Daphne & Celeste

American bubblegum pop duo Daphne & Celeste write infectious tunes with a tongue-in-cheek approach to music and the industry. Karen DiConcetto and Celeste Cruz met for the first time after responding to a newspaper ad seeking vocalists for a band; they were told to form a pop duo aimed at U.K. and European audiences. They released two hit singles at the turn of the 21st century, including “Ooh Stick You” and “U.G.L.Y.” alongside a cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.” The singles were shortly followed by a full-length album, 2000′s We Didn't Say That, which preceded their now infamous appearance at Reading Rock Festival in August of the same year. In 2001, the pair were dropped by their label, with their management company, Perfect Noise Limited, dissolving shortly after. The duo focused on life outside of music, with both singers turning to acting. They briefly reunited in 2005 to go on tour with the band Lolly, but didn’t get serious about making music again until they were contacted out of the blue in 2011 by eccentric electronic producer Max Tundra (aka Ben Jacobs). He was looking to expand into pop music and thought Daphne & Celeste would be perfect to help achieve his goal. They agreed and the trio began working on a song, the bubbly left-field pop gem “You and I Alone.” It was released in 2015 and sparked some interest in the duo, but didn’t propel them back into the spotlight. The trio was satisfied enough that they began work on a full-length album. Daphne & Celeste Save the World was released in 2018 on Jacobs’ new label, Balatonic, and featured more oddball pop music with bits of chiptune, synth pop, and avant-garde electronics thrown in for good measure. ~ Liam Martin & Tim Sendra