SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey, what's up? This is Casey Abrams. I'm here in beautiful Idleweld, California at Idleweld Arts, and this is the stage where I graduated from high school. Yes, I went to high school here in the mountains, in the beautiful trees. And I'm here because I was interviewing Julia Castro, who is a senior here at Idleweld Arts. She was on The Voice in Brazil, the kids' edition. And so she was she was doing that when she was 13, and then she decided to come to Idleweld Arts for high school. And I just judged a competition here where she won. She was the first place winner of this uh concerto competition with her original songs, and they sounded so beautiful. I'll put some clips in there. And uh we also sing the song at the very end, as well as a song that she sang on The Voice in Brazil. Holly Jade is her teacher, and she went to Idle World Arts with me at the same time in 2009, so we both graduated together. This is the place that made me into the musician that I am today. It was pre-American Idol, and I went straight from here to college, and I was like, this college is not as good as Idle World Arts. We did our interview at Lohman, which is a really nice music hall. Lots of classical music happens there, the jazz concerts and a lot of recitals. I don't want to brag, but I also have a chair dedicated to me there. It was so nice to catch up with a student, and I felt right back at home. I'm excited for this one. Bassie Out.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

We are idle.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Like this?

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Uh like this.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Like this. Oh, perfect. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

There you go. Alright. Did you have a gig yesterday?

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Okay, where was it?

SPEAKER_02 1:40

I was at Rudolph Spartan Tea. It was like under a company called Breaking Sound.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Okay. Oh, okay. Now was it uh in LA?

SPEAKER_02 1:48

Yes. Okay, so it was super cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Do you get to go off into LA every once in a while? Yeah. Okay. Have you played there before you went to Idaworld Arts?

SPEAKER_02 1:57

I've never.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Oh really? Never. So was that your first time?

SPEAKER_02 2:00

This was my first time.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

Because my first time in LA it's was for school, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

That's so cool. So now did you play gigs in Brazil when you were growing up there? And did you do it before you were on the show?

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Yes. Okay. I was 13 when I went on the show, so like that was like the big thing for me. But before that, I usually played in my church and in any any stage I could find, actually, because I love performing. And yeah, I actually played with a band. I opened for a band for uh Blue Note in Brazil, which was really cool.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

So cool.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

That was before you were 13 years old. Oh my gosh. Is that how you got onto the show then?

SPEAKER_02 2:47

I don't think so. I think yeah, for the voice, I tried to audition twice, and then I got in when I was 13.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Oh my gosh. So so the first time when they said no.

SPEAKER_02 2:57

They said no.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

And were you sad?

SPEAKER_02 2:59

I was kind of sad.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

But then you tried again.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

I tried again.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

And then you killed it. That's awesome. And then uh Michael Teo? Who's the guy? Oh yeah, Michelle Tella.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

You tried.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

You tried. You tried, no, it's hard, doesn't it? No, it was good.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Thank you. Michelle how do you say? Michelle Tella. Tella, okay. Michelle Tela. And now did you know him before you went on the show?

SPEAKER_01 3:22

No.

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Oh, okay. So I mean, I know who he was, but like his music is like a different style. It's it's Sertanejo, which I don't really like listen to. But after I went on the show, I started listening more to it. It's kind of like country music, but in a Brazilian way.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Oh, okay. Okay, nice. Now now he was he chose you for his team, right? On the voice or no?

SPEAKER_02 3:50

I chose him. You chose I chose him.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Because you got all the chair turns, which is like the best thing ever, right? And then what I was confused about there was a a chair that had two people in it. Were they like are they a duo or like what?

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Yeah, oh my god, they're sisters, actually. It's so cool. Because they're like a duo, they're a big thing in Brazil. They're also uh Sertanejo, uh, which is like country music, but in a Brazilian way. And they're so sweet and they're so nice. They're a huge deal in Brazil.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Dang, okay. What would you consider your would you we are you RB? Like, and would you have been RB when you were 13?

