Tuesday February 14, 2023
You will only need one listen to Mine before the chorus hook gets into your system. The new track by the Western Australian-based singer-songwriter, Castle Hughes, is not just a big soaring pop ballad but a song whose melodic inventions beautifully underscore the lyric’s conceptual aims.
As Castle says about the new track, ‘I wrote this song as a homage to first love. I poured so much love and heart into Mine, exploring how it felt when I first felt the stirring of my first love. This song embodies the innocence of first love, the purity and optimism we feel as young people falling in love.
I experimented with using well-known childhood rhymes to symbolise the wholesomeness of first love, love without experience of heartbreak or failure.’ The young, award-winning artist, known for her vocalgifts and inspiring lyrics, is on point with her latest release. Yes, it’s a big ballad with moments of resplendence that would make it a perfect fit for a movie soundtrack. Still,there is a good measure of ineffable charm about it all, most notably regarding Castle’s performance and the lyric.
The overall mood of the track is infused with sophisticated pop energy, and this contrast transforms the song. The song was produced in collaboration with Simon Groves of Artisan Music. Castle comments on working with Simon on the record, ‘Together we had a vision to create an emotionally beautiful orchestral pop arrangement that stirs and moves the soul.’ Castle made her debut at the early age of sixteen with her single Moving On.
The song was nominated for the WAM Song of the Year Award in the category recognising artists between the ages of 14 and 18, and it launched her career in the music industry. And with honours such as the WAM Award for the City of Stirling Best Youth Act 2022, as well as nominations for the UK Songwriting Contest and the International Songwriting Awards – Teen category, it is abundantly evident that Castle Hughes is a star on the rise.
