Written By Nana Kojo Mula
Music is influenced by a person’s direct experiences or the environment they are in. You can almost tell where someone draws their inspiration from just from the music they make, the stories they tell, and the overall approach to their artistry. Immersed in the fine arts, Celeste Ojatula‘s craft is creative with an intentional, detailed, and beautiful touch.
Growing up around music and Yoruba literature, it is no surprise that Celeste’s taste palate and creative trajectory feel very distinct but also true to her roots and values. An artist who understands the importance of community and recognizes the value of storytelling through both sonics and imagery. An artist who understands the emotions evoked by music and, as such, is tender with the music she makes. Her music and performances draw you into a world of utopia and calmness, drowning out any outside noise and centering you in a world of love, peace, and beauty. For Celeste, she believes music should make you feel alive and grounded, and that is what she has been doing over the last couple years with her craft. Pursuing a career like Celeste’s comes with its own challenges, but as determined as she is, she is not backing down. She knows what she wants, understands the challenges that come with it, and is committed to pushing the envelope.
Rooted in Yoruba cultural expression, Celeste’s music sits at the intersection of Soul, Afropop, Folk, Jazz and R&B. In May of 2026, Celeste released her latest EP “Our Time In The Sun” with collaborations with Rhaffy, Dwin, The Stoic, Ayofawo, and Anabel Rose. She describes the project as “Our Time in the Sun is a collection of songs that document the past 5 years of my life, and what it’s been like to dream of what life could be. I wanted to share this energy with anyone who thinks about who they could be someday.”
In a conversation with iMullar, Celeste opens up about her music, imagery, being a performing artist, and her new project, “Our Time In The Sun“.
How influential was the music you grew up listening to in your decision to pursue music professionally?
Music has always been influential in my life, as young as 2 years old. I have always known I was going to make music. Listening to the likes of Sade, Sunny Ade to Don Moen. I grew up in a part of Lagos where we would come together as neighbors to share stories, and play songs. So music was very much a part of my life. I also grew up reading a lot of books, including some Yoruba literature, because of my grandma. As I grew, I eventually learned the guitar, joined the choir, and developed other skills just so I could better myself.
How would you describe how your career has gone so far?
I would describe it as very interesting and very our time in the sun-ish. My story is very familiar with what many might have heard because I had to take a break at some point and then return. The first phase of my career was a learning curve because I had challenges finding producers and people who could create what I envision with my sound. That pushed me to regroup and find the right people to work with. My career is still building, but compared to 3 years ago when there was a lot of uncertainty, I now have more certainty to build and progress.
You play instruments, produce, write and do a lot of things outside of just singing. How challenging is it to wear many hats, and are you able to ensure all these moving parts are working well to progress the career?
It has not been easy wearing these many hats. For example, I have to take a break from work to be out here in London. I’ve had to compartmentalize parts of me so I can keep things running. Making music feels like my purpose in life, and I try to live in spite of the challenges. It is a challenge I have to take where I have to do multiple things, and I do hope at some point I don’t have to do all these other things. Until I get to that point, I need to compartmentalize and push. I also have had the support of friends and family who show up in very interesting ways across the board for me.
As an artist, do you feel you’re able to communicate your themes as best as you can through your music, and is the audience connecting to it as much as you hope?
I believe I have been able to get the audience to connect with the themes. When people listen to OTITS, they are able to think about mornings and beautiful times; things are possible. So yes, it has been connecting as much as I hoped it would.
How important is sound and image being cohesive to you?
It is important because as a reader, I always daydreamed and imagined what the author was envisioning, so as much as possible I do that with my artistry. I want to be able to express myself as a creative, and the best way to do that is through sound and visuals, which in turn helps people to better understand me and the music.
In 2024 you released ALO, in 2025 the live version, and now a new project. Before we delve into the new project, how important was it for you to put out a live version for “ALO”?
I am very particular about live music. All the sounds I grew up listening to were very alive. The original idea for “ALO” was made live, but we just had to release the studio version and then dropped the live version after. Also, because of the type of artist I am and a performer, I want people to be able to feel the music live.
How important was putting on the ALO Live show for you, and did it influence any decisions you have made post the event?
I am grateful we were able to put together the show. I was anxious leading up to my return to music. So having already established a relationship with Alliance, it was a no-brainer to do the event there. Before that event, I hadn’t done anything for five years. Despite the challenges, we wanted to make a point with this show, especially showing how dedicated I was to pursuing music. We created a platform where great music was heard and the feedback from what we did was great. The show being sold out was an amazing touch that made us feel our efforts were appreciated.
Our Time In The Sun. What inspired the project, and can you walk us through the creation of the project?
OTITS was inspired by love. I was in a period where I was experiencing a lot of love from friends and family. A song like “Oya Wa” was written during lockdown when I was listening to a lot of Highlife music. “This side of love” was inspired by how friends became distant because people kept traveling away. “New Memory” came when I was learning production, which was a new phase in my life. OTITS was inspired by Lo-fi sounds, and I wanted to test how I could make Lo-fi from my own perspective of new beginnings. “Traveler” was made after my return from a culture exchange program where we were sharing stories of different cultures from Lagos all the way to Brazil, specifically Bahia.
In a time where collaborations seem difficult to come by, you had amazing collaborations on the project.
The collaborators were easy to work with because I was working with people who understood my perspective and shared in the experiences. They were people who were open to work with me on the songs.
In a time where people complain about our art being diluted, you are creating music that is true to you. How are you able to block outside noise to create something like OTITS?
I realized I am lucky to be in a period where it feels right to release music like this. There’s been an overload of stereotypical sounds, so people needed something rounded, and I feel lucky I was able to release this where people know the music has more meaning and keeps them grounded. Blocking the noise was easy because I also want to listen to music that makes me feel grounded.
As a performing artist, you recently performed at SXSW. How different was it performing in London as opposed to performing in Lagos?
Performing in London is not so different from Lagos, but seeing their reaction despite them listening to the music for the first time was very interesting. The difference is that when they say they will show up for events in London, it is easier to get them to come around. The flow of things is much better in London than in Lagos.
The EP is out; you are doing a few shows here and there. Are there any other things we should expect in the coming months?
I have another headline show this year where I am making it super intentional where I invite very specific people and then a possible tour within Africa to push the EP. It is our time in the sun, so I am very excited to see what happens in the coming months.
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