AMERICAN IDOL's Jason Castro Comes To B&B, Part One

Atlantic recording artist Jason Castro guest stars on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, Thursday, July 29 and Friday, July 30, on the CBS Television Network.  Castro, third runner-up on the seventh season of "American Idol," will perform "Love Uncompromised" off his recently released self-titled debut album.  This busy and rising artist took some time to speak with We Love Soaps about his appearance on B&B, overcoming fear, and giving back to humanity.  Please enjoy!

We Love Soaps: Tell me about your background.
Jason Castro: I was born in Dallas, Texas.  I grew up in a musical family. My dad and grandfather all played guitar and sang.  But I grew up playing drums.  I was kind of shy and I didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing because they already did it real good.  The drums were nice because I could just sit back.  I started playing guitar and singing when I got to college.  I was obsessed with music so I decided I wanted to learn how to sing a song, just for myself.  It started as nothing more than a hobby.  But then I developed a love for song writing.  And that led to what I’m doing now.  I love to get up and tell a story. 

We Love Soaps: You mentioned you are shy.  Yet you went on several auditions and made it on AMERICAN IDOL.  How does a shy person get themselves to do that?
Jason Castro: I guess it’s a series of things.  I started playing drums because I was scared of being the front guy.  But I was always the kind of guy who wouldn’t tell anyone I was doing something until I was really good at it.  I never told anybody I played drums until I had been playing for three years.  Then I played a talent show and everyone was like, “Whoa!” I’ve always been very private.  The same thing with singing.  I was only doing it by myself in my room until I felt like it was good enough.  But in the first auditions, I had a lot of support from my family.  I got to the point several times where I almost walked out of the line.  I almost left.  I was thinking, “What am I doing here? There are all these great singers, I don’t really know how to sing.”  I was thinking all these things.  But then I thought, “Well then we’ll find out here if I can sing.  Let’s find out.”

We Love Soaps: So you went from someone who wouldn’t let other people hear your talent until you were completely prepared, to someone who went on a singing audition in front of millions and millions of people.
Jason Castro: Well I had performed in public about five times before the first audition.  But it was very early, and I wasn’t sure if my friends were just telling me I was good or if I was actually good.  Actually, after my first audition in the big stadium round, they said, “We’re going to let you do this round but you need to go home and work on some things.”  Especially the first audition which was a cappella.  I had never sang a cappella in my life.  For me guitar and singing were one in the same, that’s how I learned.  It was pretty scary.  I think that showed, I was a nervous wreck.  But with each round you gain more confidence you need to keep going.  If people saw that first round they would not have thought much of me.  But that gave me confidence.  The producers saw my potential.  The next audition wasn’t for a month, and I went that whole month thinking, “They saw something in me, now I just have to do it, I just have to work on it.”

We Love Soaps: Some people may have had those fears and not gone back.  How did you push yourself when you wanted to step out of line?
Jason Castro: It was definitely good having a friend.  My dad was there with me.  He was really encouraging, I’m not sure I could have done it without him.  I remember going back and forth in my mind.  From, “I’m just going to do this!” to, “What are you doing? You can’t do this.”  I guess you just have to keep pushing through if it’s something you believe in. 

We Love Soaps: You have been outspoken about your charity work and giving back to others.  What drives that commitment?
Jason Castro: I think it’s a lifestyle that I’ve grown up in.  It has a lot to do with my faith and the teachings of Jesus and giving back.  It’s really the belief that there is nothing greater than people.  I believe that everyone has something they can give up to help other people.  This is what changes the world.  This is true love—sacrificing something to give to others.  That carries through in everything I do.  Before I was doing this I would give up a lot of my time since I didn’t have a lot of money.  Now, especially being in this position, I get to help out a lot of charities and help with fundraising efforts.  This is really what brings joy to my life.  We may not all be cut out to be musicians, but we are all cut out to be life changers.  I like to spread that. 

We Love Soaps: If someone is reading this and wondering what they can do to support a charity, which one would you recommend?
Jason Castro: Right now I am the Ambassador of the Malaria No More staying alive program which is aimed toward youth, middle school and high school.  Their website is MalariaNoMore.org.  They are on a mission to end malaria by the year 2015.  Malaria is one of the leading causes of death in Africa.  A child dies every 30 seconds in Africa because of malaria.  The thing that makes you scratch your head is that it is 100% preventable and treatable.  All they need are the resources.  For a little as ten dollars, you can buy a mosquito net and protect two kids from mosquitoes that come in the middle of the night and spread malaria.  The thing I love about this charity is that it’s something we can end.  There are always going to be a lot of causes that are never going to go away.  But this is a cause that can end a problem. 

We Love Soaps: How did a shy person who plays drums by himself adjust to being recognized and screamed at by millions of people?
Jason Castro: I’m still adjusting.  The hardest part is that I can’t get away.  I can’t hide, I can’t put on a hat.  It’s definitely a challenge because I am a private person.  I am definitely outgoing and I enjoy meeting new people.  I am not used to having the attention all the time.  It’s one thing to have it on a stage, then being off stage and actually talking.  It definitely makes me uncomfortable.  But I take it one day at a time.  And every time someone recognizes me it means I have a chance to share some music with them.  I’m very grateful for that.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: Press here for Part Two in which Jason discusses his appearance on BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, life lessons learned, and directly addresses rumors about a certain plant.

Damon L. Jacobs is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist seeing individuals and couples in New York City at Mental Health Counseling & Marriage And Family Therapy Of New York. He is also the author of "Absolutely Should-less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve."