Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist KRISTEN CASTRO, formerly of the country/Americana group she co-founded, Maybe April, has released her latest single “Surrender.” Featured on the track are bassist Matt Bissonette (Elton John) and drummer Sergio Gonzalez (Jennifer Lopez, Keb’ Mo’).
Stream/buy “Surrender” on all digital platforms here.
As with all her music, this track is deeply personal. Kristen shares, “I wrote ‘Surrender’ in the aftermath of losing someone I wasn’t ready to let go of at the time. It was hard for me to comprehend the actions that led up to our friendship ending, it was like a really confusing breakup I never saw coming. There was a lot of time I was trying to make sense of what happened, but eventually I decided to stop fighting letting go. Instead of swimming upstream in search of understanding, I surrendered.
“The vibe of this track came out of listening to two songs in repeat: Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Gypsy’ and the Cranberries’ ‘Dreams.’ I was falling asleep one night and got the urge to pull out GarageBand on my phone and recorded the keyboard part that you hear in the intro. I wanted to write a song that had elements of both bands and their nontraditional approach to songwriting and arrangement.”
“Surrender” follows the recent release of her song and video “Bloom,” which press has described as “dazzling,” “captivating,” “beautiful,” and “dreamy,” as well as “one of the best dream-pop songs so far this year, a song of full-spectrum allure and loveliness.”
The Nashville-based artist prides herself on using music to transcend boundaries. Since the age of ten, she’s been creating songs that challenge genre divisions, combining elements of folk, pop, electronica, hard rock, country, Americana, and punk into a distinctive style all her own. Her solo songs incorporate a wide range of electronic, digital, and analog sounds, from electric to acoustic guitar, mandolin to bass, piano to synth, and banjo to computer keyboard percussion.
Her early experiences playing in metal bands began a deep appreciation for rhythm and power that still informs her music today. She spent six years touring the country as a founding member for popular indie folk/country/Americana trio Maybe April, sharing the stage with icons Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, and Gavin DeGraw. Now a genre-defying solo artist, Kristen makes music with a dark sensibility and cool sweetness; her singles showcase her ability to transform abstract sensation into tangible, relatable music that feels both effortless and complex at the same time.