Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Castro.
Jackie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been singing and writing songs for as long as I can remember. My earliest home videos show me in my playroom singing about what I did that day! I come from a very musical family so music was always in our home and at every family gathering. My parents immigrated from Colombia, South America in hopes of giving their children a brighter future and a life where we could fully pursue our dreams and passions, so they have always been incredibly supportive of me in my musical journey. I started playing guitar and writing my first full songs around age 12, after I heard Taylor Swift’s debut album for the first time. She was a massive inspiration to me and made me feel like I could do it. Around this time, my old brother Jason had picked up the guitar too and we would play shows around Deep Ellum together, with me always doing a T-Swift cover in the set! In 2008 he went on American Idol and was the third runner up, and I got to experience that whole journey firsthand. It really opened a lot of doors and gave me a lot of experience in the music industry at such a young age. I continued writing songs & developing my craft and ended up graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 2 and a half years to finally start my professional career in music! In 2016 I signed my first record deal as a band with my two older brothers, Jason & Michael. Together we made up the band Castro, a folk/pop trio. Our EP ‘Diamond Dreams’ debuted at #1 on the Singer/Songwriter charts on iTunes, gained over 9 million streams on Spotify, we made a national television appearance on The Wendy Williams Show and toured with acts like as Andy Grammer and Gavin DeGraw! It was a crazy ride. By 2018, I felt it was time to part ways and find my own voice. In a very scary leap of faith I left behind my record deal and moved to Nashville, TN to start my solo artist project. I very quickly realized I had a story to tell and a sound that was truly my own. Now, I’m a completely independent pop artist! It has been truly the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done – telling my story and sharing my heart through my songs and working as hard as I can to make my dreams come true. I’ve now released the first four singles, and I’m getting ready to tour these songs around the country! I wouldn’t trade a second of my journey for anything.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. It took a lot of hard work to get to where I am today. While I was in the band it got hard to navigate being a family with working together. Even though we were seeing a lot of success as a band I personally was really struggling with anxiety. I decided my overall well-being and happiness, and our unity as a family, was more important than any amount of success. Leaving the band and the security it brought was the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but I knew in my gut it felt right. I moved to a city where I barely knew anyone, had to find a new job to support myself, had to constantly put myself out there to try to get people to write and work with me, without having a record deal anymore – it was terrifying! I can now so clearly see how all that hard work has paid off. I have an incredible group of co-writers and producers in the pop world in Nashville, the hardest working and most passionate manager, & awesome bandmates who help me bring my live show to my fans! I’m so grateful for this journey & I can truly say I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
Please tell us about your music.
I’m a 24-year old Colombian-American alt-pop artist. My sound is a mix of whimsical melodies, lush vocals, a balance of synths and acoustic instruments, and honest songwriting. In my Spotify bio, I say, “I want people to be able to hear my whole heart in every song I write – from my deepest fears, insecurities, and regrets, to the moments of pure love, passion and acceptance. We’re all a kaleidoscope of colors, but I’ve found that music makes us realize how we’re truly more similar than we are different.” My singles “You Want It, I Want It,” “Romanticize,” “Gravity” & “Hourglass” are available everywhere.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from my childhood is our family’s Colombian New Year’s Eve parties! I loved having the whole family together, teaching our non-Colombian friends how to dance Cumbia, eating empanadas & tamales, doing fireworks, playing games, and staying up all night. It’s still my favorite holiday to this day.
Contact Info:
- Website: jackiecastromusic.com
- Instagram: @TheJackieCastro
- Facebook: @TheJackieCastro
- Twitter: @TheJackieCastro
- Other: www.youtube.com/OfficialJackieCastro
Image Credit:
Hannah Burton (for the non performance shots)
Eva Drennan (for the performance shots)
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