The C2C Sit Down with Cece
From the small town of Decatur Illinois, Los Angeles based artist Cece will be leaving the city of angels for a few weeks as she heads to Europe to play at this years Country to Country Festival. We will get to see Cece this weekend in Berlin where she plays on the Uber Eats Music Hall’s Spotlight Stage on Saturday night before heading to London to play on the Festival Stages on the Friday. Off the back of a huge 2024 for Cece, we can’t wait to welcome her to Europe and caught up with her earlier this week
Hey Cece, it's great to chat, especially as you’re heading over our way very soon.
Tomorrow!
Nice, I'll actually be in Berlin on the Saturday night so I'm really looking forward to seeing you there.
Amazing. I am so excited. I honestly have not been over there at all, ever. This is going to be my first time just in the UK in general. I'm just so, so excited.
Have you got a long list of things you want to see and experience while you're here?
I do, I don't know how much I'll get through with our schedule, but I'm definitely going to try. I’m also taking recommendations from people that are over there! So if you have any of those to slip my way, don't hesitate.
Well, you're very lucky with the Berlin date, because the Berlin venue is literally on the Berlin Wall. Like you cross the road and it's there. The Holler Stage at Berlin is up to the top floor in a bar and you're looking out over the river, straight down onto the Berlin Wall from the balcony! You haven't even got to go far for one of the iconic landmarks!
Oh, that is so exciting. Wow. Okay. That's incredible. Now I'm even, as if I couldn't be more excited. Okay.
And then even Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie are only a short taxi ride.
That’s awesome not like LA at all where you can’t walk anywhere as it’s so far apart.
When you get to London, you need to get on the Underground from the venue and you’re back at Waterloo within 15 minutes and can explore loads around there on foot too.
Okay, amazing. I'm going to remember that.
Hey Cece, it's great to chat, especially as you’re heading over our way very soon.
Tomorrow!
Nice, I'll actually be in Berlin on the Saturday night so I'm really looking forward to seeing you there.
Amazing. I am so excited. I honestly have not been over there at all, ever. This is going to be my first time just in the UK in general. I'm just so, so excited.
Have you got a long list of things you want to see and experience while you're here?
I do, I don't know how much I'll get through with our schedule, but I'm definitely going to try. I’m also taking recommendations from people that are over there! So if you have any of those to slip my way, don't hesitate.
Well, you're very lucky with the Berlin date, because the Berlin venue is literally on the Berlin Wall. Like you cross the road and it's there. The Holler Stage at Berlin is up to the top floor in a bar and you're looking out over the river, straight down onto the Berlin Wall from the balcony! You haven't even got to go far for one of the iconic landmarks!
Oh, that is so exciting. Wow. Okay. That's incredible. Now I'm even, as if I couldn't be more excited. Okay.
And then even Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie are only a short taxi ride.
That’s awesome not like LA at all where you can’t walk anywhere as it’s so far apart.
When you get to London, you need to get on the Underground from the venue and you’re back at Waterloo within 15 minutes and can explore loads around there on foot too.
Okay, amazing. I'm going to remember that.
With this being your first trip over, what’s your thoughts on the jet lag fears!
Well, as someone who really prioritises her sleep, I'm glad we're coming in a few days before the show so that I can just get readjusted. I have a feeling I'll be so excited once I get over there that sleep won't be really even a thought.
In Berlin, you've got two sets on the Saturday including the Spotlight Stage and two sets on the Sunday. Are you kind of looking forward to getting to play multiple shows at the same festival?
Oh yeah. When there became the opportunity for me to do more slots, I think I was only supposed to do maybe one or two and then the opportunity came in for me to do more and I was like, yeah, I'll do them all. I'll just play as many times as you want me to. I love that I'm going to get multiple opportunities to connect with the country music fans over there. I think it'll be great.
Well, this will be my third time, I think it is, going to the festival in Berlin. I've always noticed it's very similar to London that fans will go and watch multiple sets of the same artists – even if they didn’t know their music before the weekend! Once they've watched the first set, they'll like what they hear and then they go to the second, then they'll be back on the Sunday morning, then they're back Sunday afternoon too
That's incredible. That's awesome. Germany is where a lot of my lineage comes from after, you know, doing the whole 23andMe bit. I'm excited to get over there and see where I come from. I think it'll be great.
