Featured Artist of the Month        
  Castella

Castella hit the music scene in April 2020 with the release of her original tune No Ordinary Love. Hailing from Long Beach, California, Castella has sang her entire life. Castella's family and friends know her as Cathy Rebecca Crowell-Thompson - wife, mother of 3 and Human Resources (HR) Executive. In the latter part of her career in HR, she was inspired to tap into the creative side of her brain by mentor and writing partner, Darryl Swann. Unknowing to Castella, this little project would turn into the fulfillment of unrealized dreams of sharing her gifts with the world and being her saving grace after losing her HR position just weeks after the release of her EP. Castella released her first EP -Thinking About You, produced by Corey Stampley, in late 2019. She released her first single from that EP "No Ordinary Love"in April 2020. This tune reached #24 on the Smooth Jazz Charts and garnered her a"Breakout Artist of 2020"Nomination by Smooth Jazz Network, an original iHeartRadio station. She then decided to make another record and release it on her birthday as a gift to herself. During the pandemic, she met producer Jeff Canady. Along with Jeff, they pushed out two amazing records,"Let Me Love You" and "Sleigh Ride"! "Let Me Love You" reached #33 on the smooth jazz charts and rose to #5 on the Urban charts and rose to #1 on the Black Planet Radio chart in Italy. Sleigh Riderose to #6 on the smooth jazz Holiday Chart. Castella's work on "Let Me Love You" garnered her nominations for the"President's Award","New Comer of the Year"and"Best Female Artist of 2020"as well as being named "Artist of the Year" by the Central Standard Time Show on stlsmoothjazz.com. and she has the hardware to show it! Ever true to her work and trusting her heart, Castella decided to reach back into her pocket and release her tune Mojito from her debut EP.