STRONG WOMEN BEAUTIFUL MEN w/Christine Wiltshire

I'm Celestine Raven, and this is Strong Women Beautiful Men. I've made many programs in Dutch, as we're based in Amsterdam, often featuring expats or well-known internationals living here. Today, we have a very special guest. She's a star—a funky disco star. She came to Holland seven years ago and has since performed frequently at Klepto Fing. Of course, she had hits like "Weekend" with groups like Poussé and Musique. She's worked with legends like Lou Reed and John Lennon. We’re so happy she’s here. Welcome, Christine Wiltshire…

CELESTINE: Christine, I remember visiting you in a bar. You told me you had just moved within Amsterdam.

CHRISTINE: Yes, I just moved from IJburg to the south, near Amstel Park.

CELESTINE: Ah, okay.

CHRISTINE: It’s a completely different area, so I have to find my way all over again—new travel routes, new routines.

CELESTINE: It took you a while to get here today.

CHRISTINE: Yes, it’s been tough. Finding an apartment in Amsterdam is really difficult. And as a singer, nobody wanted to rent to me—no companies, because I didn’t have a fixed contract. Even with enough money in the bank and contracts for gigs in Japan, Mexico, Germany—they still said no. Eventually, I found a company in The Hague that agreed, but they asked for a €5,000 deposit on top of rent!

CELESTINE: Holy moly, that’s a lot!

CHRISTINE: Right? I thought, “This can’t be legal. I’m not doing this.” So it’s been rough.

CELESTINE: But now you have a place?

CHRISTINE: I do, but it’s temporary—just for a year. Still, it got me out of a tough situation. When you rent under the table, you risk dealing with drug problems, alcohol, mental illness—you become part of other people’s chaos. I’ve been there, done that. I’m done.

CELESTINE: Has Amsterdam been a difficult chapter for you?

CHRISTINE: It’s been both good and difficult. When I moved here, I had to start from scratch. Even if people knew my records, they didn’t know me. Without a manager or promoter, I had to book myself, keep a roof over my head, find musicians, navigate transportation, find a doctor, an accountant… all of it. And with all that, there was no time to learn Dutch. The system here is full of paperwork—it’s exhausting.

CELESTINE: Yes, that’s true.

CHRISTINE: Things that could take a week take months. If three papers go to three different people, and one delays, the whole process stalls. It’s frustrating.

CELESTINE: In the States, it's different—more efficient?

CHRISTINE: Yes, it is. The U.S. is more streamlined. Here, your case gets divided between departments that don’t communicate.

CELESTINE: So, why Holland? Truthfully.

CHRISTINE: I left the day before Trump became president.

CELESTINE: Okay, that’s a legitimate reason.

CHRISTINE: I’d been thinking about moving to Europe. My friend Jocelyn Brown—who I’ve known since we were 11—moved to England and kept saying, “Chris, come to Europe.” But I had young grandkids, and my kids weren’t quite settled. Eventually, I realized I wanted a calmer life.

CELESTINE: And is it calmer?

CHRISTINE: In many ways, yes. It’s cleaner, healthier, especially in terms of food quality. Healthcare… well, it was great when I arrived. I won’t comment on its current state.

CELESTINE: You’ve worked with so many stars. Let’s go back in time. I found a video of "Weekend" by Class Action. You told me about it—1983, right?

CHRISTINE: Yes, I was pregnant with my daughter when that was recorded. And that’s actually how I learned about the Dutch healthcare system.

CELESTINE: Tell me.

CHRISTINE: We were staying in a hotel with a spiral staircase. I tripped going down and fell. We were headed to the airport, so I brushed it off. But on the plane, I went into labor. They turned the plane around, met me with a stretcher, and I spent a week in a Dutch hospital.

CELESTINE: Do you remember which hospital?

CHRISTINE: No, but I think it was near Rotterdam, not Amsterdam. I remember seeing a field of windmills when we landed.

CELESTINE: And your daughter was safe and healthy?

CHRISTINE: Yes, and they gave me a drug not available in the U.S. at the time to suppress labor. I flew back a week later. My daughter was born a month to the day.

CELESTINE: Amazing. Now tell me about working with John Lennon.

CHRISTINE: He was wonderful—kind, sincere, and musically brilliant. He knew exactly what he wanted. We were in a group called Something Different. After working on his album, we sang on Yoko’s album too. He made it fun—relaxed, no stress. He even joked about rewarding us with a joint if we got the part right!

CELESTINE: And Lou Reed?

CHRISTINE: I met him by chance. I was getting on an elevator, and he jumped in last minute. He asked if I was a singer, then asked if I wanted to make some money. Next thing I knew, I was singing backup for a live album in a stairwell, using natural echo. He wanted a real acoustic sound.

CELESTINE: You had several girl groups—were they the same with different names?

CHRISTINE: No, different girls. First was Something Different with Jocelyn Brown and Angel Coakley. We sang for Zulema, then Bill Withers at Carnegie Hall. Later, I worked with Patrick Adams, and we did studio projects. One of those turned into Musique. Patrick asked me to put together the real group for touring, because others were lip-syncing. I sang on everything.

CELESTINE: What do you do to keep your voice in shape?

CHRISTINE: I sing. I perform as often as I can—at Delphine, the Bulldog, and karaoke every Thursday at Riviera. My voice has changed with age. It’s lower now. I used to be a first soprano, trained in classical music—singing arias in French, Italian, and German.

CELESTINE: You mentioned your inspiration—Rimsky-Korsakov?

CHRISTINE: Yes, "Scheherazade." I first heard it at eight or nine. I’d lie on the floor and listen over and over, wearing the grooves off the record. It was heaven for me—each instrument had its own melody, all coming together. That taught me what I love in music.

CELESTINE: How did your upbringing shape that?

CHRISTINE: My parents were born in the early 1900s. They were denied many things, so they made sure I experienced it all—dinners, the opera, ballet, vacations in Barbados and Martha’s Vineyard. My mother sang and played piano. We went to see Joan Sutherland, Leontyne Price, Marian Anderson... She took me to see Aida and Madame Butterfly. That shaped me.

CELESTINE: And your second inspiration—Gladys Knight?

CHRISTINE: Yes. I was in the Air Force, stationed at a SAC base in Massachusetts. My boyfriend was deployed to Guam. I missed him, missed my family, and the song “I Don’t Want to Do Wrong” by Gladys hit me hard. I’ve always admired her, Aretha, Whitney. When I first saw The Supremes on Ed Sullivan—three elegant Black women—I knew that’s what I wanted to do.

CELESTINE: Looking back at your life now—with your education, military service, your music, your kids and grandkids, and moving to Holland—how do you see your journey?

CHRISTINE: There are things I wish I’d done differently, but I don’t regret living life on my terms. That comes with consequences. I’ve been a musician for 50–60 years—sometimes in poverty—but I’ve never compromised my integrity. Freedom means everything to me. I don’t want to be on my deathbed saying, “I wish I had…” I do what I want, when I want, with who I want. Life has bitter moments too, but that’s what makes the sweet ones sweeter.

CELESTINE: And now—what’s next?

CHRISTINE: I’m looking for a permanent apartment. I’ll be performing at a Juneteenth celebration in Barcelona this month, then the Disco Diva Festival in Italy, and back to Barcelona for my cousin’s wedding. I just finished two recordings—one with Leroy Burgess and another with Ed Burley, a remake of the theme from Beretta. I’m also looking for new venues.

CELESTINE: Christine, thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

CHRISTINE: Thank you. Anytime. ∎