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Oh, I love RB. I feel like my style, I think it's a mix of RB and jazz and bossa nova. Because I love. But yeah, my biggest influences is are like uh Etta James, Avita Franklin, Nina Simone, Amy Wine House. Oh my god, I love Amy Wine House.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

She's great, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

And yeah, for Brazil, my references are Don Jobing. Do you know?

SPEAKER_00 4:57

He's he's uh tall and thin and young and love. I love that cruise. I was gonna ask if that was like as big as it is there. Yeah, it's huge.

SPEAKER_02 5:06

It's like the Basa Nava song.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

We love it. We we just went on the cruise and we went to see uh Ipanema Beach. That was insane. Oh my god. And you live close to there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

I live close to there. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

How often do you go?

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Oh my god. Actually, for the voice, it was my first time going to Rio because the show happens there, it's filmed there. So I I love Rio so much. And yeah, I've been there like four times.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Wow, okay. And did you go to the big uh this guy? Uh Redeemer guy. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Yes, okay. But uh that that's insane that you were on the show, you got to be on the show, and then from there, um, what were you doing until Idle World Arts and what made you want to come to Idle World Arts where we are right now?

SPEAKER_02 5:58

Oh my god. So uh I've always like wanted to study music in high school, and in Brazil we don't really have uh like schools with like arts schools. Um and I was really like, you know, the idea of like studying what I love in high school was such like a big like thing for me. It was like, whoa, is that even possible? And then like I started looking for schools and I found Idlewald, and I'm so grateful I'm here because it's been such a crazy um journey and so many opportunities happened for me because of Idlewald, and I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful for my music teacher, Holly Jade. She's just the best ever. She's such an amazing artist and she inspired me so much, and yeah, her support and guidance throughout this year meant so much to me.

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Yeah, and I went to school with her. Yeah. I went to this school. Isn't that crazy? How how weird is that? It's so crazy. That we and I've even thought about coming. I I mean I always come back here. Um, but it that's that's the beauty of Idol Arts is that we always just want to keep coming back because it's such a magical place, isn't it? Yeah. Um did you what what year are you right now?

SPEAKER_02 7:17

Um a senior.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Senior. Oh, my last year. It's your last year, yes. It's my first and list. Now, so did I I know that you did the voice thing and it was the kids' voice of Brazil.

SPEAKER_04 7:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

And you you uh I think anytime you I made it to sixth place, so I didn't win. And we so we both yeah, we were we were okay. We we made it kind of far. Yeah. But you got to win a competition, and it was a competition here at Idawald Arts. Yeah. So what like did you have a feeling you were gonna you were gonna win?

SPEAKER_03 7:51

No!

SPEAKER_02 8:06

I I literally thought I wouldn't like make to the final because they said my name last. They said my name last. I was like, hello, like what do you mean? I'm last. Like I really thought I wouldn't make it to the final, so it was such like an honor.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

That's great. That's great. Yeah, you killed it in that competition. It was a music competition. Every single person did about 10 minutes, and I was almost like the Ryan Seacrest, which was pretty, pretty fun. I got to I don't need I didn't even have to judge. Um, so that was really nice. But it's it's such a magical place. What is I I mean maybe you already touched on this, but what is your favorite part about going to Idle Wild Arts?

SPEAKER_02 8:45

My favorite part, oh my god, wait, that's hard.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

I feel like um the community here, it's really like important. It's like everyone, you know, shares the same passion and love for their art, and I think that's that's so beautiful. In Brazil, I never had like this experience to like write and collaborate with like my friends, you know. Like, what do you mean? I get to write with my friends in here. It's crazy. That's so nice. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Did you learn anything? What's your takeaway from you know, what are the big differences between idle of arts and being on the voice?

SPEAKER_02 9:23

Hmm. I feel like the big difference is because like the voice is like TV. So it was I was so nervous. Yes, I was so nervous on the voice because I was so little and I never had experienced something that big before.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

But yeah, I'm sure millions watched you, right?

