We are beyond thrilled to share the newest release of soulful indie folk singer Celeste Krishna & Monarchs. “Back It Up“, the third single off her forthcoming album, My Blue House, is a playful R&B dance song that invites listeners to celebrate their bodies and community. The choral hook is catchy AF (I can’t stop singing it, even when I’m trying to sleep at 3 a.m.) and was written by Krishna and her ninth-grade girlfriends in 1999, during a regular sleepover party tradition where they formed a dance circle in the kitchen, clapped, and chanted “Back it up! Get a beat going!,” while taking turns dancing solos in the center circle.
During the promotion of “Back it Up”, Krishna will be fundraising for the Dance Company that she dances with weekly, NYC’s Fusha Dance Company, which teaches adults and children the abundant richness of dance, drum, and culture from African and the Diaspora. Supporters will receive an exclusive “Come on, Come on and Kooze Me” koozie—a play on Krishna’s song Come on and Move Me when they make a donation of $12 or more via paypal.me/celestekrishna or @Celeste-Krishna on Venmo.
Full of good vibes and a beautiful soul, Celeste Krishna was a joy to interview—which we did on Zoom—discussing her new track, her 9th grade ‘Back It Up’ squad, and her upcoming album, My Blue House. The interview was mostly a chance for us to laugh our heads off and for me to drink whiskey. Watch it below.
My Blue House LP will be released on October 16th, 2020 in a joint venture between Blonde Records and Frances Lakshmi Records, Celeste’s independent label. It’s a concept album inspired by Celeste’s childhood place of safety and imagination—her grandmother’s blue house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that was built by her maternal great-grandmother and is the place where her mother and aunts grew up.
“A house is your view. Your singular experience. In My Blue House, I am representing the world as I relate to it. Each song is a room in the house that illustrates an aspect of my take on life, including intergenerational history, uncontrollable forces of blessing and trauma, and the importance of relationships and community.” — Celeste Krishna
Listen to “Back It Up” below: