The third release for Jackie Castro is as much a cathartic outlet for her and listeners as it is song that showcases her vocals, piano playing, and honest songwriting.
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“Hourglass” is as the name implies, a reflective look at the dwindling hours of life that everyone has to face through the course of the human experience. What Castro was able to do with her melody — and video — is make a tough time an encouraging and touching tribute.
“I wrote Hourglass the day after I got the call that my grandmother would be passing away in a matter of days after an 8-year battle with dementia,” she told American Songwriter. “What I realized I was grieving the most in that moment was the loss of time. I wanted to get back all of those years that my grandma was still here but unable to communicate with me. There was so much more I wanted to know about her, but time was running out and I couldn’t get it back.
“Memory loss brings about a different kind of pain and this song is me honestly addressing all the questions and fears I had as my time with her came to a close. I hope this song helps people feel understood, comforted, and like they’re not alone in their pain. I hope it helps them process their own feelings the way this song has helped me process and come to peace with mine.”
Hourglass is the third, powerful, song to follow the October release of “Romanticize” and an August debut single, “You Want It, I Want It.”
Her forthcoming album is anticipated to be a strong following to the 2016 debut when she broken into the music industry with her band Castro, a folk/pop trio consisting of her brothers Jason and Michael Castro. That initial release, ‘Diamond Dreams’ debuted at No. 1 on the Singer/Songwriter charts on iTunes and gained over 9.5 million streams on Spotify. It afforded the group a a national television appearance on The Wendy Williams Show and toured with acts such as Andy Grammer and Gavin DeGraw.
In 2018, Castro decided that it was time for her to part ways and find her own voice, leaving behind a deal with Curb Records, and moving from Dallas to Nashville. In that time she has worked to develop her artistry within the pop community and, in doing so, she discovered she had a story to tell.
Her sound is a mix of whimsical melodies, lush vocals, a balance of synths and acoustic instruments, and honest songwriting.
“I want people to be able to hear my whole heart in every song I write – from my deepest fears, insecurities, and regrets, to the moments of pure love, passion and acceptance,” Castro said. “We’re all a kaleidoscope of colors, but I’ve found that music makes us realize how we’re truly more similar than we are different.”
