Diandra Reviews It All-

Imagine approaching life like a historian; jotting down notes, in music, like you are Lin Manuel Miranda creating the next Hamilton but YOU are the central figure. In this tale, you are the one at the bottom, but where is the top? For Julia De Castro, and her album La Historiadora, “the top” is a weird place in history: both personally and globally. It is a place that depends on your morals, taste, and considered purpose, of which, in our interview, Julia De Castro discusses hers.

Diandra: How are you?

Julia: I’m happy. I am doing a play. I have come from a few interviews, so my brain is everywhere.

Diandra: What is your play?

Julia: It is about what Spain has undergone in this quarantine. It is a strange time, especially for theater because we still can’t be near each other or even in a theater. So it is all streaming.
Julia de Castro – 6. Hasta que te conocí (La Historiadora, 2020)

Diandra: How is that? How are you creating in this time?

Diandra: I think it is a challenge. When you look at the circumstance, artists reflect and grow according the situations that we are in. We always adapt. So I am sure that a lot will come from this, in terms of new art. Even I did a documentary with HBO about the current quarantine. I wrote and starred in this episode about confinement, which is, probably, the most important thing I have done. Moreover, this album was released because of the quarantine. My label, Volcan Music, said that now is the perfect time to release my music, and I thank them because I had doubts and they really developed it beautifully. When I made the album, I had no time to finish it fully. I wanted to give my all to it, and when you are in this world, you always need another job. You are always doing multiple projects, and when I first started the record I did not have a label. It was just me.

Diandra: What do you prefer music or acting?

Julia: I see them both as pure. They aren’t really different from each other because they are forms of expression and they feel really natural to me. Television and theater are, obviously, more visual, but now I am juggling both and I can’t say one represents me or bring out more of me compared to the other. The last few years I have been working more as an actress, and I am excited and feel comfortable with both happening at the same time.

Diandra: What does being a “historiadora” mean to you?

Julia: It is a word that is familiar to all of us: the person that tells the story. It is the keeper of history, and, academically, I have a degree in Art. It was my undergraduate. So I have the title in both ways; I am a literal art historian and sing stories, which, in history, is how we kept records of our myths and events. Our oral history was not simply spoken but sung.
Julia de Castro – Caminadora (Lyric video)

Diandra: Is there a period of history that most fascinates you?

Julia: The Medieval Times was fascinating to me. People often see it as a dark, very repressed time, but when you learn about its philosophy and symbolism; you see these undercurrents of passion. Moreover, I am from a small, Medieval town called Avila, and its architecture has been preserved. So I have a real fascination with that era.

Diandra: I feel like every era can be describes, artistically, as a battle between freedom and repression of expression.

Julia: I feel like humanity lives different moments of history and art reflects that. In every era, you will see a battle between repression and freedom, but I think eras, like the Baroque period, attract more people because they were so colorful and vibrant in their expression of that battle. I prefer very surrealist art.

Diandra; How would you describe art now, in this era?

Julia: I think the digital age has changed everything. The accessibility, especially to information, has changed what we see as art and even how we create it. So this era, including the pandemic, when combined with our digital power will create a totally new form of art. Still, it is a double-edge sword. In one way, I am able to reach people quickly, but we are consuming the earth vigorously. We don’t give her time to regenerate, and art feels like the expressed bridge between advancements and catastrophe.

Diandra: Is there any wisdom you have learned from art?

Julia: I think wisdom is a part of creation. There is always something you gain from turning your experience into art. When something happens to you and you birth a song or a play from it, the experience becomes crystallized. In making those feeling concrete and tangible, you give room for yourself to mature.

Diandra: So in what ways has music helped you mature and embrace yourself?

Julia: I have no roots. I am nomadic. It is a beautiful thing, but it also feels like vertigo. In one way, you feel so free and you see the world from such beautiful heights, but then you can also feel dizzied by it. I am currently moving, and, to be honest, when you are a 35 year old woman, there is this feeling, especially from society, like I should be settled now. I shouldn’t be traveling, moving, and making so many changes. I shouldn’t be trying new things, but instead have more “control.” Many feel tranquility in being in one place, having a family and set job, but, for me, I don’t feel uncomfortable with the uncomfortable. I like being a nomad and music helps me embrace that side of me that loves to move and explore.

Diandra: So what brings you the most joy?

Julia: In these days, that have made everyone feels so complicated, I have been breathing more and becoming more reflective. Without the distractions, you can’t help but look at your past, and, lately, I have been waking up and being grateful that, no matter what, I always lived my life according to how I wanted to live it. I never did what I did not want to do, and women are so pressured to have the family and home and just stay in place. Yet, I have been really blessed to have strong women in my life that have supported me and made me feel strong in my choices.

Diandra: Is that what you most admired about yourself?

Julia: Everything I want I go for it. I always manifest my desires with patience, even if people tell me no. I always try like, this debut record I started in 2016. I would do it in bits and pieces, and I remember people remarking on how determined I was because when I have an idea, I finish it. I am very tenacious even if takes me awhile to get to where I want to go.

For More Information Julia De Castro And To Buy La Historiadora On Click Here.