We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sam Castillo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sam, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

Being Openly Queer and performing in spaces that tend to cater to more heteronormative narratives within the Minneapolis music scene sometimes my art is misinterpreted and is put in a box when I’m a lot more than a queer entertainer.. also making the transition to pop music I’ve found my true sound and having such little representation in the city. It can be a struggle to remain booked

Sam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Sam Castillo I am a 23 year old Queer Chicano Singer/Songwriter, dancer, and entertainer. Also know as “Sammii Diorre Alain Mikli”. From the legendary House Of Alain Mikli. My goal in the music scene is put Minneapolis back on the map.

With stylistic influences from Madonna, Lana Del Rey, Selena Quintanilla, Kylie Minogue and 90s runway fashion. My style is unique to its sound and it welcomes the listener into my world with abstract visuals and lyrics that have a very deep and personal meaning.

With my most recent release and eighth studio album titled Magnifico I made the full transition into Pop music. By doing that I refound my confidence and love with creating music and also changing my overall aesthetic i feel like I’m in my creative renaissance with my art.

My type of music is for the individual who feels like they don’t belong. My entire life I’ve always been told that I’ve been too much and that I need to tone it down. I’ve realized By doing that it dimmed my light and I was not remaining authentic to my true self . Recently II took back my power and learned to fall in love with myself again and i never felt more free and in control by just being myself and with my music and you should feel the same way <3

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me personally the most rewarding aspect of my career is knowing that at least one person listening to my music is truly impacted by my songwriting because that’s where i get the most personal.

Knowing that Someone else out there can relate to my experiences gives me the drive i need to keep on creating.

Hearing the words “That song you wrote really got me through some tough times” is something i never thought i would hear

When you create know that sometimes it can be a lot bigger than you are and putting that out into the universe is my life’s purpose

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Through this journey my overall goal is to make a livable income through music and performing.

I love entertaining a crowd and making people feel something different from when they walked in.

Being able to share that is so amazing and I hope one day more people will be able to notice the artistry that goes into my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/SCOfficial00?fbclid=PAAabOMm8XCssuKeEe3iqv3n-nP_-gHGhPuTWQUhyM1r83MaoBZU3y0UYTnDQ

Image Credits
Bryan Castillo