Arturo Castillo, Jr. (born October 16, 1986, in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, Texas), better known as AJ Castillo, is an American singer of Mexican descent. He is a

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...

, and

Tejano music Tejano music (), also known as Tex-Mex music, is a popular music style fusing Mexican influences. Its evolution began in northern Mexico (a variation of regional Mexican music known as ). It reached a larger audience in the late 20th century ...

recording artist,

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

ist, singer, performer, and producer. His debut album, "Who I Am", was released in 2009. His second album, ''On My Way'', was released in 2010. Castillo won Best New Artist – Male at the

2010 Tejano Music Awards The Tejano Music Awards (TMA) is an accolade created by former arts teacher and musician Rudy Trevino in 1980. The accolade recognizes outstanding performers of Tejano music, a German polka-based Latin music genre recorded in Spanish or English-la ...

Personal life

Castillo is a native of Austin, Texas, and is a graduate of the

University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA or UT San Antonio) is a Public university, public research university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Established in 1969,Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig or KSig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international Fraternities and sororities in North America, fr ...

fraternity. He was introduced to the accordion by his grandfather and started playing at around the age of 10, and began his professional music career at 13 with his family band.

Career

Castillo spent several years as a studio musician. Once referred to as a "rising star" in the Tejano industry, he has recorded and performed with many of the top Tejano artists in the industry. Castillo is known for his

sound and style, and his visually customized accordions. Castillo entered the Tejano scene as a solo artist in 2009 and has brought a "fresh new attitude to

Tejano Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead ...

Music". Castillo introduced a fresh new urban/fusion sound (combining influences from

Cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

, and R&B) that expands the boundaries of accordion music and has helped to energize the Tejano scene. Castillo has released five albums. Castillo performed at the 2009 Tejano Music Awards, and in 2010 accepted his first Tejano Music Awards in 2010, winning Best New Male Artist, Best Accordion Player, and Best Emerging Artist. in 2016, the City of Austin proclaimed September 1 as AJ Castillo Day. Castillo was featured on Juan Treviño's “Siempre Es Así”, which won the 2017 Latin Grammy Award for Best Regional Song.

Band members

* AJ Castillo - Accordion and Lead Vocals * Sergio Castillo - Background Vocals * Jon Everett - Guitar and Bajo Sexto * Josh Woods - Bass * Daniel Sandoval Jr - Drums and Percussion * Arturo Castillo - Alto Sax * Alex Pulido - Trumpet and Keyboards

Discography and videography

* '' Who I Am'' (2009) - features a special guest appearance by Tejano artist Ram Herrera. * '' On My Way'' (2010) introduced Castillo's younger brother, Sergio Castillo, and features special guest appearances by Tejano artists David Lee Garza and Mark Ledesma. * ''The MixTape'' (2011) * ''Up Close and Personal'' DVD (2012) * ''The New Movement'' (2012) * ''Sin Límites'' (2014) * ''AJ Castillo LIVE from Tucson, AZ'' DVD/Blu-Ray (2016) * ''AJ Castillo'' (2018) * ''Live From Lubbock Texas'' (2020) * ''An Accordion Christmas'' EP (2020) - features a special appearance by Grammy Award Winning Contemporary Jazz/R&B artist Norman Brown.

Awards and recognition

* 2010 - Tejano Music Awards Best New Male Artist * 2010 - Tejano Academy's Best Overall Accordion Player * 2010 - Tejano Academy's Best Emerging Artist/Group * 2017 - Latin Grammy Award winning Best Regional Song “Siempre Es Así” * 2021 Premios Tejano Mundial Entertainer of the Year * 2021 Tejano All Star Music Awards Male Entertainer of the Year

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, AJ 1994 births Living people American accordionists American musicians of Mexican descent Singers from Texas Spanish-language singers of the United States Tejano pop musicians Tejano accordionists 21st-century American accordionists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male musicians Hispanic and Latino American musicians