CASANDRA
With the release of ISLA TRANQUILITA, CASANDRA opens the door to her most personal project yet. Inspired by family, heritage, healing, and the search for inner peace, the album is both intimate and cinematic, blending R&B, Cuban soul, alt-pop, and electronic textures. We caught up with CASANDRA to talk about the story behind the record, the memories that shaped it, and the message she hopes listeners will carry with them long after the music ends.
Photo credit: Andrey Nikolaev
Congratulations on the release of ISLA TRANQUILITA! What emotions are you experiencing as you’re finally able to share this album with the world?
I'm feeling so much! Peace!!!!! Joy!!!!! Relief!!!! Gratitude!!!!!
The title translates to “little island of peace.” Why did this feel like the perfect title for this project?
This album grew out of the need to create a home within myself. The title represented the one little piece I’ve kept with me since childhood, despite an otherwise inconsistent and ever-uprooted home dynamic.
Your late great-aunt Teresa played such an important role in inspiring this album. How did her memory guide you throughout the creative process?
The feelings she instilled in me ran through the sounds and melodies, giving shape and color to the world I wanted to create within the album.
ISLA TRANQUILITA is described as a love letter to your Cuban roots. Did working on this album help you reconnect with your heritage in new ways?
The album helped me dive deeper into my family dynamics and understand those inconsistencies more deeply. Naturally, the feeling of uprootedness was a generational cycle that I was experiencing in a different way.
You sing in both English and Spanish throughout the album. How do these two languages allow you to tell your story differently?
I don't consciously choose which language to write in, it just comes to me. Spanish was my first language, but it’s cozy and instinctual to play with both languages.
The album beautifully blends R&B, Cuban soul, alt-pop, and electronic influences. How did you find the balance between these different musical worlds?
The balance found me, to be honest. I listen and pluck from the air whatever the winds bring to my attention.
The original EP has now grown into a full-length album. What inspired you to continue expanding this universe?
It was always going to be an album. I wanted to live the entire season with it, and share that experience with the listeners
Is there one of the new tracks that feels especially meaningful or close to your heart? Why?
Track 7, "MUÑEQUITA"—it feels most meaningful because it’s a direct message in Spanish to my tia Teresa. I wrote and snuck it into the album at the very last minute.
Your music often feels incredibly cinematic. When writing ISLA TRANQUILITA, did you picture specific places, memories, or scenes?
All of the above. I was mostly drawing from memories of the ocean, as well as vacations I haven't been on yet.
Throughout the album, you explore themes of identity, grief, healing, and joy. Which of these themes was the most challenging to express?
Expressing grief and joy simultaneously was the most difficult.
You’ve been releasing music since your teenage years. Looking back, how do you feel you’ve evolved both as an artist and as a storyteller?
I still feel like a teenager! I'll always be evolving. Maybe I'll be able to answer this question in 25 years.
You’ve spoken about creating a sanctuary through your music. What do you hope listeners find when they step into the world of ISLA TRANQUILITA?
I hope they're able to find a place where they feel supported and safe to keep going.
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned while creating this album?
Patience and detachment.
If listeners could take away just one message from ISLA TRANQUILITA, what would you hope it would be?
To keep going!
What’s next for you after this release? Are there any upcoming projects or plans you’d like to share with your audience?
It’s a surprise... but I can share that there is more coming!
What advice would you give to young artists out there?
Trust yourself. You are the greatest home you’ll ever have.
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