Welcome to CBC Spotlight, our monthly blog series where we interview members of the Youtaite community! Sign up for your chance to be interviewed. Today, I’m interviewing CelesteCokey.
Tell us about yourself!
I’m CelesteCokey, Celeste or Cokey for short! I am a new addition to the youtaite community :D
I identify as a female, and go by she/her pronouns! I’m 13 years old ^•^ I’m filipino-blooded, but based in norway!
My name is often misunderstood, as "cokey" can mean different things. In my case, I’m just a biiiiiiig coca cola addict! (≧∀≦)
Ever since I was a small baby, i’ve always been involved with music! I’m always singing wherever I go, to the point it’s annoying to others; but I still do it because it’s what I love! I want to become a singer when I grow up, you see! I haven’t really taken any singing classes, and all experience I really have is choir and performing on a few concerts, but I still do my very best! I’ve had people tell me throughout my entire childhood that I have a unique voice; and that I have potential to become something big, though if I’m going to be honest, I’m not that good at singing now as i were before :’)
I wasn’t really involved with youtaite stuff before. I was just used to singing! But then I joined the gacha voice acting community in november 2020, where I met a lot of new people! I mostly did voice acting, though a lot of people casted me as a singer too. One day, an online friend of mine called Shi_Kuro invited me to join a cover collab of Mijuku Dreamer by Aqours! That’s where my singing journey REALLY began, though I still didn’t get to find out about youtaites before joining more projects and getting into the Love Live! franchise :D I finally claimed my title as a youtaite in september 2021~★
As a person, I just really love people!! :D (no, this is not a moepi reference hdjhdjh)
I see everyone I know as my friends, and my friends are my family! I really love meeting new people, so I look forward to meeting new youtaites soon! ^0^
there!! :D
How'd you first become involved with the Youtaite community?
In july 2021, I joined a norwegian fandubbing studio called "Polystudio"! That’s where I met MatchaDa, who does a bunch of norwegian fancovers; a lot of them being from the Love Live! franchise. Earlier that year, I had been invited to join a cover project of "Mijuku Dreamer" by Aqours, and after that happened, I became obsessed with Love Live! stuff! I still didn’t know that the word "youtaite" were a thing at that time, though!
After I saw what MatchaDa did, I immediately became interested! By watching a bunch of her fancovers and getting recommended to more youtaite covers (not only Love Live! stuff, haha!), I found a Love Live! cover group called "9 Mermaids". I saw that they had a Discord server, and I immediately joined! By joining, I met a lot of youtaites involved with the Love Live! community! That’s also where I started to find casting calls for different projects! And before I knew it, I had auditioned for a bunch of servers!
What made you wanna participate in chorus battles?
Not much, really! The reason I started participating in chorus battles is because I really just love what I have to do! And I love competing, anyways >:D
What was your first CB?
The first real chorus battle I participated in was the "Valentines Live!’22"! I remember how I changed my choice of song just a day before the deadline; and the day of the deadline, I rushed a sprite edit, mix/master and animation. I did it! :D
Although I didn’t win, I had really fun working on my entry~
How'd you become interested in being a Vocalist & Artist?
I’ve always loved singing; ever since I was small! My dream is to become a singer, so I’m doing my best trying to reach that dream! I also got into drawing and such in like… 5th grade? And I think I’m getting better! That’s why I also offer to do sprite edits and such for projects; to help out a little and practice my skills!
Since I joined the Gacha voice acting community in november 2020, i’ve met a lot of people who struggle with real life issues. That’s why I’m really used to providing tips and emotional support to anyone who feels sad or stressed! When I joined the youtaite community, I saw that a bunch of people also have their own issues; so if I see an opportunity to help them smile that day, I jump straight to action! I want people to trust me with their feelings, because I want to be someone they can talk to. ❤️
Any funny or amusing CB stories?
I’ve only participated in one chorus battle, but I do have some things I can mention!
For "Valentines Live!’22", I remember I wanted to be a taaaad bit naughty (in a childlike way, NOT a dirty way), so I originally decided to sing "Fire Bird" by Karin Asaka as my entry. I really thought it’d be fun and come as a bit of a shock; especially when it’s coming from a 13-year old 💀 Then the day before the deadline, I had struggled enough with the song and decided to switch to another that would be easier; "Dream With You" by Ayumu Uehara. It was easier since it fit my range better, but it certaintly was not a good match with my energy! So then I switched to "Aishiteru Banzai!" by µ's! I had done a cover of that song before, so it was really simple. Not really what I originally wanted, but it turned out… okay? I went solo; so there isn’t really much to mention about others. :’)
Any advice for people interested in CBs?
Plan a good deadline schedule! I originally had one for my first CB submission, but then things got stressful because of other deadlines. So make sure to plan things well so you don’t have to stress with doing things last minute! Don’t make the same mistake as I did. 💀💖
The most important advice I have is to have fun! What’s the point in participating in a CB if you don’t enjoy what you do? ^^
That’s all for today! If anyone wants to support CelesteCokey, you can subscribe to their public YouTube channel.
Credit goes to CelesteCokey for the picture in the featured image of this blog post.