Alaina Castillo (born November 16, 1999) is an American musician. Born in Houston, Texas, Castillo began to post ASMR-inspired covers of songs on her YouTube channel during her freshman year of high school, and released her first original song in 2018. She has since released six extended plays, and has performed at the 2021 Latin American Music Awards and Coachella 2022. She was the first musician to be featured in the US iteration of RADAR, an artist development program headed by Spotify, and the staff of Billboard called Castillo a "Latin Artist to Watch" in 2021.
Early life and education
Alaina Castillo was born on November 16, 1999[3] in Houston, Texas, US to a Mexican father and an American mother.[1] Castillo recalled her first musical experience as joining her mother's church choir, leading to her listening primarily to Christian music.[1][4] However, by middle school, Castillo knew that she did not want to pursue choral singing, and began branching out her music taste to R&B.[1][5] Castillo attended Clear Falls High School, during which she attempted to teach herself Spanish, her father's native language, by practicing with friends and family.[1] She later began studying biology at the University of Texas at Austin with plans to become a neurosurgeon, but dropped out to pursue her music career.[1][6]
Career
2018–2019: Early YouTube career and Antisocial Butterfly
As a high school freshman, Castillo began posting song covers to YouTube.[7] Noticing that ASMR videos were becoming popular on the platform, she decided to publish ASMR-inspired covers; Castillo described these videos as "lullaby acapella singing, sing you to sleep vibes".[8][9] These videos received millions of views, yet knowing that she did not want to become cast as an "ASMR artist", Castillo also released original music.[1][8]
She released her first original song, "Let Me Know" in late 2018; this piqued the interest of the management group Fine Group Entertainment, who helped her connect with the producer Romans.[1] The two began working together, with Castillo releasing her debut EP, Antisocial Butterfly in November 2019 through Romans' label Chosen People.[10][11] The EP was supported by three singles: her debut single "I Don't Think I Love You Anymore",[12] her first Spanish-language single "No Importa",[13] and "Mentiras".[11]
2020–2021: The Voicenotes and Parallel Universe Pt 1
On March 6, 2020, Alaina Castillo released the single "Ocean Waves".[14] On March 9, 2020, the streaming service Spotify announced that Castillo would be the first artist to be featured in the US iteration of RADAR, their artist development program; Ned Monahan, Spotify's head of global hits, called Castillo a "really interesting artist to start with", citing her appeal to both pop and Latin audiences.[15] This program entailed dedicated marketing support by the company, including a mini-documentary and a set of Spotify Singles recordings.[1] Later that year, on April 24, Castillo released The Voicenotes, her second EP. Inspired by fragments of song ideas recorded onto her phone, the EP was supported by the lead single "Just a Boy".[16][17] Castillo also released a Spanish-language version of the EP, titled Mensajes de Voz;[18] "Triste Como Yo", included on the EP, was also released as a single.[19] Castillo also released three additional singles in 2020: "Tonight",[8] "¡Párate!",[11] and the Christmas song "Wishlist".[20]
The staff of Billboard included Castillo in their list of the "22 Latin Artists to Watch in 2021", highlighting her bilingualism and nothing she has the "potential to grow in many spaces".[21] On April 16, 2021, Castillo performed the song "Bésame Mucho" at the 2021 Latin American Music Awards.[22] Her fourth EP, Parallel Universe Pt 1, was released on May 14, 2021.[23][24] Castillo performed "STFU (I Got U)", a single from the album, on Late Night with Seth Meyers on May 17, 2021.[25] She also contributed the song "Lips" to the soundtrack of The L Word: Generation Q.[11]
2022–present: Fantasies and Malos Hábitos
Castillo was included in the lineup for Coachella 2022, which ran in late April of that year;[26] she was also the co-opening act for Coldplay on May 8, 2022 during their Music of the Spheres World Tour, alongside H.E.R.[27] Her fifth EP, Fantasies, was released in late 2022, led by the singles "Sad Girls Always Finish First", "Call Me When Ur Lonely", and "Party in My Head (Ur Not Invited)".[11][28]
In 2023, Castillo released her sixth EP, Malos Hábitos, supported by the singles "Éxtasis"[29] and "Luna de Miel".[30]
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