SPEAKER_02 9:43

Yeah, it was crazy, crazy, crazy. I was super nervous, but after the blind audition, I was like, okay, this is this is fine. Everyone was super chill, the team was super supportive, and yeah. Yeah. And I feel like that's the difference because Iowa like it made me feel like so like like comfortable since I arrived, and I already feel like I belonged in here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

I like that. That's that's kind of how I felt. I mean, I I felt like playing in front of a lot of people, that was that was kind of easy, but playing in front of a small amount of people that kind of it made me a little bit more confident. Like I remember singing in front of my parents. That's really hard to do.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Oh god, it's so hard. Isn't that scary? Yeah, just scary.

SPEAKER_00 10:23

The people that that raised you, and it's two people that you care about, and it's just like I don't know, just it feels worse than singing in front of millions of people. Of course. That's really um that's now is there a difference between uh English and uh Portuguese. I didn't I didn't know. Brazilian Okay, I'm glad. I stopped. I almost said it. I was close. Um is is there a difference in did you start writing? Did you already know English when you were doing you you're singing in English, so did you already know it even by the time you were 13?

SPEAKER_02 10:56

I mean, like I knew it just because like of the music I've been listening to my whole life, but like not that well, you know. I couldn't like speak in English yet.

SPEAKER_03 11:07

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

So I learned it more um uh last year, and yeah. I feel like yeah, I've I've started writing uh in Portuguese uh when I was like 11 or 12. But more recently I've been writing a lot more in English. But I feel like my music is a mix of both worlds because like even though I write in English, I feel like you can see my influence and my culture like um with my melody. So I think yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

That's beautiful. That's beautiful. Um what who did you get to meet any celebrities other than uh Michelle? Or like and and who is who is the nicest celebrity if you met?

SPEAKER_02 11:52

You're a celebrity.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

Okay, so I'm the nicest one. Alright, I'll take it. No, other other than American Idol type uh people you see on TV.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

Yeah, wait.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

You must have I mean, the fact that millions of people saw you, like, did you have social media? Did you did anyone reach out to you that you looked up to?

SPEAKER_02 12:10

Yes. So um a celebrity I met, uh, which is like she's so cool. I've been a fan of her since like forever. Her name is Erin Le Cam. I don't know if you know her. No, but she's big in she's she's um she's not big in Brazil, she's big in here. It was recent, it was like last month. I I met her in an event. She's like crazy talented and she's like a producer, so she produces all of her music and she's a solo artist, so uh her concerts are like only her in the stage. Oh cool. Does she play an instrument then? Yeah, and she records everything. It's it's crazy, and she's so talented and like I got to talk to her. She's called Erin Lecount.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

Say it again, Ariel. Erin? Erin.

SPEAKER_02 12:56

Erin. Erin Lecount.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Lecount, okay. She's crazy. Do you play you play instruments?

SPEAKER_02 13:02

I play. I mean, my main vo my instrument is my voice, but I play guitar and piano.

SPEAKER_00 13:09

Oh, okay. And do you do that to write your songs?

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Yes. I I usually write it's kind of funny because I usually write uh without like an instrument, so it's usually only like my melodies and a dump of what I'm feeling in my notes app. But you know, after I get everything together, I move to the piano or to the guitar, and then the magic happens.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Nice. You know, my Michael Jackson recorded all his songs. If you look up his demos, like working day and night, it's just like him going boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and you're doing his beatboxing. So you're doing the same thing. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 13:43

I have like over like 3,000 like voice memos in my phone.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Oh my gosh, that's fun fact. That's scary. Okay, well, I'm glad I'm glad you're getting all the ideas down some way. The string arrangements during your song, did you write those? Like, how did you get those out? Okay, so what happen how'd that happen?

SPEAKER_02 14:00

So I have a pianist back home in Brazil, and he's also my producer. He's called Sam Jesse. I love him so much. If you're watching this, I love you. And he's incredible, he's like amazing. He's going on tour with uh Mateus Asato. I've heard that name, I've heard that name. And he's crazy good, and we uh we were in a writing session together, and you know, we wrote that uh those songs together, and he has a friend, uh his name is Ivan Ivan Pereira, he's incredible. And we went on stud on the studio and we rolled everything and he came up with a string arrangement and it was magic.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Oh, that's so cool. So it was already ready to go. And so he just sent you the the string arrangement and and then they played it. And that's the beautiful part about Ida World Arts is that everyone gets to to jam here and and you just hand it to people.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Yes. Are you gonna go to college? I forget.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

I mean I'm still not sure, but maybe to Berkeley.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Okay, you're thinking about it. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

I'm thinking about it.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Either that or you could just go on the road.

