Quote by Celeste: “I am not an inspiration. I am a person.”

Treating someone as an inspiring symbol — rather than an actual human being with flaws, needs, and complexity — is a subtle form of dehumanization. You can admire someone's work or story without reducing them to a lesson for your own life.

Celeste made this remark during interviews following her BRIT Critics' Choice win in 2020, at a time when there was heavy media focus on Black British artists in the wake of renewed conversations about race following Black Lives Matter protests. She pushed back against being treated as a symbol rather than an artist.

British-Jamaican singer-songwriter who won the Critics' Choice Award at the 2020 BRIT Awards and performed at the 2021 BRIT Awards ceremony. Known for her powerful voice and retro soul sound, she has spoken extensively about identity, race, and the pressures of being seen as representative of an entire community.