KAINA

Singer/songwriter Kaina crafts reflective and welcoming tracks suited to playlists spanning bedroom pop, alternative Latin, R&B, and psychedelia. The Chicago native first surfaced in the second half of the 2010s with two EPs, then closed the decade by issuing her widely praised debut album, Next to the Sun (2019). Her second full-length, It Was a Home (2022), arrived on the respected independent imprint City Slang and broadened her reach. Deeply involved in her local scene both behind the scenes and as a collaborator, she has served as tour manager for Ravyn Lenae and appeared on Saba’s breakthrough release Care for Me.

Born to Venezuelan and Guatemalan immigrant parents, Kaina Castillo was steeped in classic soul, rock, new wave, and salsa during her upbringing, with Motown holding particular appeal. She discovered performing in elementary school through the Happiness Club, a youth group fostering positive expression via the arts. Throughout her teenage years she sang, danced, and wrote with the ensemble, appearing at venues throughout the city and twice at the White House. Her interest in poetry grew through her participation in Young Chicago Authors.

In 2014 she started a band that proved short-lived, and she later experienced isolation while studying at DePaul University, yet she simultaneously gained notice as a stage manager for live events and forged additional musical ties. Working with Andrew Bedows (Bedows) and Eddie and Iz Burns (Burns Twins), she recorded the 2016 EP Sweet Asl., which drew notice through the languid, calming cut “La Luna.” A close creative partnership with Sen Morimoto soon followed, yielding the 2017 single “Love in a Crowd” and the 2018 EP 4u, while she also contributed to projects by Morimoto, Saba, and Joseph Chilliams.

Kaina joined Sooper Records, co-founded by Morimoto, and in July 2019 delivered the full-length Next to the Sun, which she wrote and produced alongside him. Extensive press coverage helped enlarge her audience, prompting her to sign with City Slang. Her first offering for the veteran independent label came in 2021 with “Come Back as a Flower,” originally written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta for Wonder’s Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. Three further singles preceded the March 2022 arrival of It Was a Home, her sophomore album. Morimoto remained her chief collaborator on the record, which also featured contributions from Helado Negro, Sleater-Kinney, Biako, and Itai Shapira.