On his debut album, 2024's El Cantante del Ghetto, Ryan Castro celebrated his hometown of Medellín, Colombia, with a reggaeton flair that propelled him to the mainstream. For its follow-up, SENDÉ, the singer/songwriter is paying homage to the island he once called home, Curaçao, and the music that helped shape his sound: dancehall and reggae.
"I feel like I'm going back to my roots," Castro tells GRAMMY.com. "What I'm revisiting in this new album is that formula of music that first launched my career and that my longtime fans first got to know me for."
Castro relocated to Curaçao as a teen to be with his mother, who moved there when he was a child. Inspired and influenced by the sounds of Curaçao, he began creating his own music and uploaded his first songs to SoundCloud and YouTube nearly a decade ago, including the romantic reggae of "Morena" and the breezy "Mi Styling."
When Castro later returned to Medellín, his hometown had become the new hotbed for reggaeton thanks to the success of J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G, and Feid. As he began to lean into the genre, he infused perreo-ready hits like "Monastery" and "Jordan" with his Carribean flow from Curaçao. The former was a team-up with Feid, one of many co-signs he received from his fellow Colombian superstars — and he soon followed in their footsteps.
By the time he released El Cantante del Ghetto, Castro was a global star in his own right, racking up millions of streams and scoring chart hits around the world. Now that Castro has achieved such success, he's eager for listeners to get to know his full story, while also paying homage to Curaçao. "I want to use the moment I'm having to raise up the island that has given me so many beautiful things," he says.
With SENDÉ, Castro reconnects with the tropical rhythms of Curaçao ("Ojalá," "pa que vuelva") also incorporating elements of Afrobeats and weaving in a few expressions in local language Papiamento. His collaborations celebrate the sounds of the island as well; the explosive "EXCLUSIVA" features dancehall legend Shaggy, the hypnotic "SANKA" highlights Curaçaoan rapper Dongo, and the sensual "MENOS EL CORA" taps another Colombian with Caribbean flow, Manuel Turizo.
But Castro didn't completely ignore the reggaeton that made him a star on SENDÉ. The album features a couple of commanding reggaeton bangers: the alluring "UN TRIO" featuring Mexican singer (and frequent collaborator) Peso Pluma, and "REBECCA," which recalls the classic perreo of the 2000s.
As a whole, SENDÉ is proof that Castro's talent and success isn't bound to one genre. Thanks to his multicultural background, he's one of the most exciting and versatile artists to come out of Colombia in recent memory. With international appeal and swagger, Castro is at the forefront of Medellín's next generation of stars — and pushing the reggaeton scene into the future.
Castro caught up with GRAMMY.com about carrying the torch for Medellín, his roots in Curaçao, and his Caribbean-flavored album.
You've collaborated with the giants of Medellín like J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G, and Feid. What does their support mean to you and what's some advice that you've gotten from them?
It's really an honor for me because my career grew from watching them. I also grew up seeing them as examples to follow and hard-working people. To see the people that they are today, they've inspired me.
To have recorded with them, to have friendships with them, and to have gotten great advice from them, I can say that I'm achieving my dreams. It's because of them that I'm in the game too.
The most important advice I've received is to work hard for things, and that everything happens in due time. Don't lose hope. Everything has its process and everything happens differently for people. I'm taking everything step-by-step.
How do you feel to be following in their footsteps and representing the next generation of talent from Medellín?
I feel really good. It's an honor for me to represent my country, my city, and to represent the Latin urban music coming from it. It's a responsibility for me to keep doing things well and to keep highlighting the new talent from my country.
I'm going to keep supporting the next generation. It feels very awesome. I'm thankful to be able to represent the people who have put me on the map. In our songs, we're speaking the way people do from here, and I feel like Colombians can relate to that. We're embodying the essence and words of our people in our songs. We've created more of a Colombian identity within the music scene.
Why did you name your new album SENDÉ and what's the inspiration behind it?
I did the whole album based on my personal life and what I experienced when I lived on the island of Curaçao. That's also an important part of my life and my career. Sendé is a word from Curaçao to say that "we're good" or "we're vibing." I like that word a lot because at a moment where I was a bit sad or melancholic, that word lifted my spirits. That's why I wanted to give the album that name.