We're going to have an X-Factor reunion on the Saturday night on the Spotlight Stage because Willie Jones is playing in Berlin too.
Oh my gosh, that's right. I did see him there. He is still one of my very good friends. So I, oh my gosh, yeah, you're right. It's going to be an extra. He is the man. The man of Midtown.
Is it quite nice to see that even all these years later, artists like yourself and Willie from that season are still doing what you love doing and getting to travel the world because of it?
Oh yeah. I think whenever you look at all of the acts that have come off the show, there's just so many talented folks. They’re all doing incredible things now. I love it. They feel like my high school class and now I can look back now, 10 years later, like wow guys, look at what we did. Look at how we've all evolved just since that moment, that brief moment in time
Well, as someone who really prioritises her sleep, I'm glad we're coming in a few days before the show so that I can just get readjusted. I have a feeling I'll be so excited once I get over there that sleep won't be really even a thought.
In Berlin, you've got two sets on the Saturday including the Spotlight Stage and two sets on the Sunday. Are you kind of looking forward to getting to play multiple shows at the same festival?
Oh yeah. When there became the opportunity for me to do more slots, I think I was only supposed to do maybe one or two and then the opportunity came in for me to do more and I was like, yeah, I'll do them all. I'll just play as many times as you want me to. I love that I'm going to get multiple opportunities to connect with the country music fans over there. I think it'll be great.
Well, this will be my third time, I think it is, going to the festival in Berlin. I've always noticed it's very similar to London that fans will go and watch multiple sets of the same artists – even if they didn’t know their music before the weekend! Once they've watched the first set, they'll like what they hear and then they go to the second, then they'll be back on the Sunday morning, then they're back Sunday afternoon too
That's incredible. That's awesome. Germany is where a lot of my lineage comes from after, you know, doing the whole 23andMe bit. I'm excited to get over there and see where I come from. I think it'll be great.
We're going to have an X-Factor reunion on the Saturday night on the Spotlight Stage because Willie Jones is playing in Berlin too.
Oh my gosh, that's right. I did see him there. He is still one of my very good friends. So I, oh my gosh, yeah, you're right. It's going to be an extra. He is the man. The man of Midtown.
Is it quite nice to see that even all these years later, artists like yourself and Willie from that season are still doing what you love doing and getting to travel the world because of it?
Oh yeah. I think whenever you look at all of the acts that have come off the show, there's just so many talented folks. They’re all doing incredible things now. I love it. They feel like my high school class and now I can look back now, 10 years later, like wow guys, look at what we did. Look at how we've all evolved just since that moment, that brief moment in time
You had a very busy year last year releasing new music putting 5 tracks out and getting yourself the traction to play these shows over the next two weeks. Is it nice to get to look back at last year now and see that success?
We've got more coming. We've got more coming than here. I'm just gonna keep them rolling. I'm excited. I mean it's been super humbling and honestly just very reassuring just to have people really like what I'm doing. This truly feels like the most authentic music I've ever put out to date, even since like my X Factor experience. To have it be this well-received, it does make you feel like, all right, I'm doing something right. All I had to do was be myself!
All Boots was obviously the biggest one of that lot last year. Were you expecting that success and chose to save it till last or is it just that's the way it went for you?
It's kind of just the way, I really did release these songs kind of as we wrote them last year. It was just like, well, this one's great. Let's put that one out. I do remember whenever we were in the studio writing All Boots, I had this phrase, All Boots, No Cowboy. It's actually off of another very American phrase, like all hat, no cattle. When I went in with All Boots, No Cowboy and we started writing it, I remember us all like looking at each other like, this is what we think it is, right? We're like, yeah, okay and I think every writer has that moment in the room when you have what you feel in the moment. There's the creative process of, this is really cool. Wait, is this cool? This might actually be shit. Wait, no, now it's really cool. Okay, we did it. With this one, we really all looked at each other. We were like, okay, this is ours to screw up now! Then to have it be received the way that it was, it really is reassuring and it just tells you, you can trust your gut. Honestly, the fans are, the fans will tell you what they like.
Is that the kind of song that once you've written it, you just want it out there as soon as possible and you’re straight to the production teams’ case?
Yes. Yeah, I was just so excited. I mean, I'm like that all the time! With every new song, I'm like, oh my God, this is the greatest thing ever. We got to show somebody, and you want to put it out there for the people to see. I think that is the really cool thing about social media is that we are at an age where your fans are your friends and I have a committee of my trusted few that whenever we write something or come up with an idea that I float it to the committee and we’re like, what do you guys think? These are the people you can trust to give you their unbiased and unfiltered opinions. Now we really can also look at social media as our extended committee. I look at the people that follow me that way, like they're my extended committee and they're going to tell me what they like. And I just want to give people what they love the most, you know?
The music video for All Boots, looks like it was a lot of fun to film, and ultimately the video sits perfectly with the lyrics as well, doesn't it?
Thank you. Yeah, I am such a visual person and I come from a design background and even when we write songs, I'm kind of visualise the story at the same time. The movie is happening in your head while you're writing the songs. This was the movie that was in our head when we were writing the song. The song is the script and it can tell us exactly what the video is going to be. I have an incredible director. Her name's actually, her name's Anne-Sophie Bine and she's from France, actually, which is just another amazing way that I think that our friends overseas are now part of this project. She's been in America for a long time and she went to school over here, but just to have that perspective from her even has been so cool to have on this project. Going over to Berlin and the UK and doing these shows feels like it's all coming together kind of, you know, it just feels really good
We've got more coming. We've got more coming than here. I'm just gonna keep them rolling. I'm excited. I mean it's been super humbling and honestly just very reassuring just to have people really like what I'm doing. This truly feels like the most authentic music I've ever put out to date, even since like my X Factor experience. To have it be this well-received, it does make you feel like, all right, I'm doing something right. All I had to do was be myself!
All Boots was obviously the biggest one of that lot last year. Were you expecting that success and chose to save it till last or is it just that's the way it went for you?
It's kind of just the way, I really did release these songs kind of as we wrote them last year. It was just like, well, this one's great. Let's put that one out. I do remember whenever we were in the studio writing All Boots, I had this phrase, All Boots, No Cowboy. It's actually off of another very American phrase, like all hat, no cattle. When I went in with All Boots, No Cowboy and we started writing it, I remember us all like looking at each other like, this is what we think it is, right? We're like, yeah, okay and I think every writer has that moment in the room when you have what you feel in the moment. There's the creative process of, this is really cool. Wait, is this cool? This might actually be shit. Wait, no, now it's really cool. Okay, we did it. With this one, we really all looked at each other. We were like, okay, this is ours to screw up now! Then to have it be received the way that it was, it really is reassuring and it just tells you, you can trust your gut. Honestly, the fans are, the fans will tell you what they like.
Is that the kind of song that once you've written it, you just want it out there as soon as possible and you’re straight to the production teams’ case?
Yes. Yeah, I was just so excited. I mean, I'm like that all the time! With every new song, I'm like, oh my God, this is the greatest thing ever. We got to show somebody, and you want to put it out there for the people to see. I think that is the really cool thing about social media is that we are at an age where your fans are your friends and I have a committee of my trusted few that whenever we write something or come up with an idea that I float it to the committee and we’re like, what do you guys think? These are the people you can trust to give you their unbiased and unfiltered opinions. Now we really can also look at social media as our extended committee. I look at the people that follow me that way, like they're my extended committee and they're going to tell me what they like. And I just want to give people what they love the most, you know?
The music video for All Boots, looks like it was a lot of fun to film, and ultimately the video sits perfectly with the lyrics as well, doesn't it?
Thank you. Yeah, I am such a visual person and I come from a design background and even when we write songs, I'm kind of visualise the story at the same time. The movie is happening in your head while you're writing the songs. This was the movie that was in our head when we were writing the song. The song is the script and it can tell us exactly what the video is going to be. I have an incredible director. Her name's actually, her name's Anne-Sophie Bine and she's from France, actually, which is just another amazing way that I think that our friends overseas are now part of this project. She's been in America for a long time and she went to school over here, but just to have that perspective from her even has been so cool to have on this project. Going over to Berlin and the UK and doing these shows feels like it's all coming together kind of, you know, it just feels really good
With that release having been so huge and being announced to the festivals, have you seen that traction start to pick up over in the UK and Europe as well?