SPEAKER_01 15:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

You know, I did, I mean, I listen, I I love school and and I think this is we're we're doing such a such a promotion for Idwald Arts here. But I only needed this school. I went to college for a semester, and I was like, why am I here? I I feel like I already knew all the things, and then and then I tried out for American Idol. So we were kind of opposite. You did the reality show, came here, but I came here and then did the reality show. Yes, exactly. But you could, but that's so cool. So I feel like you have some notoriety, you have a great voice, you have a good s you have good songs. You should put your songs out. Are they out yet?

SPEAKER_02 15:41

They're not.

SPEAKER_00 15:42

Okay, put them out.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

But this is the year. This is the year, yes. Yeah, 2026 is the year.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Yes, put them out, please, for the world to hear they're really good. And do it just exactly the way that you did it. I mean, listen, it's your it's your your thing, but the way that we heard it here during the competition was like so good. So, so please, please do that. Um, go on tour. Where where where is your uh where is your dream place to live? Would you want to go back? Would you go back to Brazil?

SPEAKER_02 16:09

I feel like LA. LA, yeah. I love it here so much.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Yeah, LA is great. California in general is really super fun. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

Super fun.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

And it's kind of similar similar weather too.

SPEAKER_02 16:19

Yeah, kind of similar weather. I mean, Idawada is not. It's not.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

It's a little, yeah. I'm surprised it's not snowing right now.

SPEAKER_02 16:27

Yeah, exactly. Oh my god, the first time I saw snow was here. What? Congratulations.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Wow. What did it feel like? Did it feel like the movies?

SPEAKER_02 16:37

Yeah, it felt like the movies.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

Was it did you jump into it? Did you find it?

SPEAKER_02 16:44

I built a snowman.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

I'm so proud of it. It was so good.

SPEAKER_00 16:48

Wow, congratulations. Um, did you uh what's the nicest compliment that anyone's ever given you?

SPEAKER_01 16:54

Oh my god. I don't even know.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

Was it from a judge? Was it from or was it from that Aaron person? There is something. Was it from Hallie?

SPEAKER_02 17:04

There's something that like everyone would tell me when I was growing up, and actually Michelle Tella also told me, my my coach in the voice, that like I don't know if it's a compliment, but it's something that really stays in me. That like uh I transform when I'm on stage, which I feel like it's so cool. Like I don't know, I just I just loved when people tell me that. Yeah, like yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

That that reminds me Randy Jackson, he always gave the advice to change the room. And I think that's that's what happens. You go on stage, you change yourself, you change the room, you change every you change the atmosphere. Do you still keep up with the people that you competed with on the show? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 17:47

Actually, some of them yes. I still have like the the voice group chat. Oh okay. Yeah, so I need to we're all really bonded, and actually I have a really close friend I made from the show, and she lives uh in Brasilia, which is um the same, you know it? No, it's like the capital of Brazil.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 18:09

You didn't go, you need to go there.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

Oh, okay. It sounds like Brazil, but just with Ilia on the end. So it's Brazilia's in Brazil?

SPEAKER_02 18:17

Yeah, it is in Brazil. It's like half an hour plane from São Paulo.

SPEAKER_00 18:21

You're you you're ahead up on all the Americans, I think. I think I think I learned more being here because there were so many people from different cultures. So I think you're you're learning, but you're teaching as well. Alright, so what is sorry, Brazil? So she lives there?

SPEAKER_02 18:34

Yeah, she lives there, and my family also like everyone of my family family lives there. So like every time I go visit them, I go visit her too.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Oh, that's so nice. And then um, and were were your parents musicians as well? Nope. Nope. You were just you just decided to do it. Wow. Started singing when you were a little kid, like even before. That's amazing. Um when is your next recital?

