Celeste Buckingham

Slovakia-based vocalist Celeste Buckingham is a soulful pop and R&B-influenced artist who came to prominence after appearing on the 2011 season of the Slovakian reality TV talent competition Cesko Slovenská Superstar. Born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1995, Buckingham grew up in a multicultural household with her dad, who was born in Chicago, and her mother, a naturalized Swiss citizen from Iran. During her adolescence, Buckingham lived for a time in Anchorage, Alaska, where her father worked as a cardiologist. At age four, Buckingham moved with her family to Slovakia, where her father took another job. Raised in a village near Bratislava, Buckingham took classical ballet lessons in her youth and later took up the guitar and piano. Notably, Buckingham's first brush with fame came in 2007 after she and her younger sister Carmel Buckingham (also a singer/songwriter) published a children's novel, The Lost Princess, which garnered some attention due to the siblings' young ages. However, music held a stronger attraction for Buckingham, and she began writing and recording her own demo songs. The demos eventually caught the ears of producers Martin Šrámek and Andrej Hruška, who became Buckingham's mentors and encouraged her to audition for the second season of Cesko Slovenská Superstar. Although she ultimately finished in tenth place, Buckingham used her exposure on the show as a springboard for her music career. On the heels of several successful singles, including "Blue Guitar" and "Nobody Knows," Buckingham released her full-length debut album, 2012's Don't Look Back. In 2013 Buckingham returned with her sophomore album, Where I Belong, featuring the single "Crushin' My Fairytale."