When I meet Sophie Castillo on a scorching afternoon at 93 degrees in Austin, Texas, she sat near the pool of the Fairmont hotel in a long leather blazer – and tells me that she keeps it.
“We did seven consecutive days without Sunshine last month,” said the singer-songwriter born in London, who performed at the annual southwest music festival of the city (SXSW). “I need to soak up the sun!”
The daughter of a Colombian mother and a Cuban father, Castillo, is on a mission to amplify the Latin American diaspora in the United Kingdom, mainly through her music: an elegant mixture of soft electronic textures and Latin American heritage as salsa, bachata and reggaeton. She hopes that these genres will be able to take off in the United Kingdom, just like Afrobeats, Ska, Bhangra and other musical styles that immigrant communities have helped to integrate into British popular music.
“The British (do not get) enough credit regarding their open-mindedness,” she said. “Whenever I saw people react to Latin music in the United Kingdom, they are excited. They are not like:” Oh, I don't want to listen to this because it's in Spanish. “They are like:” It's cool, tell me more! “”
During the Amigo window at Rozco on the night of March 12, Castillo, adorned with a cowboy hat and a set of red velvet, presented his new single, “The Betrayal”. A cup of his next EP, due in April, “The Betrayal” is a sensual song by Baile Funk which simmer with just indignation. She interpreted the song live with the guitarist based in Los Angeles and DJ pen.
“I love Brazilian music, so I wanted to try a fusion of funk,” explains Castillo. “Everything came with this Shakira-Esque Arab scale. The drama was there, the cinematographic element was there, what I like. ”
(Elana Marie / de Los; photos of Leila Sophie Castillo)
Beyond Latinidad, music flows into Castillo's blood. Her father, the famous Salsa dancer and DJ Nelson Batista, studied dance at Casa de Cultura in Havana before immigrating to London in the 1980s. Sparks stolen between him and Castillo's mother, who emigrated from Colombia at the same time. “My father is known as the Salsa godfather in the United Kingdom,” explains Castillo. “He is one of the first Cubans to bring Cuba salsa to the United Kingdom and do salsa lessons.”
While the parents of Castillo were delighted with the magic of salsa, the uncles of Castillo, Eddie and Lee, took the young Sophie to see musicals. And, when she was quite old, they encouraged her to attend a theater program after school. She then completed her musical education by learning to produce songs using Garageband at home. She cultivated her own Indie style by listening to the American singer Lana Del Rey, who is her favorite artist to date.
“My uncle Eddie deposited one of my CDs at Universal at the age of 13,” she said. “It was so funny. I did not know anyone in the music industry, nor Latin Musical industry. How do you make noise?
Castillo has built its audience organically on Tiktok, where it tests clips of its songs among fans of the Marías and Kali Uchis – two acts based in the United States which were essential in its own development as a Latina artist between cultures. “I always wanted to sing in Spanish, but I was a little shy,” explains Castillo. “Kali Uchis really explained the independent Latina path by making music in English with a little Spanish. I really have so much love and respect for that. ”
In 2022, Castillo released the song “Call Me by Your Name” – a bewitching bachata melody sung in English and Spanish. “POV: you listen to an independent bachata by a British Latina,” Read the legend of his video. According to more than a million views, it was an organic viral sensation. “The Americans were like:” What, are you there? ” Recalls Castillo. “They would say,” I cannot believe (a) Uk Latino is one thing! ” “”
Although there are demographic categories for the people of the Caribbean in the census, largely concerning the English -speaking countries of the region, a precise number of the population of Latin America is difficult to find. In 2013, the census reported at least 250,000 Latin American living in the United Kingdom A 2024 reportThe population of Latin American Americans increased 406% in London and 395% in England and Wales from 2001 to 2021.
Castillo played in various clubs from Brixton and Elephant and Castle, both hubs for immigrant communities in London. But Castillo won his biggest concert in the summer of 2024, after having received an email from a promoter inviting him to open for a mysterious “Big Star” at the O2 Arena in London-“A week later, they told me that it was J Balvin”, she said. She opened for the Colombian superstar during her June 5 concert, becoming the first British Latina to perform on the site.
“I had exciting crazy meetings (with labels). They get it. Latin music earns the most money, the most noise. On the business front, it makes so much meaning. This made them act, ”explains Castillo. “(However) Tiktok is such a powerful tool. I (maybe) an artist completely independent and I have all the freedom and the control to do whatever I wanted. ”
By connecting with other children from the diaspora through its online music, Castillo has grown up to understand the essential role that music has to increase the visibility of Latinos in other parts of the world. While we sit down in Texas, the original state of Selena Quintanilla, Castillo, raises the impact of the music of Quintanilla, which has reached it throughout England. “The bilingual queen OG!” Castillo emergence. “All the difficulties it has been confronted with, the things she had to sail from there And from there Also. This trip was definitely as inspiring as someone who grew up in two different worlds. »»
Castillo wraps her first American tour Friday at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles – where she will bring her independent Latin groove, as well as songs from her next EP. “I think what Latinos do in the world is simply incredible, and we should all be very proud of ourselves,” she said. “It's really nice to see Latinos all over the full world, building, developing. I am proud to represent in the United Kingdom and excited for what the future has in store for us. ”
