Q&A: Sophie Castillo

Q&A by: Sarah Ruiz

I was on Instagram one night and saw a post by Crema by Mitu (one of my favorite Latin music and culture platforms) and saw an artist singing and immediately asked myself “Who is this?!” It was a post that collaborated with the artist Sophie Castillo. After I finished watching and learned that she lives in the U.K. and creating Latin music, I had to head over to her spotify to hear more. I instantly became a fan.

Sophie Castillo is a London based Indie Latin artist who has released songs such as “Call me by your name”, “Solo Tu”, “Ojos Lindos" and more. She is of Colombian and Cuban heritage which inspires her music. She sings in both English and Spanish and the themes of her music includes messages of love, the self, and the spiritual. I was so thankful to be able to chat with her.

What inspired you to become an artist?

I’ve been singing ever since I was a kid and it’s honestly always been my dream to be a singer. I’ve always been a big daydreamer and had a big imagination and that helped me to write songs and express myself creatively. I’ve always loved being creative, ever since I was little.

What does it mean to you to be a Latina Indie artist ?

It means being inspired! Inspired by our beautiful culture, our experiences as Latinos and the amazing sounds we grew up listening to, and fusing that with other sounds that we love to make something unique. Being a Latin artist always feels like more than just making music. It feels like you’re honoring your heritage, ancestors and community all over the world and that feels so powerful and pure.

How has being of Colombian and Cuban heritage and growing up in the UK impacted your music?

In my house, Latin music was always playing, so I grew up around the music and it was a big part of my upbringing. Honouring my heritage in my music feels amazing and I love singing and writing in Spanish. Growing up in the UK meant I was also exposed to a lot of other genres which I also love. In my music I like to fuse genres together because they all represent the different experiences which make up a part of who I am.

What inspired you to create music in both English and Spanish and even blending them together in songs?

I feel like it’s symbolic! It shows different sides of myself and I think that experience is really relatable. A lot of people will understand what it’s like to grow up in a different country to your family and to feel kind of far from home. Singing in both languages shows appreciation to all sides of myself and everything I’ve experienced as a Latina in the UK. It’s also just really fun to express myself in different languages. Both languages are quite different and have unique ways of expressing meaning, which is really fun to play with lyrically.

What is something that music lovers should know about UK Latin indie artists?

That we’re working really hard and we’re ready to make a name for ourselves globally! If you’re looking for something new and unique, definitely look to the UK. A lot of amazing music comes out of the UK and I’m so excited for the UK Latin scene to make itself known for this too.

You have a new song called “Venus” coming out soon. What is your creative process for composing and producing this new song?

I actually wrote Venus a few years ago and I’ve been waiting for the right moment to bring my vision for the song to life. I always felt that the timing wasn’t right before and when I decided to do this EP I realised why I had been moved to wait! Everything aligned so beautifully. The chorus actually came to me randomly one evening and I immediately voicenoted it. I then finished off the writing process and made a demo at home a few months after. Fast forward to now and I took the song to my producer Len, explained the vision I had for the song and we worked together on the production to make it sound really magical. He totally understood what I wanted and the process of creating the song was so fun.

Ojos Lindos is one of your recently released songs ( one of my favorites!) What is the story behind Ojos Lindos and composing that song?

Thank you so much! After the success of my Indie Bachata ‘Call Me By Your Name’, I knew it was time for another, and I was so excited! I wanted this song to feel like the sequel to that song. It has that sensual vibe but it’s different in so many ways! The melodies switch up and there are lots of surprises. I went more cinematic with the production on this one. I made the demo at home and then took it to my producer Lennyn who also co-produced Call Me By Your Name with me. I knew he was the perfect person to work with on this song and the whole EP as he totally understands my vision and is a very talented producer. We got in the studio and the song came to life so beautifully!

You are a genre-blending artist and each project you release is amazing and distinctly different. How did you decide that you wanted to explore different genres throughout your music and not stick to one?

Thank you so much! I’m inspired by so many different genres and artists, it wouldn’t feel right to box myself into just one genre! There’s often so much pressure too but I know myself and I know that I need to feel free in my creativity to be able to produce authentic music. That’s why I love trying new genres and putting my spin on them. And they all still feel like me because they all have a consistent ethereal, glamorous and cinematic feel which sums up my style so I still feel like there’s a theme people can recognise even if the genres are different.

What message would you give other Latinas wanting to pursue a career in music?

Don’t feel the need to box yourself into one style or to try to be like any artist other than yourself! And also just try to get started no matter how little resources you might have or even if the work isn’t perfect. It’ll always be perfect because it comes from you and it’s authentic! When I first started I had no clue what I was doing but I had to just try my best and taking that leap of faith was the best thing I did, even though for so long I put off starting because I was scared.

What else can fans stay tuned for in 2024 from you?

My next single ‘Venus’ comes out on 15th March and it’s the title track for my EP ‘Venus’ which comes out on 28th March! I’ll also be performing as part of an amazing UK Latina artist showcase in London on 20th April, led by an amazing Latin Uk artist Desta French. Other than that, expect lots of new music from me this year, and lots of shows!

Sophie Castillo is definitely an artist to look out so make sure you check out Sophie Castillo on Spotify and follow her on instagram for updates!