Yeah, absolutely. I actually think it's wild to see how many people in Berlin listen to this song. I mean, it just seemed like maybe London, I kind of expected, I'm not sure why, but like good to see countries like Germany Berlin pick it up. Australia really loves it too and it's really taken on a life of its own really. That is unexpected to me. I really had no expectation, I mean, I'm from a really small town in Southern Illinois. I grew up on a farm! The idea that people across the ocean would think country music is cool and would understand and think it's cool to call out a fake cowboy in a bar - I'm shocked. Like I just had no idea that they would love it the way that they do. It makes me really excited to get over there and show them a little bit of how we do it in America.
I guess it'll probably feel even more surreal in four days’ time and you'll have people ultimately singing back the words and things.
I mean, if that happens, if that's what I can expect over there, I will be trying to keep my shit together while I'm on stage because that'll just kill me. This is all still very new to me. It's so exciting. They're the are you kidding me kind of moments!
Yeah, absolutely. I actually think it's wild to see how many people in Berlin listen to this song. I mean, it just seemed like maybe London, I kind of expected, I'm not sure why, but like good to see countries like Germany Berlin pick it up. Australia really loves it too and it's really taken on a life of its own really. That is unexpected to me. I really had no expectation, I mean, I'm from a really small town in Southern Illinois. I grew up on a farm! The idea that people across the ocean would think country music is cool and would understand and think it's cool to call out a fake cowboy in a bar - I'm shocked. Like I just had no idea that they would love it the way that they do. It makes me really excited to get over there and show them a little bit of how we do it in America.
I guess it'll probably feel even more surreal in four days’ time and you'll have people ultimately singing back the words and things.
I mean, if that happens, if that's what I can expect over there, I will be trying to keep my shit together while I'm on stage because that'll just kill me. This is all still very new to me. It's so exciting. They're the are you kidding me kind of moments!
Best of all, you're coming with a brand new song as well, because Dust was released just a few weeks ago. Is that quite exciting as well to have one of one of the first times you've played that live to be in Europe?
Oh yeah, and it's fun. It's a fun one to play live.
And the video I have to mention the video for this one too as it looked like your inner Hollywood stunt girl come out in!
Yes! I was like, wait, did I miss my calling? It's very fun to jump out of trucks! I just am one of those people that on these shoots especially, it's wild when you watch them because the time that we spend shooting them is like a 12 hour day. That's it. That's like all we've got. We've shot them in 12 hours, and it is the most hellacious 12 hours of your life. Actually, the stunt coordinator that was on set with me, he said something that I thought was really poignant and I actually think that I kind of feel this in every part of life, whether it's with the music or whatever. He said, you can either half-ass it four or five times or you can full send once or twice and get it done. After you half-ass it five or six times, then you are going to be hurt, but if you just full send once or twice and get the shot, then you got it. I really do think that is a perfect parallel for how I see this new stuff. I'm just like, all right, we're not going to half-ass this thing - we're going to go full speed ahead. I do think that that's really what's helped us build the momentum that we're feeling right now.
Well, I'm definitely glad you've gone for that full speed because ultimately if you didn’t, you might not have your bags packed and be getting ready to come play in Germany, come play in the UK either.
Yeah, say yes as much as you can, I think.
Do you think all the music is at a point now where it might be coming together for an EP or an album later this year?
Oh, yeah. I have so many songs now that we've written that people haven't even seen me tease or anything yet. I just think that the album is rounding out nicely and now we're kind of in the, wait, do we put this one on or take this one off? I'm very excited. I'm not sure exactly when it's coming out this year because we're still finalising a few things on it, but the songs, I think that if you guys like what I've put out so far, the songs that are on the album will blow your mind. So I'm so excited.
Oh yeah, and it's fun. It's a fun one to play live.
And the video I have to mention the video for this one too as it looked like your inner Hollywood stunt girl come out in!
Yes! I was like, wait, did I miss my calling? It's very fun to jump out of trucks! I just am one of those people that on these shoots especially, it's wild when you watch them because the time that we spend shooting them is like a 12 hour day. That's it. That's like all we've got. We've shot them in 12 hours, and it is the most hellacious 12 hours of your life. Actually, the stunt coordinator that was on set with me, he said something that I thought was really poignant and I actually think that I kind of feel this in every part of life, whether it's with the music or whatever. He said, you can either half-ass it four or five times or you can full send once or twice and get it done. After you half-ass it five or six times, then you are going to be hurt, but if you just full send once or twice and get the shot, then you got it. I really do think that is a perfect parallel for how I see this new stuff. I'm just like, all right, we're not going to half-ass this thing - we're going to go full speed ahead. I do think that that's really what's helped us build the momentum that we're feeling right now.
