If his future plans come to pass, everyone who attended the cookout last summer in a small suburb south of Chicago will forever remember they were there.
That’s where 18-year-old rising pop artist Caleb Steele entertained with his first live performance, and now the Chicagoland native dreams of one day earning the title of “Crown Prince of Pop Music.”
“I was crazy nervous,” says Steele. “I kept listening to songs I love to boost my confidence and I went up there and I did it. My voice was shaky and everything but I performed and I danced and dancing makes me feel more confident so I put a lot of dance breaks in there and people enjoyed it.”
Steele, who cites artists such as Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, BLACKPINK, Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé as his biggest influences and inspirations, released his newest single “Confection” on December 1.
It’s an upbeat and “very dancy” track that Steele hopes will get people up and on their feet moving around. But he also aims to inspire his audience with lyrics that tell a story about a significant dream he experienced.
“I woke up one morning after having this dream and I was in it but everything around me was pitch black except for a spotlight right in front of me,” he says. “I felt like I was floating. I interpreted it as success, as if my dream was almost predicting the future. So I took that and wrote ‘Confection’ and I think anybody out there who is feeling hopeless or feeling like they’re being doubted or feeling anxious about their life or their happiness, I just want them to know that it’s normal to feel that way but it’s always more important to be optimistic.”
To that end, and sticking with the confectionary theme, Steele refers to being “candy-eyed” rather than looking through rose-colored lenses. More generally, he wants to bring showmanship and dedication back to the music industry, things he says are currently lacking.
“Especially from male artists,” he says. “Everybody expects so much from female artists, especially in terms of giving a phenomenal performance or always showing up to look their best. But people give kind of unfair grace to a lot of male artists so I think that instead of using that to my advantage and giving mediocre, lackluster art, I think that showing my true colors and creativity and passion through performing and through writing and music is very important to me and that’s what I can bring. Especially with dancing, because I just love it so much.”
Steele was a member of the dance team and also involved in theatre as an honors student in high school. He’s been obsessed with performing since he was a child, once putting on shows for his stuffed animals using his mother’s iPod. He says he’s been a very visual-oriented person since he was young––“Everything was about colors and shapes and fashion and how it can make you feel,” he says.
He’s bringing that same flair to his music videos, including his newest effort for “Confection.”
“All the videos I’ve put out so far have been completely directed and thought of by me and with this specific song, even though it’s the same in that regard, it’s a level up because it truly feels like a cohesive and well-rounded concept,” Steele says. “I wanted to show people that I mean what I say and I can bring a film kind of aspect to my videos and it feels less like something that was made just to get it over with and more like something that complements the song and makes it almost sound better with the visuals.”
Steele plans to release a full album early in 2025, with several months’ worth of writing and production already complete.
“I really aspire to be a beacon of hope and light for anybody in the dark or anybody who may find themselves in an environment that doesn’t support them or that doesn’t agree with them,” he says. “I want to make it my purpose to relate to them and also entertain them in the best way I can.”
Stay connected to Steele for new social posts, videos and music releases:
