about the girl . . .

Celeste Starchild has a double identity. By day, she is a Vice President of a national real estate software firm. By night, she is an accomplished singer-songwriter with a brand new CD and a growing following. Her personal journey into music took the winding, scenic route. And, yes, that’s her real name.

Growing up with “alternative” parents, Starchild ironically rebelled by following a more conventional path of success. Her memories of childhood include jam sessions at the house, picking dandelions for dandelion wine, shiitake mushroom farming, and ducks and chickens running around the yard. But Starchild traded the mountains of southwest Virginia for a successful career in business in Washington, DC. Yet, when her dad died of cancer and left her a 1933 acoustic Gibson guitar, she couldn’t keep her hands off it.

She learned to play it and started writing songs. With a few shoves from a good friend, less than two years later she is playing all over, including Iota, Jammin' Java, and Bangkok Blues. She’s sung twice on XM radio and appeared on other local broadcasts. Her voice is rich and evocative when she sings of love and disillusionment and going for your dreams. She calls it “conveying” rather than singing. On her new CD, "Time Release," she sings the song Darlin', which is based on lyrics she found in her father's belongings.

“My life is a kinda crazy,” says Starchild. “I often go straight from a long day of meetings to a long night of singing, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

~ by Amy Brecount White