The UK soul-pop singer-songwriter Celeste got a whole lot attention from the music industry when she was just starting out. In 2020, she won the BBC’s Sound Of 2020 poll and the Rising Star Award at the Brits. Her 2021 debut album Not Your Muse was a #1 hit in the UK, and it got a Mercury Prize nomination. Celeste was also nominated for an Oscar for “Hear My Voice,” her song for the 2020 film The Trial Of The Chicago 7. But now that she’s getting ready to release her sophomore LP Woman Of Faces, Celeste has had a very different experience with the business. She’s not happy about it.

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Music label stories are worrisome. Almost every artist gets one or two bad experience to share. You sign a deal thinking your life has changed for good, next thing you’re fighting for your career. Honestly, it's overwhelming.

It’s really sad. I think artists need better lawyers and to understand their contracts. Too many of them are in a rush for fame. To be fair, some labels help, but most only love you when the money is flowing. Once streams drop, they will ghost you. I respect people like Tems and Omah Lay because they are independent from the start.