Celeste Debuts as Director with Dark New Short Film “This Is Who I Am”

Celeste’s Directorial Debut

Celeste made her directorial debut with the short film accompanying her new single “This Is Who I Am.”

• READ MORE: Celeste on her 'natural' next album: 'I just want to feel like it's really me'

About the Song and Its Video

The song became the title theme of a recent political thriller, Day of the Jackal, starring Eddie Redmayne. Now, Celeste has unveiled an accompanying video, filmed in Winchester, which features actors she personally selected, including artist Edward Rollitt, choreographer Holly Blakey, and designer Sonya Trefilova.

According to a press release, the film aims to demonstrate “the oppression women have faced throughout history and their collective strength and resilience to overcome,” while also introducing two characters who will significantly impact her 2025 album.

“The initial thought behind this idea is that there is a sense that we, as people, are experiencing some kind of suffering, perhaps due to a lack of connections between individuals in society,” Celeste explained. “I have often felt that women are or should be the bearers of our comfort. However, as our roles and lives have evolved, we are no longer the one-size-fits-all caregivers who maintain societal function while feeling loved, cared for, and safe in a metaphorical womb. I believe this has contributed to a certain amount of frustration and violence towards women. I hope that the image of me, although bound, will portray the strength that defies the odds.”

Watch the video for “This Is Who I Am” below:

Background of the Song

When the song was first released last month, Celeste mentioned that it had “been around for a long time, and it was almost unfair that circumstances prevented it from being released four years ago.”

“Now that everything is aligned, this moment serves as a powerful acknowledgment of something that seemed unresolved at the time.”

Produced by Beach Noise (Kendrick Lamar), “This Is Who I Am” serves as the follow-up to the artist’s 2022 BRIT-winning and Mercury Prize-nominated single “To Love A Man.”

Celeste’s debut studio album, Not Your Muse, was released in 2021. In a four-star review, NME stated: “Whether fast or moody, Celeste’s wonderful voice is the real hit of the show on ‘Not Your Muse.’ It has an uncanny quality, transforming already poetic lyrics into poignant moments.”

The record was also included in NME‘s list of the 20 best debut albums of the year.

During an interview with NME at the 2021 Mercury Prize (where “Not Your Muse” was shortlisted), Celeste shared that she was making good progress on her second full-length album.

“I don’t want to feel compromised at all, artistically or creatively, sonically or lyrically,” she said of her new material at the time. “I just want to feel like it’s really me—that’s where I start.”

She continued: “At the moment, a lot of the songs are written on acoustic guitar, which I really like. With some, you don’t have to do anything other than that. It will probably be more natural and toned down.”