Coming to China had never been part of Ángelo Castagneto's life plans. Love, which arrived suddenly and unexpectedly, was the catalyst for everything.

An unexpected love

In 2008, while working for a shipping company, the Ecuadorian, better known by his stage name Ángelo Cast, traveled to Cape Town, South Africa for work. It was there, in that distant city thousands of kilometers from his home, that he met "a wonderful woman" from Fujian Province in southeast China. What followed was a long-distance relationship for several months until this wonderful woman, who was residing in Denmark at the time, told him she wanted to return to her homeland. "In 2009, I left my family, my food and my friends, crossed the world for love, and arrived in China," he said.

Today, Cast is an established musician, able to fully dedicate himself to what he loves most. However, the path of self-discovery was long and at times arduous. He first settled in Shanghai and devoted himself to learning Chinese. The first few months were not easy, as he faced existing personal challenges alongside the stress of adapting to a new environment, culture and language.

Fortunately, his partner—now his wife—and her Chinese family were always there to support him. Gradually, he got used to his new reality. In 2010, he began working at a Mexican restaurant and quickly became the general manager, overseeing more than 100 employees. "We were at the Mexico Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 and won the award for best Latin restaurant [in Shanghai] in 2011," he said.

Despite several positive experiences, the job was also demanding and exhausting. Therefore, the Ecuadorian decided to step aside and return to his great passion, music. He began playing at private events and mingling with musicians from both China and abroad.

Although music was an innate passion he started developing and cultivating as a child, Cast's story is quite unique. He said he comes from "a family of frustrated musicians," as his parents and siblings were always music lovers but never pursued it formally. "My father always wanted to play the piano, but for reasons related to life and circumstances, he never learned. My mother wanted to be a singer, but she only sang in the kitchen," he recalled. There were also an organ and a keyboard in his home, which Cast began playing with at the age of 4. Even so, when he was in school, the Ecuadorian never considered music as a career choice, opting instead to study business administration at university and then to work for many companies in many industries.

In 2013, after living in Shanghai for about four years, he joined a company working in the renewable energy sector.

The path to music

Despite his professional achievements, Cast continued to feel frustrated and lost. Even in his childhood and youth, emotional and physical problems were always present. The change began in April 2015. In a moment of great pain, he told himself he couldn't continue living the same way. "That's when I started learning about myself and so many wonderful things I used to reject," he said. One of the things he first learned was the power of meditation. He also delved into the realms of positive energy, neurolinguistic programming, coaching and mindfulness.

In this way, he began to let go of his old and obsolete beliefs, which allowed him to see tangible changes in his mental, physical and emotional health. Just two years later, he started giving his first personal development workshops. Then, in 2018, he began offering workshops on meditation and live music. These have been well received and have had an even greater impact that is hard to quantify in numbers or describe in words. But the ultimate goal is clear. "My focus is to help people reconnect with their inner peace and power," he said.

In addition to this important work, which draws together live music with improvisation, guided meditations and emotional management techniques, Cast is also leading several other musical projects that are enhancing his most creative and authentic sides.

At 44 years old, he has a repertoire of more than 130 original songs he has composed for films, commercials or simply for pleasure. His musical talents are showcased on streaming platforms including Netease Cloud Music, QQ Music, Spotify and YouTube.

When asked about his creative process, he honestly stated that it cannot be taught; it is something one is born with. For this reason, inspiration can come from anywhere at any time. "When I sit at the piano, an idea comes to me. When I am taking a shower, an idea comes to me. When I am walking and hearing something, ideas come to me," he explained. He takes all those ideas and shapes them into notes and melodies before they disappear.

Currently, Cast resides in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, where he moved at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. He highlighted that it is a place by the sea, peaceful and just an hour and a half from the tech boomtown Shenzhen, but considerably cheaper to live in. That year was full of inspiration and creation. "I started creating videos and online content, especially to encourage my people in Ecuador," he said. In those days of fear and uncertainty, Cast also composed the song Hope, which went viral in China and Ecuador.

Through his creative and introspective process, he has managed to move forward and reconnect with his true essence. Today, he is a man who faces life head-on and feels immense gratitude for all the opportunities he has had.

"China has opened its doors to me, and today it is my second home," he said. "I have been able to live such unique experiences that sometimes I think they have been a dream." One of these was participating in a Mid-Autumn Festival event, where he was able to share the stage with a number of world-class artists. Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese celebration for families to get together that falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, either in September or October.

Moreover, Cast is also a global communications ambassador for EyeShenzhen, a sister company of Shenzhen Daily, the official newspaper of the Shenzhen Municipal Government. Thanks to this, he has been able to closely observe the efforts by the central and local governments in promoting and supporting culture and the arts. Shenzhen regularly organizes concerts in parks and original song contests, and invites international musicians to the city to perform. "Music is the language of the soul, and keeping art alive is a key part of promoting the healthy development of the country and its citizens," he said.

Today, he spends long hours working from the comfort of his home, but what is even more important is that he has managed to align the various aspects of his life to converge into a whole. "For me, the personal and professional are one. If we have the privilege of finding and doing what we love, all energies focus in one direction," he concluded. BR

(Print Edition Title: Music Is Life)

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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