SEASON meets: Rain Castillo, first-generation Filipina Scouser and die-hard Liverpool FC fan, on breaking boundaries in music and football
Words Cady Siregar
Hey Rain Castillo!
‘I love your accent!’ Rain Castillo immediately exclaims in her thick Scouse twang the moment I introduce myself during our Zoom call. We’ve been brought together because our club Liverpool FC has joined forces with Converse to redefine the world of football fandom by championing creativity and diversity and connecting with new audiences in an exciting new campaign. My own accent is familiar: I am one of many first-generation Indonesian-American living in Brooklyn, New York.
A Liverpool-based musician and songwriter who reached the semi-finals in the most recent season of The Voice UK, Castillo’s story is entirely unique and completely refreshing. She’s a Filipina Scouser, and will.i.am remarked that she might be the first-ever. Born in Manila to Filipino parents working as nurses, the family moved to Merseyside when Castillo was two years old –– and has lived there ever since. ‘It’s why I sound like this!’ she says, laughing.
Castillo is one of five Liverpool FC (LFC) supporters featured in Converse’s ‘Creating from the Ground Up’ initiative. As two progressive global brands with long and proud histories of celebrating creativity, this Converse and LFC’s partnership specifically shines a light on passionate young supporters who are changing perceptions of what it means to be a fan. And the synergy with SEASON zine’s storytelling since 2016 is undeniable. ‘Being a Liverpool fan… it's crazy because it’s just embedded in you,’ she tells me. ‘Every weekend or whenever a match is on, it's always like, “What are you or we doing for the match? Or like, where are you tonight? Why are we not doing anything?”’
The five Converse x LFC creative ambassadors. Clockwise: Sterling Rose Kelly, Rubi Deschamps, Dayzy, Roopa Vyas, and Rain Castillo.
Even though she's yet to watch a game live at Anfield, Castillo is part of a die-hard new generation reasserting the fact that the majority of Liverpool fans that don’t attend games on a weekly basis are still as passionate as the ones who do. ‘Being a Red doesn’t just mean wearing a jersey or standing on the terraces,’ adds Steven Bramble, VP/GM Converse Western Europe. ‘It’s about expressing yourself and your love of football in whatever way you want.’
Castillo’s creativity shapes her commitment to the Reds. Rising through the close-knit music community in Liverpool, Castillo incorporates her ardent LFC fandom and her love for her city into her songwriting ethos, playing local gigs with like-minded Scousers. Her parents were both dancers and Castillo has been passionate about music since she was a toddler, her soulful voice influenced by the jazz she was introduced to. Inspired by the likes of SZA and Kehlani, Castillo puts her own stirring touches to her original music: intimate, acoustic guitar-based songs with strong melodies that show off her vocals.
Also drawn to the guitar and piano from an early age –– ‘I’m from the Philippines, after all, I feel like it’s in our genes, it’s genetic,’ says Castillo –– her traditional Asian parents would have preferred her to take a more traditional route studying, say maths, engineering, or nursing which she did study. ‘I wasn’t allowed to do music unless I finished school,’ she explains. ‘Eventually, I ended up leaving uni, and I spiralled because all I wanted to do was music. I just started off with normal gigs, doing little covers in pubs.’
“When do we get to see a Filipino face [in a campaign like this]? Never.”
From there, Castillo started to get noticed. Spurred on by the encouragement of her community and gaining confidence in her increasing abilities as a musician and performer, Castillo enrolled in season 11 of The Voice UK. She blew the judges away with her powerhouse vocals and a particularly standout rendition of Simmer by Mahalia ft Burna Boy. ‘My family back in Manila are so, so proud,’ beams the musician. ‘They were the first people to know [about me joining The Voice UK] before I could tell anyone else.’ Her journey to true musicianship hasn’t been straightforward but her family feels it’s been her destiny all along. ‘They knew I was gonna start with nursing, but now I have family members who are like, “She was always gonna do this”,’ she adds. ‘It’s really, really nice that I’ve got genuine support and I’m not being asked to go back to school.’
