Meet Jenisa de Castro | Vocal Coach & Performer

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

Hi Jenisa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I believe that taking calculated risks is an important part of a healthy life balance. Itʻs been a huge part of my life and career. Starting from the age of 6, when I took the risk of putting myself on a stage to dance and sing in front of others – to now, taking the risk of investing in more trainings, traveling to new places, auditioning, performing, trying new things, etc. Everything that makes you a little nervous or scared is somewhat of a risk because youʻre risking humiliating yourself or getting lost or confused or failing your task. But once you get past that fear barrier, and have tools to develop your mental strength and endurance, the risk becomes thrilling and something to grow from and something to grow beyond. Even in the voice lessons I teach, I encourage my students to make weird and loud sounds in order to get to the pretty ones. And that is so vulnerable and scary and risky because weʻre literally putting ourselves on the line, being like, “here I am, flaws and all, and I might sound terrible to someone out there.” But I believe that if you acknowledge that the worst that can happen when taking certain risks is humiliation or discomfort, and you know that itʻs not going to kill you or damage any relationships or cause financial distress, then you should definitely challenge yourself to meet certain risks so that you can keep adventure in your life and continue to grow past your fear barriers!

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.
Iʻm a freelancing singer, actor and dancer, and own a vocal coaching business called JdC Voice! I think whatʻs NOT unique about my story is that for most of my career, since I started singing at the age of 6, I experienced high levels of anxiety, depression and stage fright surrounding my singing voice and putting myself in front of people. What IS unique about my story, however, is that once my anxieties began to develop into physical symptoms such as congestion and sickness before performances, I decided to develop what I had been missing my entire performance career: a full acknowledgment of mind, body and energy in connection with the voice and singing. For so long, I would tell myself “I canʻt sing that high,” “iʻm not good enough,” “i donʻt understand how these people are this good,” etc, etc. And I would blow my voice out practicing and would cause so much physical stress on my body, trying to get to this level of “good enough,” not realizing that I was doing much more damage than good, even though I was working so hard at my vocal development. It wasnʻt until I developed JdC Voice and incorporated mindfulness, mental health practices, and energy work into my vocal coordination sessions that I was finally able to make the vocal progress that I wanted to see. And low and behold, I actually started enjoying singing instead of being afraid of it! And I developed the tools to handle my performance anxiety! And not only that, but I was able to recognize and release SO much physical tension that I had been carrying for so long. All of this to say that no, it is never easy for anyone to get to where they want to go. But the lesson I learned and always continue to learn is that staying true to yourself, listening to your body, and taking care of your mind are going to be the things that always allow us to become successful in anything weʻd like to achieve. My business motto is “you have all the power you need to create your own positive growth.” And I truly believe that we all have that power within us. We just have to access it, which is where guidance and support comes in!

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.
I live in Huntington Beach, so of course I would recommend going to the Huntington Beach Pier on Main Street. And I would definitely say to go on a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday evening to see my 11 year old student Breanna Bella play piano and sing cover tunes at the street fair!🥳 When not spending the day on the sand and in the water, there are tons of things to see at Huntington. Lots of beachy shops, eateries, and vendors specific to the OC! If youʻre interested in higher end shopping, you can visit Pacific City, an outdoor shopping mall close to the beach. And of course, if youʻre interested in live music there are TONS of bars around the OC that provide delicious meals and some amazing performers, specifically the Ronnie George Band!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely my parents, family, and friends. I cant even imagine naming them all. All I can remember since the first time I ever started performing and fulfilling my passion is unconditional love and support, not only from my immediate family, but also my best friends and family friends. Every. Single. Time. There at every show. Providing financial support when in need. Helping my parents with their events and performances (they are also artists and entertainers, which is why I attribute literally everything to them). The people in my life and those that have raised me have been the drive and motivation for everything I do. I have always wanted to live up to the person that they have believed in for so long. And because I received so much love and support growing up, it is all that I want to give back. Not only to my parents, family and friends, but also to those who need love and support who havenʻt experienced it in the same way as I have. I literally attribute everything I have to that love. SO shoutout to my parents, friends and family! You are the best!🤗🥰

Website: www.jdcvoice.com

Instagram: @jdc_voice

Facebook: Jenisa de Castro

Image Credits
Duke de Castro Photography