SOPHIE CASTILLO: THE SINGER-SONGWRITER BRINGING LATIN FUSION TO THE LONDON MUSIC SCENE
SOPHIE CASTILLO IS SET ON SPREADING HER COLOMBIAN-CUBAN ROOTS IN THE UK AND MAKING HER MUSIC VIRAL AMONG LATINOS AND BRITS ALIKE.
By Madelyn Herrera
Photo credit: Ruby Styles
The Latin music scene in the UK, though not as prominent as other genres, has been steadily growing and evolving over the years, in London particularly. The capital is a hub of diverse cultures and has seen a rising interest in Latin music, from traditional genres like salsa, bachata, and reggaeton to contemporary fusions and indie-Latin sounds.
Sophie Castillo, a London-born and raised artist with Colombian-Cuban roots, is making significant strides in introducing an Indie-Latin genre to British audiences.
Castillo said: “I grew up listening to Latin music in a very Colombian household. We always listened to mainly salsa and merengue and I always had those Latin principles and love of the culture instilled in me since I was very little.”
Castillo's upbringing in a household filled with the sounds of her heritage combined with her exposure to popular British indie bands has positioned her to combine these musical worlds into what she calls ‘Indie-Latin dark-pop’ – a genre that resonated with Latinos and Brits alike.
Her frequent visits to her family in Colombia also strengthened her bond with Latin music and deepened her love and appreciation for her Colombian-Cuban heritage.
While her classmates and friends were listening to popular British bands like Arctic Monkeys and The Vaccines, Castillo gravitated towards a more indie vibe, drawing inspiration from artists like Lana del Rey and Kali Uchis, who influence her music today.
Castillo said: “I had the influence of both [British and Latin music] and I've done a few different genres but in the end I just felt more connected with Latin music.”
“WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT OURSELVES. WE CAN'T WAIT FOR SOMEBODY TO SIGN US OR WAIT FOR SOMEBODY TO PUT THAT MONEY BEHIND US.”
Artists like J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Rosalía have paved the way for Latin genres and have occasionally even topped the UK charts, making their genres more familiar to British audiences and gaining them more visibility.
Castillo says the UK audience has been more than welcoming to this new wave of Latin music and she can see it in the crowd when she plays her sets and in the clubs that play reggaeton and Spanish music.
She said: “There's always British people that are just having a great time even if they don't know the lyrics, they love it.”
Although the public response to Latin music has been positive, Castillo said there are challenges on the business side of the industry, with small Latin artists struggling to get investments from big labels.
Castillo said: “I think in the industry it's challenging because we haven't really had a big UK Latin artist and I think labels and industry people are open to that, but it's about investing in that one person.
“We just have to do it ourselves. We can't wait for somebody to sign us or wait for somebody to put that money behind us.”
Although getting a label to invest in her music is not an easy process, it has not stopped Castillo from promoting herself on social media.
Social media has significantly helped Castillo’s music career, especially when her song ‘Call me by Your Name’ went viral on TikTok and made her more widely recognized in the industry.
Her success has opened doors to life-changing opportunities, including headlining for the popular reggaeton artist J Balvin at the O2 on 5 June in front of over 20,000 people.
Photo credit: Ruby Styles
“I REALLY WANT TO PUSH THAT REPRESENTATION HERE AND MAKE IT A THING SO I'M GOING TO TRY AND KEEP WITHIN THAT CREATIVE DIRECTION.”
On meeting the pop star, Castillo said: “He was such a gentleman and very humble and really nice, not just to me but also to my team.”
When asked about a future collaboration between the two artists, Castillo said they exchanged contact details to stay in touch and possibly come together to create a fusion of their different genres.
She said, “For now I think I wanna really have a go at doing fusion music and making Latin music relevant in the UK.
“I love writing in English as well, so I'll always have English and Spanish in my songs. I really want to push that representation here and make it a thing so I'm going to try and keep within that creative direction.”
Castillo wants to continue creating music that combines the inspiration from her favorite indie artists with her Latin roots, and sharing it with a UK audience until it becomes mainstream.
By continuing to promote her music on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Youtube, she has reached audiences in different parts of the UK and internationally, gaining fans in cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Houston.
Castillo’s career has continued to grow since her performance at the O2 arena and the singer has recently made history performing as the first British Latina at the Wireless Festival in London this month.
She performed her newest release, ‘Diosa’, which came out on 27 June, along with some of her other viral songs, such as ‘Call me by Your Name’, ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ as well as an unreleased song called ‘Atrévete’.
The singer is currently working on a variety of different projects and has plans to be a headliner in upcoming concerts in September.
Castillo said: “I'm working on a lot of new music as well as some pretty cool collabs and will be experimenting a lot with my sound - so exciting stuff coming.”