As part of this Converse x LFC campaign, Castillo is set to have her face emblazoned on large displays and storefronts, something she never thought imaginable growing up. ‘When do we get to see a Filipino face [in a campaign like this]? Never,’ she says incredulously. I can recall the first time I went to Anfield as a teenager so clearly, feeling so anxious and out of place not just as an Asian person, but as an American foreigner. I have such a vivid memory of taking my place on the Main Stand with my mother, feeling that my brown skin stood out amongst the sea of Scousers. So now, thanks to Rain's increased visibility and creativity, other young Asian women will hopefully feel a little more at home at the altar of the club they worship.
LFC players and fans. Left to right: Andy Robertson, Dayzy, Leanne Kiernan, Rubi Deschamps, Fabio Carvalho, Rain Castillo, Sterling Rose Kelly, Shanice van de Sanden, Roopa Vyas, and Taylor Hinds.
Castillo joins Sterling Rose Kelly, Dayzy, Rubi Deschamps, and Roopa Vyas in this Converse class of creative ambassadors. For Castillo who has spent most of her life following Liverpool FC and her favourite players – currently Taylor Hinds, SEASON zine issue 10 cover star Shanice van de Sanden, Andy Robertson, and Trent Alexander-Arnold (‘We’ve gotta stay loyal to our Scousers, don’t we?’ she says) – but was never able to see her own self reflected in the team she loves, it is the honour of a lifetime. ‘It’s nice to be chosen for once,’ the musican says. ’I thought it would be just the lads or the pretty blonde girl with blue eyes. I'm proud of my skin and where I'm from. I'm just so made up.’
‘It was a confidence boost because, even since I was little, my mates have always called me one of the funny kids,’ Castillo continues. ‘I was always the one who stood out, ‘cause I'm gonna stand out. I'm in a group of white girls! The fact that I'm getting chosen to speak for Liverpool FC… I never thought that would happen in a million years.’ She describes the photo shoot as one of the ‘most fun’ shoots she’s ever been a part of, namely because of the diversity of its participants. The creativity of the Converse x Liverpool FC campaign was clear to see, and the energy of their creative ambassadors stood out on set. ‘I think that’s why the pictures look so good because it’s genuine emotion and laughs and smiles!’ Castillo remembers.
As for the Converse x Liverpool FC collection itself, the musician names the Converse x LFC Run Star Hike shoes as her personal favourite from the drop –– ‘They’re unreal, ’she says –– as well as the Converse x LFC varsity jacket and the line’s green shorts. ‘My style is very street, a bit mis-matchy, so that’s why I love the collection,’ says Castillo. ‘I wear a lot of jeans, joggers, even cargos with a little top. I like a lot of accessories –– I’m doing more bracelets, chains, earrings, and I’m starting to find a few rings to wear.’
Rain Castillo wearing the Converse x Liverpool FC collection.
Castillo also refuses to box herself in musically. While her soulful voice might make her an obvious candidate for Frank Sinatra or Whitney Houston-type ballads, she’s more interested in seeing how far she can push her love of R&B and its boundaries. Listing Kehlani, Summer Walker, Jazmine Sullivan, Cleo Sol, and Jhené Aiko as other artists that she fangirls, Castillo is determined to embrace a more crossover, neo-soul sound that combines elements of hip-hop and Afrobeats with her guitar-playing.
‘SZA is amazing. She’s more of a songwriter than an R&B artist, and this is why I really want to go more into songwriting –– I just love her melodies and flows!’ she raves. Castillo also takes cues from accomplished songwriter and guitarist H.E.R. ‘She’s incredible. Do you know that she was signed when she was, like, eight? And she’s a dark-skinned Filipino, so there’s hope. She does it all. I didn’t know that she was even Filipino until she exposed herself! [Watching her means] there’s a space for girls like us.’
Images courtesy of Converse.