SPEAKER_02 18:56

My next recital?

SPEAKER_00 18:57

Yes. And have you had recitals?

SPEAKER_02 18:59

I had a recital.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Yes, it was in March. It was so special.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

And was it here or was it in Stevens Recital Hall?

SPEAKER_02 19:05

It was in Stevens.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

Oh, okay, nice. That's that's cool. And and it's so cool because I'm doing singer-songwriter type stuff, but I I've I we didn't have a singer-songwriter program when I was here. We just had jazz. So we had jazz recitals. Oh my god. And um, I don't even think we were supposed to sing, but I would sing like Don't Stop Believe, Don't Stop Believe! Even though we're really supposed to. That's a good one. Yeah, that's yeah. But um, but that's that's cool that you get to have like singer-songwriter recitals here at Old Arts. That's like so nice. It's not just classical or jazz, it's singer-songwriter. Um now I I wanted I wanted to make sure it was cool with you. When I was on American Idol, I actually had flare-ups, I had ulcerative colitis, and um I had to miss a show. I got to come back, so that was really nice. In fact, I was watching the TV when I was in bed uh with some nurses all around me, and I watched Ryan Secrest say, Casey, I know you're in the hospital, but you're safe.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

Oh my god. So it was really cool.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

Now I I looked it up, I I know that you did a couple of the rounds, but then something you had a health issue, or what what what exactly happened?

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Yeah, so uh I advanced um after the bat battles and I made it to the knockouts. But unfortunately, when they were filming, I got really, really sick and I had to be like hospitalized. So that really sucked. But like it was still such a great experience, and like all the judges sent me like beautiful messages and like videos being so supportive about it. And actually my coach, Michel Tella, invited me to uh sing with him in a show, which was really cool. Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

Oh my gosh. So you win you well, it's it's there's no such thing there's only winning situations. So the fact that you had to leave that was sad, but then you get to sing with with your coach and an idol. That's amazing. That's amazing. Yeah, that's and is there footage of that? I mean, I wonder if I'll have to find it.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

I don't know if there's footage of it. But my dad might have like videos of it.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Oh, okay. Well, I'll when we edit together, maybe we'll put it. But that's that's good. So I think I'm sorry that you had to get sick, but I think it might have even led you to hear. So like I think that's a beautiful thing. So thank you. Thank you. Good talking with you. Can we do a jam? Of course. Okay, I okay. I was thinking since you did uh At Last. Yeah. Maybe do you want to do that one?

SPEAKER_01 21:25

Of course.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

We could do I was I also I think I know your original as well, but maybe we should do you know my original? Well, I it's it's I think it's the same same chord. So so let me let me let me set up I'll do a little pause right here.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

Oh my god. You're gonna do over you?

SPEAKER_04 21:45

Uh it's the one that goes like this.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Tell me why it's so hard to say.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

It's like me play a G.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

You see that's a little bit more. Should I play like an intro or should we just tell me why it's so hard to fix this?

SPEAKER_03 23:13

I hold on time by your best aside. Do you ever even try? Tell me why it's so hard to lend this. I reach for you by your out of line. Was I ever worth the fight? You're still in my head, like you never left. I keep boding on to every head, and no matter what I do, I keep coming back to you. Oh how could I be hip coming back I was too oh how can I be tell me why it's so hard to fix this I hold on type by your mistakes Do you ever even try? Tell me why it's so hard to win this I don't know how to forget you I still play it back everywhere you said I keep holding on to every head and no matter what I do I keep coming back to you Oh how could I be over I keep coming back always too Oh how could I be Oh how can I come and beautiful That was so good That was so good That was really good we do one more thing My love is come along My lonely days I feel the sky's above My heart is wrapped up in gloves And I found a tree that I could speak to a dream that I can call my own I found a thrill suppress my check to a through the When you smile Yours Oh and then's kiss and high heaven for Congratulations with a voice We are idle Come Talk with me come sing with me be your idol Come talk with me come sing with me be your idol