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Astrella
Celeste
Astrella Celeste,
"the 60's
love child with a 21st century
spirit" and daughter of
Donovan (Mellow
Yellow,
Catch the Wind,
Autobiography of Donovan:
Hurdy Gurdy Man) chatted
with LeRue Press during her
visit to New York. She is
promoting her EP release of
Dream and The Way We Are.
Following are excerpts from
that conversation:
LRP: Are you enjoying your
visit to the US?
AC: Yeah, the weather’s
lovely today.
LRP: Are you getting some
time to “vacation” a
little?
AC: Not really as much as
I’d like. We might visit
the Empire State Building.
LRP: Where will you will be
performing in New York
this week?
AC: On the 26th (June) I’ll be
at the
Cutting Room.
I’ll also be doing a
performance for the
World
Wildlife Fund,
The Morning Show on
ABC World News and
Fox.
LRP: What would you say
inspires you to write
the lyrics for your
songs?
AC: I’m a lover of poetry. My
father (Donovan)
wrote poetry. I
love Agatha Christie and
the old classics.
LRP: Do you find it easier to
perform the songs
when you’ve written
them too?
AC: A little bit in a funny way.
It’s often easier…I know
the words. But there are
a couple of songs I love
singing like Kiss (written
by
Hunter/Graham).
LRP: I understand you and
Kevin Hunter wrote the
songs on the Blue Star
EP. Is it easier to write
alone or with someone
else?
AC: It’s the first time I’ve
ever written with anyone.
My father never wrote
with anyone. I grew up
with that philosophy.
Then I met Kevin Hunter…
LRP: In a collaborative effort,
do you write together
or separately and then
combine your work?
AC: It starts off…I fiddle
around on the piano.
We get a melody then
introduce a lyric. He
(Kevin) comes up with
bits then I come up with
something. In the
beginning, we work in
the same location then
after we get a start…
with modern technology
we add bits and pieces.
LRP: You’ve been singing
most of your life; how
long have you actually
been writing the lyrics
for your songs?
AC: The first song I wrote,
I was with my Dad. Then
after that, I was 16…
mostly poetry.
LRP: And now you have a
children’s book in the
works?
AC: Yes, my sister (Oriole
Nebula), myself and my
niece (Coco Ryder). It’s
called Coco’s Rainbow.
LRP: I believe I read your
Dad had written some
children’s books some
years ago, correct?
AC: He had children’s albums.
He may edit the book
(Coco’s Rainbow).
We’re thinking about a
series… or doing them
individually.
LRP: How would you compare
writing the children’s book
to writing lyrics?
AC: In a way, with children’s
books, it’s like lyrics, with
a little of the rhyming and
rhythm. It’s good to be
simple with a children’s
book. Lyrics are
sometimes a little more
complicated.
LRP: How much time do you
spend writing; whether
it’s lyrics or your venture
into books?
AC: All the time. I’m always
doing something.
LRP: That may have
answered my next
question. Do you find it
easier to write “on the
run”…or do you prefer
a particular place when
you write?
AC: If I have a choice, then I
do shut myself away. I
usually write at night. I
need my 9 hours of sleep
though. I shut myself
away in my little music,
writing room, you know.
LRP: Do you have any advice
for our writers that may
want to write lyrics?
AC: Yeah, I suppose I would
tell them I got myself a
dictionary and a rhyming
dictionary. You’ll find
when you’re writing,
using the dictionary gives
you ideas. I found having
it really helped.
In addition to touring,
Astrella was included in the
Multiple Sclerosis 2006 Music
Fest Compilation CD
(the Montel Williams MS
Foundation). You can see
and hear more of Astrella on
her My Space website at
www.myspace.com/
astrellaceleste. Her latest
release, the Blue Star EP can
be purchased online. For a
list of locations, go to
www.astrella-celeste.com.
© 2007 LeRue Press,
all rights reserved
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