While everyone sat in the Booth lecture hall waiting for American Idol contestant Jason Castro, the atmosphere was a mix of excitement, confusion, and sleepiness after a long day of work. Most of the Campers knew Castro as the “guy on American Idol with the dreads,” but after a casual Q&A session with Castro, everyone could see he was much more than just a guy from American Idol.
Despite starting the night out with mic difficulties and admitting to be an awkward and “shy boy,” Castro told his musical life story with so much ease that it felt like we were talking to friend. He began with speaking about playing drums in a band and coming to the conclusion that playing music was what he wanted to do with his life, whether it be touring the world or playing in his living room.
As he played local shows with his band, he also learned how to play the guitar and would go to a nearby park to practice so no one would be able to hear him just in case he wasn’t any good. When time to go to college came around, he decided to quit his band to go to college in order to make his parents happy. Sadly, he basically lost most of his friends since his friends were his band.
When American Idol auditions made their way to his hometown, Castro decided to take a leap of faith and auditioned. He had only sung about five times in public before his Idol audition, but figured he had nothing to lose. After making it on the show, he had to learn how to perform things in a short amount of time. Concerning the process of preparing for Idol performances, Castro expressed, “It’s like a blur, a strange thing.” To Camper Lea Marie Golde, who auditioned for last year’s Idol, he suggested never giving up and trying out again for next year’s show.
Although he didn’t win American Idol, he stated, “I never envisioned myself winning.” He never really wanted to win, but was more into getting some recognition. Castro sees himself as not just a singer, but an artist. He doesn’t want to rush music; he wants to “go with the flow.” He believes that music is about being in the right place at the right time and Idol helped with launching his career. When asked if he wants to move away from always being associated with American Idol, he smiled and said, “It’s my new life goal.”
1 comment:
Great article.
I've been following Jason's career since he first sang Daydream on the show. Over the past 18 months, I have grown to admire his constant positive attitude.
American Idol gave him a start but I see him having a long career other than being the guy with the dreads.
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