Ben Affleck and J.Lo's 'Jersey Girl' daughter reinvents herself on 'Songland'
Sixteen years ago, at the height of “Bennifer” mania, a 7-year-old actress named Raquel Castro received what seemed like the showbiz break of a lifetime, when she was cast as Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s precocious daughter, Gertie Trinké, in the rom-com Jersey Girl. But, much like J.Lo and Affleck’s whirlwind tabloid romance, everything went downhill soon after. And when Castro’s acting career didn’t take off as she’d hoped, she struggled mentally and emotionally – until music saved her. “After I did Jersey Girl, I had nothing to work on, and I went through a really bad depression. When I started songwriting, honesty, it felt like this is what I’m supposed to do… It’s just, like, the only thing that makes me feel whole,” Castro explained through tears Monday, when she competed on Songland and pitched her original composition, “Wrong Places,” to two-time Grammy winner H.E.R. This wasn’t Castro’s first appearance on an NBC talent show. Way back on the very first season of The Voice, when she was 16, she reinvented herself as a pop singer and made it onto Christina Aguilera’s team. But while Aguilera and Castro seemed to bond over their similar former-child-star backstories, Castro was ultimately eliminated during the Battle Rounds. Castro has only worked sporadically in the nine years since (though she did land a recurring role on Empire Season 2 in 2015), so it was understandable that there was a lot riding on this opportunity for her. “I’ve waited years and years and years to be standing here right now,” said Castro, now age 25. “Being here on Songland gives me that confidence that I think I’ve been needing for a very, very long time.” Well, it seemed like this “Wrong Places” singer-songwriter was finally in the right place at the right time. Her twinkling, plaintive ballad (doo-woppy and girl-group-y in a Nicole Atkins throwback way) -- which Castro confessed she’d penned while “in this very vulnerable mental state” and “feeling broken” -- impressed H.E.R. and judges Ester Dean, Shane McAnally, and Ryan Tedder so much, it seemed they barely wanted to change a note. There have been past Songland episodes when contestants’ submissions have undergone such radical workshopping that they were rendered near-unrecognizable, but in this case, the episode’s usual round-two workshop almost didn’t even seem necessary. A satisfied H.E.R. told Castro, “You hit everything on the mark,” and Dean raved, “It’s a bunch of checkmarks here. I didn’t hear nothing [wrong], honey.” But the workshop round proceeded with Tedder, who was assigned to be Castro’s mentor. The OneRepublic frontman said her song was “insane” (in a good way), but did think it could benefit from a few minor chord substitutions and lyrical variations. (Castro did rely on the word “love” a little too much.) The acoustic arrangement they came up with was lovely – it reminded me of some of Amy Winehouse’s jazzy unplugged radio performances from the mid-2000s, like this one), but for the final version that Castro performed back in the judges’ deliberation room, Tedder punched up the production, big-time. The end result was pretty and lush, very Lily Allen/Natasha Bedingfield, but Castro’s melody remained intact. It sounded like a hit. Surely if Castro had performed this on The Voice Season 1, she would have made it past the Battles. H.E.R. thought “Wrong Places” was the right choice, and so, Castro won this episode. The Jersey Girl is all grow up now. “This truly feels like a new chapter in my life, and I’m just so excited to see what [H.E.R.] does with a song that I wrote from my heart, literally like I was writing in my diary,” a delighted Castro gushed.
Video Transcript
RAQUEL CASTRO: (SINGING) I've been feeling lonely. Hold me, tell me that you think I'm pretty. Show me how to love again.
- What?
- In 2004, Raquel Castro received her first big break starring as Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's precocious daughter in the rom-com "Jersey Girl." And on "Songland" Monday, the now 23-year-old songwriter is making a comeback.
RAQUEL CASTRO: After I did "Jersey Girl," I had nothing to work on, and I went through really bad depression. When I started songwriting, just honestly it felt like this is what I'm supposed to do.
- Raquel pitched her original song called "Wrong Places," which she admitted she wrote in a very vulnerable mental state in which she was feeling broken, to two-time Grammy winner H.E.R., and got a standing ovation.
H.E.R.: You definitely hit everything on the mark. I think it would more so, like, be,-- if anything, it would be to-- for me, to make it for me.
RAQUEL CASTRO: Yeah.
- Yeah.
RAQUEL CASTRO: Yeah.
- Like, it's a bunch of check marks on this thing--
H.E.R.: Yeah.
- --'cause I didn't find nothing, honey.
- While Shane McAnally compared Raquel to Lauryn Hill, it was OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder who got to workshop "Wrong Places," which fans were super happy about. And after Ryan took the song and leveled up, Raquel killed it.
RAQUEL CASTRO: (SINGING) I've been feeling lonely. Hold me, tell me that you think I'm pretty. Show me how to love again.
- In the end, H.E.R. picked Raquel as the winner, which the former child actress was thrilled about.
RAQUEL CASTRO: This truly feels just like a new chapter in my life, and I'm just so excited to see what she does with a song that I just wrote from my heart like literally like I was writing in my diary.