How would you describe your experience living in Curaçao and how did that help shape your album?
It was very enriching. Beyond living there with my family, my mom and my siblings, I was nourished with many different genres and a lot of Caribbean culture, which is what I've always liked. I've always loved dancehall, reggae, Afrobeats, rap, and all of that. Living on the island allowed me to get to know more of their music, their rhythm, and their flow on the island.
Living on the island nourished me culturally. The idea is to put more of Curaçao on the map and in the game. I collaborated with an artist from Curaçao named Dongo and I worked with people from there on my music videos and the production of the songs on the album. I want to use the moment I'm having to raise up the island that has given me so many beautiful things.
You're known for your reggaeton bangers. What was the experience like for you to also add dancehall and reggaeton music to the mix in this album?
The people that know me today know me more for reggaeton. Those fans since the beginning know me more for dancehall. Now these newer fans are going to get to know me for dancehall. I'm going to explain to them why I like dancehall and why I like to make music in that style. I'm going to tell them that story with this album.
There's a lot of things you can do for the commercial side of the music industry and there's also things that you do from the heart. I believe the latter means more than the numbers. What you like to do is honestly more worth it. I know that people enjoy the music more when you believe in what you're doing.
Read More: The Sonic And Cultural Evolution Of Reggaeton In 10 Songs
What did it mean for you to work with dancehall legend Shaggy on the song "EXCLUSIVA"?
That was amazing! For me to collaborate with him, a person that I admire so much, that was a dream come true.
He was a great person with a very friendly energy. That connection came through in the song, the music video, and everything. He treated me with a lot of respect and respected my work.
He continues to be an idol for me. Collaborating with Shaggy was his stamp of approval to say that what I'm doing, I'm doing it well.
Another Colombian singer with Caribbean roots is Manuel Turizo. How do you describe the experience of working with an artist that understands the vibe of your album in "MENOS EL CORA"?
Where he's from [Montería], they listen to a lot of Caribbean music. Now we've finally had the chance to join forces on one song.
Manuel is like a brother to me. Apart from what we do musically, we have a great friendship. I have a lot of respect for him and his work. Obviously, we made music because he respects my work as well. He gets along with me very well. He's a total gentleman.
You joined forces with Peso Pluma for a third time for "UN TRIO." How do you describe your chemistry with him and how do you feel to connect Colombia and Mexico through your collaborations?
He is like a brother to me. Every time I get together with him, we do something awesome. His energy since the first day I met him has always been very friendly and genuine.
Everything that we do together comes naturally. Nothing is ever forced. Every time we see each other, we're like, "Let's do this!"
I respect and admire him a lot. I really respect his work ethic. I'm grateful for the opportunity to see how his career has grown and to see the person that he is today.
He's always ready to work with me. I love Mexico and they have always supported me since my songs started coming out of Colombia. To visit Mexico and show my music and my talent there, it's always a pleasure for me. To have the respect and approval of artists from Mexico, it's very awesome.
When you collaborated with Juan Duque on the "Maria" remix, the music video featured many same-sex couples. How do you feel about the LGBTQIA+ community also connecting with you and your music?
It feels amazing. I have a lot of friends and people close to me that belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. They're like family to me. We get along very well. We're all the same as people.
I would like for everyone to be able to identify with my music. At the end of the day, music is for everyone and everyone enjoys it in their own way.
What can we expect from you this year?
I want people to want to go to the beach, to party, and to get to know me more with this new album. I want them to connect with my life story, to dance, and to dedicate these songs to their loved ones.
Aside from the album, we're going to do shows. We're going to go on tour. We're going to do some business dealings. We're going to do a lot of things. We're working hard everyday. I like for my fans to be surprised by everything that we're preparing.
What do you want to accomplish next with your music?
I want to win over more people. I want to have more fans around the world. I want to go to places that I've never been to. I want to fill bigger venues and cross borders.
I believe connecting with people is the most important thing. I want people to be able to relate with me. Maybe I'll do some things outside of music like movies. For anyone who wants to be an artist and have a career like mine, I hope that I can be an inspiration for them.