Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin is a seventh generation descendent of shipping and railroad tycoon, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and great-great-great niece of Consuelo Vanderbilt, the Duchess of Marlborough. Consuelo shied away from the world of debutante balls to carve her own path through her ventures in music and business.
As a successful musician, Consuelo has performed around the world and shared stages with such music luminaries as Vanessa Carlton, Mya and Joe Cocker. She landed her first record deal at the age of 21, and later, founded her own record label C&R Productions in 2010.
Shortly thereafter, her first four singles landed her in the Top 20 on the Billboard Dance Charts. Her debut single “Naked” spent 16 weeks on the charts, while her follow-up “Feel So Alive” earned her Billboard’s #2 Breakout Artist honor. In 2014, her hit, “Body Needs,” broke Billboard’s Top 5, and the following year, Consuelo’s highly anticipated pop dance album I’m Just Me dropped in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as the United States.
As no stranger to entrepreneurship, Consuelo is preparing to launch SohoMuse.com. The website is a professional network for the creative industries, and aims to become the trusted source for the global creative community. As a creative herself, the site has been developed by creatives for the creative community.
The first and only true community and portfolio platform hybrid designed with the specific needs of creative professionals in mind, SohoMuse was developed to offer creatives the necessary tools and arena to effectively display their skills, identify new opportunities and collaborate with peer-verified communities across the global creative industries including film, television, music and fashion.
“The vision for SohoMuse is to empower and inspire creative professionals to easily connect with one another, for endless growth opportunities in their respective fields,” said President and Co-Founder, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin. “Through our industry-verified community, we offer our members both professional visibility using our dynamic platform and the best possible tools to fuel their careers, as they can connect with diverse creatives across a variety of different fields.”
We spoke with Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin about life in NYC and her upcoming career venture.
Where were you born? New York
How long have you been in New York? We moved away when I was a child but i have been back in New York for the past 4 and half years and prior to that I was living in Los Angeles.
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Occupation: Artist and Entrepreneur
Favorite Part about Your Job: As an artist, being able to express my feelings, experiences and memories through writing and performing has been my greatest joy. My career has led me to develop SohoMuse, and there are so many different facets of entrepreneurship that I find compelling. Learning and exploring innovative technology is something that I take pride in, while also continuing to learn about the psychology of creatives and their needs. I am very fortunate to work with so many extraordinary people who inspire me each and every day.
Most interesting thing you learned while working on SohoMuse Inc? I find it interesting how technology pivots, changes and evolves constantly. It moves so quickly so, as an entrepreneur, you never stop growing – every day is a new learning curve and process.
What are you looking forward to most within the next year? I’m looking forward to launching the main site for SohoMuse within the next year, while continuing to grow the business. I’m confident that we will become the trusted source for creatives by providing this professional networking platform, and it gives me great joy to see artists connect, collaborate and expand their networks as a direct result of using the site. I also plan on launching my new album through SohoMuse.
If you could give advice to yourself 10 years ago, what would it be? A few pieces of advice I would give myself include – Listen to your intuition, look for amazing mentors and know that you are constantly evolving and growing and that you learn the most from your mistakes… don’t be afraid to take risks.
Tell us something interesting about you that no one would guess. I am fascinated with prisons. I’m obsessed with every prison-related show from “Law and Order” to “Locked Up Abroad”!
Favorite Restaurant: Yefsi Estiatorio on the Upper East Side
Best Sushi: Nobu
Best Italian: Uva on Second Ave.
Best dessert: Profiteroles
Best place for a romantic date: Erminia Ristorante
Best Sunday brunch: Balthazar
Best place for a power business meeting: Soho House
If you have out of town guests, which hotel would you recommend? The Mark
Favorite shopping venue/boutique: Alice & Olivia
Favorite place to buy jewelry/watches: Roni Blanshay/Jennifer Miller
Best Spa: Mandarin Oriental
Favorite Charity Event: Hamptons Heart Ball
Favorite Cultural Event: Sakura Matsuri, the Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Best Museum/Exhibit: Museum of Natural History
Describe your city in three words: Pulsating, Exhilarating, Wondrous
Favorite historic/legendary place to see or explore: Grand Central Terminal
All-around favorite spot in NYC: Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium
Best Aspect of NYC: Central Park