Well, I'm definitely glad you've gone for that full speed because ultimately if you didn’t, you might not have your bags packed and be getting ready to come play in Germany, come play in the UK either.
Yeah, say yes as much as you can, I think.
Do you think all the music is at a point now where it might be coming together for an EP or an album later this year?
Oh, yeah. I have so many songs now that we've written that people haven't even seen me tease or anything yet. I just think that the album is rounding out nicely and now we're kind of in the, wait, do we put this one on or take this one off? I'm very excited. I'm not sure exactly when it's coming out this year because we're still finalising a few things on it, but the songs, I think that if you guys like what I've put out so far, the songs that are on the album will blow your mind. So I'm so excited.
Do you think you've got your set list and things ready or is it going to be decided on the plane, when you land or as you're playing?
No, we've been working on it. My big goal for these festivals is in my set list time to play the songs that people have been listening to. I really want to play the ones that people are loving and getting to know. There might be some surprises in there that they haven't heard yet and that haven't been released. I'm just excited to give them a taste of what these songs really feel like live right in front of me.
And are you coming with any kind of band or is it just going to be you on your own for them?
In Berlin, I believe it's just going to be me because of the way that the stages are set up and stuff. Some of them are quite small. So instead of cramming me in with a band, we are going to do it with me to track, which is essentially the way that my show is set up for smaller stages here. I personally feel like sometimes whenever I do my sets to track, they're actually quite a lot bigger than what they are though with a full band because just the production on them is not like usual country songs. There's a lot happening.
Well I'm really looking forward to it and I can’t wait for Berlin on Saturday and hopefully get time for a drink there as well.
Oh, yeah, we definitely will. We'll make it happen.
Thank you so much for your time and really glad you squeezed us in before you get on a plane.
It's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me and I'll see you in Berlin.
C2C 2025 takes place at The O2 London from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March 2025. Tickets are on sale now via www.axs.com/c2c / www.gigsandtours.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk
To stay up to date with all the set times for the weekend be sure to download the C2C app. The app will feature stage times, artist info plus notifications about competitions and more. The official C2C app can be downloaded for free at https://C2C.lnk.to/AppiOS for iOS and https://C2C.lnk.to/AppAndroid for Android.
C2C 2025 Berlin takes place at The Uber Eats Music Hall and outside in the Uber Plaza from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2025. Tickets are on sale now from https://www.eventim.de/artist/c2c-country-to-country/
No, we've been working on it. My big goal for these festivals is in my set list time to play the songs that people have been listening to. I really want to play the ones that people are loving and getting to know. There might be some surprises in there that they haven't heard yet and that haven't been released. I'm just excited to give them a taste of what these songs really feel like live right in front of me.
And are you coming with any kind of band or is it just going to be you on your own for them?
In Berlin, I believe it's just going to be me because of the way that the stages are set up and stuff. Some of them are quite small. So instead of cramming me in with a band, we are going to do it with me to track, which is essentially the way that my show is set up for smaller stages here. I personally feel like sometimes whenever I do my sets to track, they're actually quite a lot bigger than what they are though with a full band because just the production on them is not like usual country songs. There's a lot happening.
Well I'm really looking forward to it and I can’t wait for Berlin on Saturday and hopefully get time for a drink there as well.
Oh, yeah, we definitely will. We'll make it happen.
Thank you so much for your time and really glad you squeezed us in before you get on a plane.
It's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me and I'll see you in Berlin.
C2C 2025 takes place at The O2 London from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 March 2025. Tickets are on sale now via www.axs.com/c2c / www.gigsandtours.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk
To stay up to date with all the set times for the weekend be sure to download the C2C app. The app will feature stage times, artist info plus notifications about competitions and more. The official C2C app can be downloaded for free at https://C2C.lnk.to/AppiOS for iOS and https://C2C.lnk.to/AppAndroid for Android.
C2C 2025 Berlin takes place at The Uber Eats Music Hall and outside in the Uber Plaza from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2025. Tickets are on sale now from https://www.eventim.de/artist/c2c-country-to-country/
