Meet Francesca Castro | Guitarist, Vocalist, Producer, & Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Francesca Castro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Francesca, what makes you happy? Why?
Music makes me happy because it’s a universal language that unites people of all different backgrounds. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what language you speak. People are still able to connect to each other through music and that’s what I love about it. It can make you dance, it can make you cry, and feel so many different emotions. Personally, music is what I live for and is what gets me through the day. When I play music, it’s like all of my worries fade away and I am just in the zone. There’s a reason why I immerse myself in music and surround myself with talented musicians from all over the world. It’s truly the best part of my life and keeps me happy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I am a guitarist, vocalist, producer, and composer from Chicago who just recently moved to LA. I graduated from Berklee College of Music where I studied Performance and Contemporary Writing and Production. What makes me unique as a musician is that I play guitar and sing primarily in a Jazz genre, which there aren’t too many female Jazz musicians who play guitar and sing/scat simultaneously. On top of that, I play guitar for other artists in a variety of styles such as Rock, Pop, R&B, and Funk. I also love to compose and produce my own music. All of my original music is out on all streaming platforms and I am proud to share that my song Cup of Tea has more than 800K streams on Spotify. I am most excited about living in LA with my friends and exploring the music scene here.

I got where I am today with a lot of patience and perseverance, though it’s not as easy as it seems. It took me a long way to get where I am today and I’m still constantly learning to improve. I started my musical journey when I was six years old when I started singing and playing guitar and I never stopped. There have been many bumps in the road especially as a freelance musician. There are highs and lows in this industry and there are good days and bad days. I overcome these challenges by treating it as a learning experience and taking it as an opportunity to keep trying and not give up on my dreams. Overall, I love what I do and I can’t imagine pursuing anything else but music.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the area, the first thing I would do is cook them breakfast and then we’d go take a hike to the Hollywood Sign. After that we would get lunch at In N Out Burger. Then, I would take them to Santa Monica Pier or go for a swim at Venice Beach. We would then grab some dessert at a La Michoacana and get some paletas to cool off. After that we would go shopping at the Grove. Then we would have dinner and get some Korean BBQ. We would then finish the day by watching a live concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a shoutout to my family and friends. I am very grateful for the love and support I have from them. These are the people that inspire me to be the best that I can be. They challenge me to go outside of my comfort zone and I wouldn’t be where I am now without them. I would also like thank my mentors and professors that I’ve had in the past as they have been a huge part of my growth both as a musician and a person.

Website: francescacastro.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francescacastromusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FCCastroMusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrancescaCastroMusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_j6YUdjmK5cHJ04Z-wD9qg