Woman of Faces: Celeste’s Symphonic Second Album

words by Kate South

Celeste’s highly anticipated second album, Woman of Faces, promises to be devastatingly beautiful.

Celeste’s second album has been a long time coming. A lot has happened since Celeste’s spell-binding performance of her breakout song “Strange” at the 2020 BRIT Awards placed her firmly in the global spotlight. The British-Jamaican musician, who landed the prestigious double win of both the BRITs Rising Star Award and BBC Music’s Sound of 2020, achieved a No. 1 on the UK charts with her 2021 debut album Not Your Muse. Since then, Celeste has taken a step back from the glare of mainstage spotlights to recalibrate and reconnect with herself, figuring out how to stay true to her vision and sense of authenticity. After years of hard work, Celeste’s highly anticipated second studio album Woman Of Faces will be released on November 14th on Polydor Records. The album features nine songs, including the previously released singles “On With The Show”, “This Is Who I Am” and her latest single, “Woman Of Faces”. 

“Woman Of Faces” is a stirring, string-drenched ballad, its orchestral swell slowly rising around Celeste’s forlorn, captivating vocals. It is a gripping, emotional track underlining just how much her new record is worth the wait, and then some. Talking about her latest single “Woman Of Faces”, Celeste explains, “Initially, the song was about realising I have shades of complexity within my mind and not being able to pinpoint what or why they were there. It gave me a sort of diagnosis. Like, yes, I find it hard to navigate, but at least I can begin to adapt.” Celeste also hopes that other women will see themselves in the song, particularly the unsung heroes of daily life, who are always there and expect nothing in return. “I want it to speak for people who don’t feel seen. There are some women who are like constant caregivers that just go unnoticed, they’re always waiting in the wings. People don’t thank them, but they’re always there. I want that song to be for those people.” 

In a conversation with Jason Okundaye for The Guardian, Celeste reveals she referenced Bernard Herrmann while working in the Studio with conductor Robert Ames and the London Contemporary Orchestra. Herrmann is an American composer known for his work scoring films for Hitchcock, Scorsese and Welles. While the production on Woman of Faces incorporates cinematic strings and soaring, Broadway-esque accompaniments, Celeste has imbued the album’s soundworld with her own unique, jazz-inspired sound to create something innovative rather than imitative. While the production sounds plucked from an Old Hollywood score, the sweeping string arrangements contrast against a modern meditation on multifaceted womanhood. 

Originally due to be finished by the end of 2022 and released a year later, the album took longer than expected. Celeste revealed to Okundaye that at the end of 2021, she went through a devastating breakup, candidly adding, “When you lose the person from your life that you really love, there’s a grief that comes over you”. This grief is poignantly explored in the album’s lead single and opening track, “On with the show”. The song shows off Celeste’s vocals at their most expressive and features beautifully poetic lyrics. The song is co-written with Matt Maltese. Known for his theatrical arrangements, his work lends itself to Celeste’s exploration of a more symphonic Jazz style, and together they elegantly set the tone of resilience in the face of heartache.

The whole album stems from this slow unravelling of a romantic relationship, and her determination to emerge from the other side triumphant. Produced by multi-GRAMMY award winner Jeff Bhasker and Beach Noise, Woman Of Faces is a body of work born out of pain, but also a steadfast resilience to keep moving forward. From the orchestral highs to the gut-wrenching lows, it’s a chronicle of heartbreak, recovery and reclaiming control. Unflinching and unfiltered, it’s the sound of an artist learning to trust herself. While the majority of the tracks feature epic, soaring strings and a notable absence of percussion, there are some surprises in store. For example, “Could Be Machine” is an industrial pop track, demonstrative of Celeste’s artistic range.

Woman Of Faces’ tracklist: 

1) ⁠’On With The Show’ 
2) ⁠’Keep Smiling’ 
3)⁠ ⁠’Woman of Faces’ 
4)⁠ ⁠’Happening Again’ 
5)⁠ ⁠’Time Will Tell’ 
6)⁠ ⁠’People Always Change’ 
7)⁠ ⁠’Sometimes’ 
8) ‘⁠Could Be Machine’ 
9)⁠ ‘⁠This Is Who I Am’ 

Celeste has had an incredible summer, captivating audiences with a string of rapturously received live performances, exemplified by her appearance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Critics are unanimous in their praise. The Guardian celebrated her “brilliantly smoky, soulful vocals,” drawing comparisons to “Billie Holiday, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin,” adding that her “distinctly English lilt provides a girl-next-door entry point to her magnificence.” Similarly, The Telegraph review declared her voice her “superpower,” describing it as “round, full, elegantly husky at the edges and today it’s at full force.“

Reflecting on the years since her debut album with Okundaye, Celeste confided: “Sometimes you worry: are you on your path?” From the material I have heard so far, it is undeniable that Celeste is back on track. This November, in support of Women of Faces, Celeste will be performing a series of out-of-store shows. If you can get your hands on a ticket, I cannot recommend going enough. Undoubtedly worth the wait, Woman of Faces promises to be a devastatingly beautiful album. On with the show. 

The highly anticipated Woman of Faces is set for release November 14th.

Poster from celesteofficial.com