Jason Castro: Singer, Songwriter, and Rising Star

Jason René Castro is an American acoustic folk-pop singer-songwriter who placed fourth as a finalist on season 7 of American Idol in 2008. He is currently signed with Atlantic Records.

Jason was born on March 25, 1987 in Dallas, Texas and raised in Rowlett, Texas. His parents are Colombian and he is the first person in his family to be born in the United States, followed by younger siblings Michael and Jackeline, both of whom are singer-songwriters as well.

He attended Vernon Schrade Middle School as a child and went on to Rowlett High School where he was on his school's soccer team and an honor student. Jason was a junior majoring in Construction Science at Texas A&M University in College Station on a full academic scholarship when he auditioned for American Idol.

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Image courtesy of Jason Castro Music

Success did not come overnight for this talented singer-songwriter. Let's explore Jason's beginnings in the field of music.

Jason's grandfather was an opera singer and his father and all five of his uncles sing and play guitar. He actually started playing drums in the fifth grade and played in bands throughout high school. After graduating, he entered Texas A&M University and bought a guitar because he couldn't play drums in the dorm. At first he couldn't sing and play guitar at the same time so he looked for videos on the internet that could teach him singing and breathing techniques.

When he was in University, Jason would drive home every weekend to play shows with his band and would listen to all different types of music on the three-hour drive. That's when he fell in love with pop singer-songwriter music. Eventually, he got up the nerve to perform at local coffeehouses where he met other songwriters. During his last semester at college, he lived in a house full of musicians.

In August 2007, Jason decided to try out for American Idol when the auditions were held in Dallas. This was the start of his serious musical journey. Fans all over the world fell in love with his down-to-earth personality and more importantly, the authentic maturity and spell-binding intimacy of his voice.

He finished his Idol stint in 4th place (after Syesha Mercado, David Archuleta, and David Cook) but he has already won the hearts of many people all over the world so when the tour ended, he moved to Los Angeles and began writing songs, eventually signing a deal with Atlantic Records.

Read his entire artist bio on Jason Castro Music.

Image courtesy of Jason Castro Music, photo by Donna Michalko

"At the end of the day I don't think anything is greater than being able to serve the people around you, I find the greatest joy in helping other people and serving, anything you do for yourself what good is it at the end of the day." - Jason Castro

Image courtesy of Jason Castro Music