts with audiences."
Watch the video for the gospel-inflected title track below, where you can also stream the album.
