Celly Black
New York City, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2009
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born Cecilia Blackwell in southern California, her music education was initiated by her father, who, even though he was in the Air Force, moonlighted as a DJ. after hearing her rendition of Mary Had a Little Lamb at age four, her father set her up in the den with a mic, and she began her journey. winning her first writing contest for poetry at the age of seven, her life long love affair with the written and spoken word was cemented, and by eight she'd written her first song.
dabbling in the world of modeling after high school, she got her official start as a staff singer in recording studios, mastering the art vocal arranging and also performing reference vocals for signed artists. she is a self proclaimed "harmonist", in her own words: "Words are important, but their tone is just as key in getting your point across. Being able to use musical dimensions to support your ideas is such a lucky way to communicate. Doing a 6, 7 or 8 part harmony is typical for me. The more intricate the melody the better. It adds more depth to the song, and keeps me fresh..". and she's been recognized for this skill, working as a background singer for Grammy Award winning artist Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets, and ultimately handling the vocal production for Digable's live shows. having studied with greats like the late Jazz legend, Myrna Lake, as well as working with artists like Grammy Award winner Steve Pageot as a writer and arranger, and Maya Azucena, she's poised to now introduce the world to her sound! and what a sound it is!
her mixtape, Homage, a tribute to the legendary beats and rhymes that helped shape her musical sensibilities. this Valley girl turned Brooklynite is gearing up for the release of her album, RIPE, in September and subsequent tour, but she took a minute to hit us with the answers to the questions you know we had.. - The Revolution of Fresh
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Celly Black
Stunning vocal talent and outstanding song writing have proven Celly Black to be one of the most exciting emerging musical talents this decade. After collaborating with a multitude of artists from Ladybug Mec (Digible Planets) to CX Kidtronik (Saul Williams, Atari Teenage Riot) Celly is carving out her career as a one-to-be-reckoned-with star.
Inspired by super talents such as Minnie Riperton, Prince, Michael Jackson, Sade and Mariah Carey, Celly’s rich and sultry voice gives extra dimension to the hip-hop soul she delivers. Her breakout album ‘Homage’ pays just that. Taking classic rap beats and transforming them into modern day R&B songs was easy for the multi-talented singer.
The phenomenal album gave us gems such the touching “My Love” written for her brother, to the quirky ‘Ya New Girlfriend’ written about a stalker she had to face in court. The bold and sultry ‘Mr. Tonight’ -written to the Luniz classic ‘5 On It’ -dares to challenge a man on his sexual bragging, and the heartfelt ‘Selfish’ is a confessional about being let down by loved ones.
Her video-game themed “Free Love” produced by Atari Teenage Riot’s CX Kidtronik, resulted in a singles’ deal offer from Stones Throw Records.
Celly’s ability to create beautiful melodies and catchy hooks are propelling her into the music world both stateside and globally. Her soulful cover of Brazilian mega-star Wanderlea’s 1974 hit “Mane Joao,” has garnered her a new and distinct following in Brazil and other world music communities. With regular radio spins in parts of the UK, Celly is becoming well known across the Atlantic and beyond.
Celly Black definitely has her own sound which is a combination of old-school meets new-school, “retro-futuristic” as she likes to call it. It’s definitely a sound you’ll want to play on repeat, and a sound the music game has been waiting for.
Celly is currently writing for other artists while working on her double EP ‘Nectar.’ She’s performing spot dates with her band around the country.
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