Interview with Celia Leonard
We recently interviewed a teen singer/instrumentalist for the Cliché Teen Journal Interview Blog page.
Read about the interview below!
*A conversation between Anna L. and Celia Leonard a 15 year old singer/multi-instrumentalist.*
Question 1: When did you first start singing and playing musical instruments?
Celia: i’ve been singing basically since i could talk! it’s always been something i’ve loved to do, and i started learning to play guitar when i was nine or ten but didn’t seriously focus on it until i was about twelve and learned to play the ukulele, and at that point i thought it would be so cool to be able to play both!
Question 2: What genre of music do you enjoy playing the most?
Celia: i really love pop and folk rock.
Question 3: What artist would you say inspire you?
Celia: i’m extremely inspired by ed sheeran, shawn mendes, and sara bareilles!
Question 4: What would you say drew you towards your love of music?
Celia: i’ve been surrounded by music my whole life. my parents met through a school singing group and have always sung to me, and my grandmother used to sit me in front of the TV and turn on the sound of music whenever she needed a few hours to herself. that was the first time i’d ever seen a live action movie musical, and i was absolutely enthralled by it.
Question 5: What is your goal in the musical career pathway?
Celia: i’d absolutely love to write an album and play live at some point. making a living out of music is my ultimate goal.
Question 6: What qualities do you believe a good musician should possess?
Celia: i don’t think i have a direct answer to that. there are so many different types of people who have absolutely nothing in common aside from their love of music. if i had to say just one vague quality, i’d say patience. it can take a long time to sit down and learn an instrument or write a song, and patience is crucial! personally, i sit down expecting to only write a few lines or play with ideas, and never to sit down and write the best song ever. sometimes the things i come up with totally suck, but it takes patience with yourself and your mind to try again and again.
Question 7: How do you feel when you play music?
Celia: music makes me feel free. when i pick up my guitar, it almost feels like the rest of the world disappears and i’m completely alone with my music.
Question 8: What advice do you have to people who also want to purse music?
Celia: the best piece of advice i’ve ever gotten is from one of my theatre teachers. i messed up a line in front of my class, and even though it wasn’t a big deal i was so embarrassed that i went to the bathroom and just cried, because i’ve always been a perfectionist and my mindset is naturally “if it isn’t perfect, what’s the point?” my theatre teacher came into the bathroom and sat next to me and told me, “celia, it ain’t always gonna be golden” and it took a little while before i realized that she was right. i was putting so much pressure on myself to be perfect that my art was seeming more like a chore than something i do because i love to. i think that anyone who wants to be a musician should remember that “it ain’t always gonna be golden”, and messing up is part of life.
Question 9: Would you say that school gets in the way of singing and playing music?
Celia: school is definitely my priority, and even though i hate that, it’s the way it has to be. however, i still love playing music and make as much time for it as i can around tutoring and studying.
Question 10: What do you enjoy the most about being a musician?
Celia: my favorite part about being able to do this is when somebody hears me play for the first time, and the look on their face when they say something like, “i didn’t know you could sing!!!”
Question 11: What’s the best advice you have ever been given related to music?
Celia: one step at a time! don’t bite off more than you can chew, and take it all in bits!
Question 12: What is the best advice you would give someone not related to music?
Celia: a fish can’t climb a tree, and a monkey can’t swim. so if you judge someone by their ability to do one thing that they can’t do instead of focusing on all the things that they do really well, they’ll always believe they aren’t good enough. focus on the positive!
Last Question: Thank you for doing this interview! Do you have anything else to add?
Celia: thank YOU for interviewing me! that’s all i have!
Celia's Instagram: @Celialeonardmusic
View her singing: CLICK BUTTON BELOW!
Celia: i’ve been singing basically since i could talk! it’s always been something i’ve loved to do, and i started learning to play guitar when i was nine or ten but didn’t seriously focus on it until i was about twelve and learned to play the ukulele, and at that point i thought it would be so cool to be able to play both!
Question 2: What genre of music do you enjoy playing the most?
Celia: i really love pop and folk rock.
Question 3: What artist would you say inspire you?
Celia: i’m extremely inspired by ed sheeran, shawn mendes, and sara bareilles!
Question 4: What would you say drew you towards your love of music?
Celia: i’ve been surrounded by music my whole life. my parents met through a school singing group and have always sung to me, and my grandmother used to sit me in front of the TV and turn on the sound of music whenever she needed a few hours to herself. that was the first time i’d ever seen a live action movie musical, and i was absolutely enthralled by it.
Question 5: What is your goal in the musical career pathway?
Celia: i’d absolutely love to write an album and play live at some point. making a living out of music is my ultimate goal.
Question 6: What qualities do you believe a good musician should possess?
Celia: i don’t think i have a direct answer to that. there are so many different types of people who have absolutely nothing in common aside from their love of music. if i had to say just one vague quality, i’d say patience. it can take a long time to sit down and learn an instrument or write a song, and patience is crucial! personally, i sit down expecting to only write a few lines or play with ideas, and never to sit down and write the best song ever. sometimes the things i come up with totally suck, but it takes patience with yourself and your mind to try again and again.
Question 7: How do you feel when you play music?
Celia: music makes me feel free. when i pick up my guitar, it almost feels like the rest of the world disappears and i’m completely alone with my music.
Question 8: What advice do you have to people who also want to purse music?
Celia: the best piece of advice i’ve ever gotten is from one of my theatre teachers. i messed up a line in front of my class, and even though it wasn’t a big deal i was so embarrassed that i went to the bathroom and just cried, because i’ve always been a perfectionist and my mindset is naturally “if it isn’t perfect, what’s the point?” my theatre teacher came into the bathroom and sat next to me and told me, “celia, it ain’t always gonna be golden” and it took a little while before i realized that she was right. i was putting so much pressure on myself to be perfect that my art was seeming more like a chore than something i do because i love to. i think that anyone who wants to be a musician should remember that “it ain’t always gonna be golden”, and messing up is part of life.
Question 9: Would you say that school gets in the way of singing and playing music?
Celia: school is definitely my priority, and even though i hate that, it’s the way it has to be. however, i still love playing music and make as much time for it as i can around tutoring and studying.
Question 10: What do you enjoy the most about being a musician?
Celia: my favorite part about being able to do this is when somebody hears me play for the first time, and the look on their face when they say something like, “i didn’t know you could sing!!!”
Question 11: What’s the best advice you have ever been given related to music?
Celia: one step at a time! don’t bite off more than you can chew, and take it all in bits!
Question 12: What is the best advice you would give someone not related to music?
Celia: a fish can’t climb a tree, and a monkey can’t swim. so if you judge someone by their ability to do one thing that they can’t do instead of focusing on all the things that they do really well, they’ll always believe they aren’t good enough. focus on the positive!
Last Question: Thank you for doing this interview! Do you have anything else to add?
Celia: thank YOU for interviewing me! that’s all i have!
Celia's Instagram: @Celialeonardmusic
View her singing: CLICK BUTTON BELOW!