EQUATE meets Alaina Castillo

EQ: As an artist and as a person, who is Alaina Castillo?

AC: As a person I am quiet, but can also switch to outgoing if the vibes are right and I’m comfortable; I think I have a lot of different personalities that come out depending on how I feel. As an artist, I am vocal on how I feel and I try to help others through my music. I take the side of me that stays hidden and I turn it into something different so that it can send a message, or just send out good vibes.

EQ: When did you first realise that a career in music was something you wanted to pursue long-term?

AC: I always knew I wanted to sing, but I really started going for it towards the end of high school because I was unhappy with myself and the things that were happening around me. So, I decided that I wanted to do something for myself - singing is that thing for me that allows me to grow and learn from everything I do.

YouTube/Alaina Castillo

EQ: How would you define your sound, and who would you say you’re most inspired by?

AC: My sound is a little mix between pop & RnB, with a few different things mixed in to give each song different feels. I think I’m most inspired by Rihanna, Elvis, & Jhene Aiko. I feel like since I started listening to my own music later on in life (because before middle school, I would just listen to what my parents had on), I legit just picked little pieces from each new person I heard, and made my own sound from that because I have so many inspirations but often times, I’ll listen to my top two favourite songs from those people and hear snippets that I love, and then move on to another song or something that catches my ear.

EQ: Your new EP ‘the voicenotes’ is out now - congratulations! What was your creative process like in getting it to completion?

AC: The whole process for the EP was super different than anything we (Romans and I) had done because we finished it in one week but it’s probably the most vulnerable thing that I’ve worked on because usually I don’t really like to talk about what I’m going through but ‘the voicenotes’ EP just gets straight to the point for any problems or insecurities I have. There are a lot of times where I will just grab my phone and sing something that’s on my mind while recording it so the idea behind voicenotes is that it’s all those moments where you just speak without thinking because you’re just talking about your feelings or shit you’re going through.

EQ: …and what’s your favourite track from the EP, and why?

AC: My favourite song from the EP is ‘pass you by’ because I staaaay overthinking, and this song is a reminder to myself to not let life pass you by because one day you might regret it and wish you would’ve let yourself live a little. I also know everyone is going through their own stuff, so I wanted to make something that could help them when they feel like they’re stressing out or overthinking.

“…the idea behind ‘[the] voicenotes’ is that it’s all those moments where you just speak without thinking because you’re just talking about your feelings or shit you’re going through.”

- ALAINA

EQ: If you could collaborate with any artist in the world who would it be?

AC: I think I would choose to do a collaboration with Daniel Caesar because his songs are sick, his voice is so smooth and I think I did a cover (at some point) to all his songs off of ‘Freudian’.

EQ: What have you been doing at the moment to stay sane and creative during lockdown?

AC: I’ve been making daily schedules so that I can stay on top of things I would like to do or have to do and I’ve also been in the studio a lot so I feel like the creative aspect of being held up inside is amazing. You can get little glimpses of nature while vibing out to music.

EQ: As a young artist in the industry, can you tell us one thing you’ve learnt (or piece of advice) that’s helped you.

AC: They were not kidding when they said that people will hate just to hate [laughs]. At first it really got to me, and I’m sure it will again, but the first time it happened, I was with my managers and they just told me that I shouldn’t get so worked up because everyone has different opinions. Some people just have to voice their absolute hate for whatever you’re doing but that doesn’t mean it has to effect you. I realized that as long as I’m happy, healthy and surrounded by people who care for me, then I can just keep doing me because their opinions don’t have to effect me like that.

EQ: If people could only take one thing away from your music what would you want it to be?

AC: I just want to send out vibes that allow people to escape, and live in the moment. I know everyone is going through their own thing so I just want to create things that can help them through it or help them escape from the stress.

EQ:…Finally, what are your plans for the rest 2020 and once everyone’s out of lockdown? Any EQUATE exclusives you can let us in on?

AC: I’m just going to keep creating and making music but hopefully when all of this is over, I will finally be able to tour and sing with everyone again. I miss being able to talk to my fans face to face so I’m excited for that (:

YouTube/Alaina Castillo

Stream ‘the voicenotes’ HERE

Instagram: @Alaina_Castillo

Twitter: @AlainaCastillo5