Cecile Believe

Cecile Believe is the dreamlike electro-pop alias of Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Caila Thompson-Hannant. Previously known for fusing synth pop and R&B as Mozart's Sister, she switched monikers in 2018 and contributed to releases by SOPHIE, Kero Kero Bonito, A.G. Cook, and others. On releases like 2020's Made in Heaven, she writes sensual, atmospheric pop songs that fluidly incorporate drum'n'bass, ambient, and dance influences. Born in Vancouver, Caila Thompson-Hannant was a member of several Montreal-based indie rock groups throughout the 2000s, including Shapes and Sizes, Miracle Fortress, and Think About Life. She went solo in 2011, producing '80s-influenced pop as Mozart's Sister. After releasing two EPs and two full-lengths, the last being 2017's Field of Love on Arbutus, she moved to Los Angeles and changed her pseudonym to Cecile Believe. She co-wrote and sang several tracks on SOPHIE's 2018 album Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides, and additionally sang backup vocals on Kero Kero Bonito's TOTEP and Time 'n' Place. She remixed songs by Dizzy and Homeshake in 2019, and was featured on songs by Kane West (Kero Kero Bonito's Gus Lobban), Austra, and A.G. Cook in 2020. The same year, she released her first EP as Cecile Believe, Made in Heaven, as well as the mixtape Plucking a Cherry from the Void. ~ Paul Simpson