Celeste Buckingham

Celeste Rizvana Buckingham (born 3 May 1995) is a Slovak singer and songwriter. Buckingham began her career in 2011, after finishing fifth in the second season of Česko Slovenská SuperStar, the joint Czech-Slovak version of Idol.

Born in Switzerland to an American father and Iranian mother, Buckingham settled with her family in Slovakia at the age of three. After beginning her professional career with Česko Slovenská SuperStar, Buckingham released the singles "Blue Guitar" and "Nobody Knows", both of which became top ten radio hits in Slovakia. The singles were followed by the release of her debut studio album Don't Look Back (2012). While a moderate commercial success, the album spawned the release of the single "Run Run Run", becoming a number-one radio hit in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and the most-played song of the year by a Slovak artist. Buckingham has since gone on to release four additional studio albums as an independent artist: Where I Belong (2013), So Far So Good (2015), BARE (2017), and Life (2022).

In addition to music, Buckingham has additionally worked as a model and television host, and was a judge on X Factor Česko a Slovensko, the Czech-Slovak version of The X Factor, in 2014. In 2007, she authored and released the children's picture book The Lost Princess (2007), cowritten by her younger sister Carmel.

Early life and education

Buckingham was born on 3 May 1995 in Zürich to a culturally diverse family. Her father, Thomas (born 1954), is an American from Chicago with British-Irish origins, while her mother, Zarin (born 1961), is Iranian with Russian heritage. Shortly after Buckingham's birth, the family relocated to Anchorage, Alaska in the United States, where her father worked as a cardiologist. After arriving in Slovakia, they settled in the village of Borinka, outside of Bratislava. In 2012, she began studying music at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Buckingham developed an interest in music at a young age, and began taking lessons in classical ballet and Latin dance, while learning to play the piano and guitar.

Career

2011–2012: Česko Slovenská SuperStar and Don't Look Back Buckingham began her professional career in 2011, after auditioning for season two of Česko Slovenská SuperStar, the joint Czech-Slovak version of Idol. Buckingham had been encouraged to audition for the series by record producers Martin Šrámek and Andrej Hruška.

Following her elimination, Buckingham signed a recording contract with EMI Czech Republic to begin a career as a solo artist. In the aftermath of the competition, Buckingham spoke negatively of her experiences, stating that she and other contestants had no choice of songs and were frequently involved in disputes with directors and each other. She later collaborated with Slovak rapper Majk Spirit on the song "Ja a ty" in February 2012, before releasing her debut studio album Don't Look Back in April. "Run Run Run" additionally became the most-played song by a Slovak artist of the year, and the second most-played song of the year in the Czech Republic.

Following the commercial success of "Run Run Run", Buckingham won New Artist of the Year at the 2012 Slávik Awards and Best Female Singer at the 2012 OTO Awards, while also being nominated for Female Singer of the Year at the Slávik Awards, and for Best Czech & Slovak Act at the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards.

2013–present: Independent artist

Buckingham ended her collaboration with EMI Czech Republic in late 2012, and continued her career as an independent musician. She later released the single "Never Be You" in November 2012, to serve as the lead single to her upcoming second studio album. The song was a moderate hit in Slovakia, but became a top ten radio hit in the Czech Republic. The song was followed by the release of "I Was Wrong" in May 2013, Buckingham's second collaboration with Majk Spirit. "I Was Wrong" went on to become Buckingham's second number-one radio hit in Slovakia, while also peaking at number-two on the Slovak overall singles chart. She went on to win Best Female Singer for the second consecutive year at the 2013 OTO Awards, while also becoming the final winner of Best Czech & Slovak Act at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards, following the category's discontinuation the following year.