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J.K. Rowling reveals new information about 'Harry Potter' singer Celestina Warbeck

Rowling's newest original content penned for the website Pottermore focuses on Celestina Warbeck, an 'off-stage' character whose songs are heard in the 'Potter' novels although the singer never makes an actual appearance.

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Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. Pictures/AP
The 'Harry Potter' series stars Emma Watson (l.), Rupert Grint (center), and Daniel Radcliffe (r.).
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

“Harry Potter” fans learned a little more about “Potter” singer Celestina Warbeck after author J.K. Rowling dropped some clues about the life of Celestina on the website Pottermore.

Rowling has been writing original content for the site, like a news report (credited to a journalist named Rita Skeeter) about an adult Harry and his friends Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna at the Quidditch World Cup. Rowling's latest new content focuses on singer Celestina, who isn’t seen personally in the “Potter” books. However, some “Potter” characters listen to her songs.

On the Pottermore website, Rowling revealed that Celestina’s birthday is Aug. 18 and discussed why she decided to take a look at the singer.

“Celestina Warbeck is one of my favourite 'off-stage' characters in the Harry Potter series, and has been part of the Potter world ever since its inception,” Rowling wrote. “I always imagined her to resemble Shirley Bassey in both looks and style. I stole her first name from a friend with whom I worked, years ago, at Amnesty International's Headquarters in London; 'Celestina' was simply begging to be scooped up and attached to a glamorous witch.”

On Pottermore, Rowling also listed some of Celestina’s key attributes such as the contents of her wand, her Hogwarts house (Gryffindor), and her hobbies (one is “traveling in fabulous style”).

“Celestina's extraordinary voice was apparent from an early age,” she wrote. “Disappointed to learn that there was no such thing as a wizarding stage school, Mrs Warbeck reluctantly consented to her daughter's enrollment at Hogwarts, but subsequently bombarded the school with letters urging the creation of a choir, theatre club and dancing class to showcase her daughter's talents…. Frequently appearing with a chorus of backing banshees, Celestina's concerts are justly famous. Three devoted fans were involved in a nasty three-broom pile up over Liverpool while trying to reach the last night of her ‘Flighty Aphrodite’ tour, and her tickets often appear on the black market at vastly inflated prices (one reason why Molly Weasley has never yet seen her favourite singer live).”

Diehard “Potter” fans will remember that Molly Weasley, the mother of Ron and the other Weasley siblings featured in the novels, often listened to Celestina Warbeck’s Christmas concerts, a tradition the rest of the family intensely disliked.

According to the Pottermore website, visitors to the new Diagon Alley section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando in Florida can check out “Celestina” and her back-up singers, the Banshees. 

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