"For Divine Celiane, who goes by "Celiane The Voice," music is more than sound - it's "audible art." Born in Berkeley, raised in Richmond and living now on Bethel Island, the 49-year-old singer, actress and self-described "technohuman" has built her own genre, "Electronica Hip Opera," to showcase a voice that refuses to be confined. "I created the genre Electronica Hip Opera because I'm an opera singer. That is what my voice was made for," Celiane said."
"Her invention sprang partly from frustration. She says producers often asked her to change her sound or downplay her operatic training. Instead, she and her executive producer decided to create music around her voice - much as artists did in an earlier era when powerhouse vocalists were given room to shine. Celiane says her love of music began in the 1980s, when she first heard Whitney Houston and discovered the bold creativity of Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel and other innovators."
Divine Celiane, known as Celiane The Voice, blends operatic technique with electronic and hip-hop elements to form Electronica Hip Opera. She created the genre to accommodate her powerful trained voice and to integrate the musical elements she loves. Industry pressure to soften or change her operatic sound prompted a choice to build music around her voice rather than conform. Influences include Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel, Daft Punk and Amy Winehouse. Elaborate cosplay and a time-bending "technohuman" persona enable full embodiment of character, channeling pain, resilience and empathy into theatrical performances.
Read at The Mercury News
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