Celeste Carballo

Celeste Carballo
Biography

www.celestecarballo.com

Celeste Carballo recorded her first release in 1982. At 26 she changed the history of Argentinean rock.

Celeste was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and she was the first woman to edit a rock album that went gold soon after it was released. She reflected people’s feelings and her songs became hymns of freedom. She sung, and sings, about things that Argentinean people could relate to, about living in the country in difficult times, about being alone for the first time, and she did it in their own language.

Spreading her love for life in her lyrics and melodies she became a favorite of the people, because she’s one of us. The stereotypes of what a female star should be couldn’t be applied to Celeste: She was sincere and she had a humble nature in the way she handled the press and her public that became a trademark of her and her career. Argentinean people fell in love with her. Celeste’s music ranges from Tango to Blues and Rock and Roll. Her love for life and the passion for her work are hard to ignore regardless of the style of music she is playing. Her voice is powerful and she uses it without reluctance.

After her first release entitled Me Vuelvo Cada Día Más Loca, Celeste toured Europe and South America opening for and performing with international legends, Bob Dylan and Santana.

After a successful tour and with Me Vuelvo Cada Día Más Loca, leading the charts, Celeste decided to try a new music style. With her new band she dominated the punk scene in Buenos Aires at the middle of the ’80. She recorded the mythical album Celeste y la Generación, with the biggest rock star musician in Argentina, Charly García as a Producer.

In 1989 during an interview on the most-watched Argentinean live television show, Celeste made her coming out to the world. It was while casually talked about her work as a musician, she told the people in Argentina that she’s gay, discussed how it applied to her audience prejudices. At that time neither K. D. Lang nor Melissa Etheridge were out in U.S. Celeste had to confront a press and a public opinion that were not ready for such freedom and social compromise. Being an extremely courageous woman, her unstoppable force of passion, has proved to be one of Celeste’s major contributions to the people, especially to the women of Argentina.

In 1992 she met with Bob Dylan in Argentina once again. This time she opened his concert at Obras Stadium, in Buenos Aires.

Her album Chocolate Inglés, released in 1993, won an ACE award as “best record of the year”. Celeste received a distinction by ACE (Argentinean Entrepreneurs Association) alongside many other big names in the history of Argentinean music.

In 1993 Celeste was invited to sing with Peter Gabriel, replacing Sinead O’Connor, during his Secret World Tour. They did a duet singing “Blood of Even”, “Don’t give up “, “Biko” and “In your Eyes”. It was at the Velez football/ soccer stadium, where 40.000 people ovationed her all night, being proud of the Argentinean singer. The press highlighted Celeste’s participation in every show with Gabriel.

In 1995, Celeste received the Platinum Konex Award as the best female singer. Again this was the first time a female rock singer was bestowed such an honor. From blues to punk to Tango, Celeste’s continued hard work and dedication to the art is leaving marks everywhere she goes. Whether it is in Michigan, Germany, Spain, Japan or the bar around the corner.

After finishing a six year contract with BMG, she recorded her first indie label album named Live At The Roxy. This recording, made in Buenos Aires in 1995, was a Janis Joplin tribute. Celeste played in her electric guitar, respecting the original arrangements of Joplin’s songs. In 1996, Celeste laid the music she composed for the feature film Inn Trouble, in Atlanta, directed by the Argentinean director Cristina Rey. Inn Trouble was featured all around the gay film’s festival circuit of US, Australia and Europe.

In 1997, her second indie label album appeared, Terecer Infinito including two songs from the Inn trouble film, “Like a dream” and “Qué pasó con Louise Blue”. Federico Gil Solá played drums, the former drummer for Divididos, one of the biggest rock bands in Argentina. She begun touring all around Argentina, and the USA. It was her first step to achieve a relationship with Delanuca Records, a well-known label based in Miami that releases most of the rock latino albums for the US market. Delanuca released in 2002 Celeste Acústica, all over the US in association with Tower Records stores, Amazon and Virgin. All this process would take Celeste to get a nomination for the Latin Grammy 2002, in the category BEST ROCK ALBUM.

Since her first appearance in 1982 until now, she has been a icon of Argentinean music, like MERCEDES SOSA in folklore or CHARLY GARCIA in rock music. She’s got a big fame as rock and roller, in a local rock scene that has 35 years of history and tradition in Argentina. Now a days she’s working in new songs. Always on the road and in the people’s heart.