Emerging from the isles of Bermuda, the beautiful songstress Kaelyn Kastle is leaning into her power and femineity with newest single “Touch On Me,” a pop-reggae anthem, where the singers liberations are daringly present through visuals and limericks.
Growing up in a conservative country like Bermuda where customs are dissimilar than the US, Kastle is abiding by her own inhibitions, dreams, and goals, to make it in the music industry.
The songstress was influenced by singers like Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, Rhianna, and Beres Hammond, an assorted puree of soul, pop, and reggae artist, that helped to chisel out her infectious sound.
In the earlier days before discovery, Kastle would perform covers on YouTube, with Alicia Keys as her first nostalgic sample. If listeners took a trip down memory lane on Kastles YouTube page, they'd be mesmerized by her adolescent vibe like "Lost in Japan," and "How to Love," where hip hop enterlaces comfortably into R&B. Kastle uses misty vocals to revamp a song that fans once revered with Lil Wayne as the MC.
As for Kastles first solo project, she gently steps into the light with album, Kaelyn Kastle Love Drama, Dreams, a 10 track EP with "High School" as the introductory to a more confident vocalist, who’s anxious to become more… a star.
“I would say, I really discovered my own sound within the last, maybe, three or four years,” she replied, when asked about her development. “Mostly because sound and style; mostly, because it kinda took me, like, time to get to know myself as an artist, and I feel like that’s where a lot of artists either lose themselves or like I say, you get lucky and find yourself. I got to do sounds that I love, and integrate that into making it into, you know… something popular—something that people can be driven to-- So, I’m with that, a hundred percent. I got to implement everything about myself into my music.”
Kastle releases music exclusively through mega-producer, Dallas Austin’s distribution company D.A.D. Austin is an insightful mentor, that pushes Kastle to reach within herself to become the best.
While Furthering that, and pulling from within, Kastle is overcoming many obstacles like wrongful deportation among other personal things. Kastle isn’t becoming bitter by the curveballs of life.
Kastle says there has always been trepidation from people of her culture, who don’t understand her plight of liberations, strength and sexual freedoms.
“Honestly, people who want to go where I want to go, you have to do too much,” she explains. ‘If you’re not doing too much, you’re not gonna get there (success) because you have to be able to stand out. You have to be able to be comfortable in your own skin, and I’ve always been comfortable doing what I do; so, it’s obviously a part of who I am. Some people just aren’t doing enough.”
While staying motivated to create the music that she loves, that others will enjoy, Kastle uses three affirmations to keep level about the business of music. She reminds herself that it’s okay to remain original, but never do anything that you’re going to regret.
“The moment you feel like you’re going to regret it, that’s always going to be you asking yourself why you did it, you know? So, try new things but at the same time, don’t do anything you’re going to regret because the moment you do something you’ll regret, you’ll fall out of (alignment) who you are as a person. Ah, that’s how people lose themselves,” she cautions. “Number two, I always say, ‘Once you get to the top of one mountain, start climbing another one, because you know, there’s steps in the valley. But, at the end of the day, it’s always going to be ups and downs, but the goal is getting to the top, and you can’t sit at the top because there’s higher mountains to climb.
The last thing I always say is just love yourself, because when you love yourself, can’t no one tell you nothing. I promise you. Like, you’ll listen to the criticism, but you’ll change for the better. You’ll change because you want to change, not because people want you to change.
Kastle is dancing and singing in her truth, and with newest single “Touch on Me,” to back it up. The song mounts with island tones, a fun mashup of pop, and sensual lyrics from Kastle that coo adoringly about the feels through energetic suggestions. The visuals for the song expound more… Kastle goes against the Barbadian customs as a liberated woman and artist, freeing herself through the lyrics.
The singer says that the creative direction for the video was set between her and Elijah Brown…“He’s actually my brand coordinator, and this was his first time stepping into the role as a creative director,” she explained.
Kastle continues by saying that Brown participated in many of her studio sessions, so he understood the assignment when creating the scenes for the video, that were spicey and authentic.
“I didn’t wanna, kinda, put on a front. I wanted it to feel a little raunchy. A little… you know, just... sexy. I wanted to tell a story.”
Listen to entire interview below to learn more about the bomb vocalist.