Critically acclaimed artist on the rise Alaina Castillo has unveiled pt. 1 of her debut LP, ‘parallel universe’ alongside a new single, ‘pocket locket’ via Chosen People / AWAL.
The seven track collection of dark R&B ballads and catchy pop-infused anthems sees Alaina finally in control of her own narrative and relationships, exuding confidence and self-reliance – things she struggled with growing up.
Of the release, Alaina says,ย
โThe process of making my album has taught me a lot about who I am as an artist, but itโs also showed me who I am as a person, and allowed me to have the confidence to finally be that person in the real world. parallel universe is the soundtrack of me becoming who I was always too shy to be.โ
parallel universe pt. 1, executively produced by RรMANS, arrives alongside new single ‘pocket locket’. The project also features lead single ‘stfu (i got u)’, the fast rising hit that racked up close to 1 million views on YouTube and radio adds on 15 of Southeast Asia’s top hit stations.
Alaina recently made her debut award show performance of ‘Besame Mucho’ at the 2021 Latin American Music Awards and will make her late night television debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers on May 17. She performed for Grammy.comโs Press Play series, the Global Citizen ‘Together At Home’ streaming event, MTVโs ‘Alone Together’ live stream, Geniusโ live show with Monster Energy, Rolling Stoneโs Twitch live stream, and Sundance Film Festivalโs official 2021 music event, Sound & Vision.
Born in Houston to a tight-knit religious family, the 21 year old songstress was naturally drawn to music, art, and sports at an early age but kept her true passion for music under wraps as her parents wish was for her to focus on academia. Alaina sharpened her writing skills in both English and Spanish, gained notice by flipping popular English pop songs into Spanish, and eventually put her own music online.
In just a few years, she has built a Gen Z cult-like following and has been on a steady rise since she was named Spotifyโs first-ever US RADAR artist in 2020. Alaina has since amassed over 150 Million streams and significant social media growth, was named Billboardโs Latin Artist to Watch, Hypebaeโs Latin Artist to Watch, and clinched a spot on the NME Essential Emerging Artist list.
Notably, Alaina has been making waves across Asia, landing features on coveted media platforms and top radio stations such as Rolling Stone India, Billboard Indonesia, Hitz (Malaysia), Esquire Singapore and more. Alaina’s music video for ‘pass you by’ hit #1 on Channel [V] Asia’s Urban Chart, while the video for ‘Tonight’ climbed to #1 on the Dance Chart.
Cover photo: Brian Ziff
