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Here’s ‘Teenage Mona Lisa’ Hitmaker And TikToker Alfie Castley

Meet the TikToker-turned-hitmaker in this FreebieMNL exclusive.

Singer-songwriter Alfie Castley rose to fame after his song “Teenage Mona Lisa” went viral. FreebieMNL recently got the chance to ask him about his life and music.

This 18-year-old music student’s influences include pop-punk acts Green Day and Panic! At The Disco. Castley says he’d like to delve deeper into that sound on his next release. But he’s also a fan of pop and soft classic rock because he likes guitar-based music.

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Coldplay also inspires him. He dubs the band’s chord progressions and melodies as “incredible. “Whenever I write something and it feels like Coldplay could’ve written it, I know it’s good,” he says.

Aside from creating content and performing, Castley enjoys sports. He’s “a massive football fan” whose favorite team is Arsenal. He also plays tennis when he has the time.

On ‘Teenage Mona Lisa’

Castley says he got the idea for “Teenage Mona Lisa” while he was in the shower. He usually does the chords or melody first when he writes songs, but this time was different.

“I knew right then and there that it was a special lyric because it just popped into my head. Usually, the lyrics come to me after the melody, but it happened the other way around for that song,” he says.

Castley uses common chord progressions so everybody can relate to his melodies. “For me, a good melody is one that I can’t get out of my head. So if I come up with a melody and I end up singing it for the rest of the day, I know I have a winner,” he says.

For him, a good song comes from experience. He draws on happy and sad memories when he writes. When a song resonates with him, he knows others will be able to relate to it too.

His next steps

“Teenage Mona Lisa” was a big hit, but he’s not resting on his laurels. He doesn’t want to be a one-hit-wonder, which is why he’s already writing songs for his next album. He’s also collaborating with other artists.

“You can expect another ballad and something a bit more upbeat,” Castley teased.

He thanks his Filipino fans for their overwhelming support over the last few months. “You’ve changed my life forever. I can’t thank you enough and I can’t wait to go to the Philippines one day to meet you all.”

Featured Image Daniella Sison

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