Q&A: Taylor Castro’s Journey Trying To Intertwine Her Love Of Storytelling With Her Love For Singing
☆ BY Lisa Watts ☆
BORN IN BROWARD COUNTY FLORIDA - Taylor Castro grew her fame by not only singing on stage, but by also becoming familiar with a stream of other art forms including; songwriting, scriptwriting and acting. However, storytelling as a whole has always and will always have the greatest grip on her heart. While other children were playing hopscotch on the playground or participating in a game of tag with their classmates, five-year-old Castro spent her free time creating catchy phrases and piecing together song lyrics. Before entering middle school, where she made the gutsy yet well paid off decision to post some of her original music online, Castro decided that she wasn’t too young to find her way around guitar and keyboard.
Even though Castro also dabbles in screenwriting, she enjoys being in front of the camera just as much. With her first acting role in the 2013 film, Assumed Killer, she has now built up her screentime with other chilling films produced by Concord Films. Not only has she been able to act in these films, but her music has made appearances in them as well.
While learning about the list of various and impressive talents that she has been able to master so far, it was no surprise that Castro’s voice matched those words too. Gifting the public with her 2018 debut album, PURE, Castro is now releasing her newest song, “Jade,” which is a part of her latest album Girl, Scared. While portraying the story of her teen self growing out of an old friendship, the heartbreaking lyrics have made this song all too relatable. Continue reading to learn more of the meaning behind her song “Jade,” how her love of storytelling has fostered the growth of her music, and of course, about her music-related New Year's resolution!
LUNA: While discovering that your heart lies with storytelling as a whole, have you always known that singing was the most prominent way that you wanted to share your words with the world?
CASTRO: Singing the songs I write is definitely one of most (if not the most) predominant ways I tell stories, but I don’t necessarily think that I have a preference as to how I share stories that goes beyond writing them. I’ve been acting as long as I’ve been singing and I love them both with my whole heart. Recently, I even began posting weekly vlogs that tell the story of my daily life in a very relaxing, fun way. I’m even a film student with the hope of sharing stories through that medium! The point is, I think that the story dictates the way you tell it. Some stories are meant for screen while others are lost when they leave the page. Songs are stories that are all about emotion. Music allows the audience to feel something, even if it isn’t spelled out for them.
LUNA: With that, many singers, songwriters, or just music-loving people believe that music, more so the lyrics, are similar to spoken word. Would you consider your songs more similar to poetry or a really short story?
CASTRO: That’s a great question. I think lyrics should only rarely feel like the spoken word. My personal belief is that the idea of a song is better emphasized once it’s explained in everyday language, but only after it’s been complicated through poetic statements. Beyond that, I’d definitely describe my writing style as more poetic. Writing is about saying the most with the least and I think a poetic approach to songwriting is the best way to accomplish that goal. That being said, I would still consider my songs to be short stories. They’re just told in an unconventional way most of the time.
LUNA: We know that your artistic abilities stretch beyond singing, considering this, do you have any more art forms that you plan on dabbling in?
CASTRO: So many! I touched on it earlier, but I’m an actress and a film student. I hope to eventually produce, direct and star in films I wrote. I also recently began posting weekly Youtube vlogs and those have been a lot of fun to share. For pure fun, I even dabble in selling phone cases I designed!
LUNA: Keeping your goal of standing out lyrically, do you think that the more personal the lyrics, the more you will jump out at listeners? What made you realize this?
CASTRO: I think that people appreciate a detailed story. People like feeling as though they’re a part of something. In the mists of many vague stories told through music, it’s refreshing and special to be transported into the world of a song. Think “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift. That song immediately transports anyone who hears it to the world she lived in that Autumn. I love listening to songs like that and it’s even more fun writing them. That being said, it’s not about making listeners listen. Those songs are written because they give the writer a catharsis. They’re therapeutic and irreplaceable. When people react well to something I’ve written that’s that personal, I consider myself very fortunate.
LUNA: Was there a certain experience you had, either recently or in the past, where you lost touch with a friend which propelled the desire to write “Jade”?
CASTRO: For the most part, Jade was inspired by the story told throughout the song. I will say, though, that it goes beyond that one story. I’ve had many friends that I thought I’d always know who I simply do not know anymore. Because of that, I put in a lot of effort on a daily basis to maintain the friendships I have now. At a certain point, however, I came to the realization that this song wasn’t about that friendship as much as it was about the loss of childhood itself, or rather, the disconnection from my childhood self due to loss of innocence. In order to rekindle what was lost, one must come to terms with the fact that it is lost.
LUNA: With your lyric “[b]ut friendships fade around 15,” why do you think that this sad, yet so common reality, holds so much truth?
CASTRO: I think that, at 15, people have gained enough confidence in themselves to know what they want and what they don’t. Before that age, we tend to accept the fact that we have to dull our full selves in order to fit in with our friend group. Around 15, instead of doing that, we spread out to find the places we belong. For me, I took that endeavor even if it meant I was eating lunch alone. What makes this right of passage a sad truth is that it once didn’t matter to us what we liked or didn’t like as long as we liked each other. There’s a purity to that, that’s difficult to regain, but that’s not to say the stars don’t align every once in a while.
LUNA: Could you explain the meaning behind your lyrics “[i]f there’s one thing that I've learned from us, it's that friendship isn’t effortless?” In your opinion, what makes that lesson so important to learn?
CASTRO: I’ve heard a lot of people in the past few years glorify “low-maintenance” friendships. That’s basically someone who has your back if you ever need it, even if you haven’t spoken in a while. It’s also described as two friends who get along as though no time was ever lost between them. The friend I’m talking about in the song and I have the latter. No matter how long it’s been, we’ll always be like two little ten-year-old girls when we see each other. That’s a beautiful thing, but it alone doesn’t really make me her friend. If I were her friend, I would have known when she needed me most. She would have felt like contacting me in those times was appropriate. I think that that’s the mark of true friendship and I never take that responsibility lightly anymore. On the bright side, I’ve since started talking to that old friend and I hope we can become real friends once again.
LUNA: Since you consider this song the most personal one you’ve written thus far, where will you go from here?
CASTRO: Actually, I would say it’s more like the most personal song I’ve released. I have a whole book filled with songs that are even more personal. Yikes.
LUNA: Lastly, since we are approaching the New Year, what will be your biggest music related resolution for 2022?
CASTRO: Honestly, I just really want to be on one of those Genius Youtube videos where I explain my lyrics. But beyond that, I simply hope to find more people who connect to my songs. It’s a beautiful transaction of feeling heard and making others feel less alone.
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