Rosie Castano has known since she was young that music would become her career. After attending the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists before transferring schools, Castano released her debut song “lilac season” at age 18 – a milestone that solidified this path for her.
“That day after I released the first song, I was like, ‘Oh, this is the only thing I see for myself. This is my passion and my love – creating and sharing my music and art — this will be my career,” Castano said.
Since that first single, Castano has taken every step to make her passion into the professional career she always envisioned. Performing across the Twin Cities from First Avenue and 7th St. Entry, to DIY house venues and most recently at the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s “Meet at Mia: Spring Forward” event Thursday evening.
While she initially performed under her given name, she transitioned to the artist name IAMJOY last year.
The change serves as both a means of professional differentiation and a tribute to the SoundCloud handle she used during her earliest releasing days.
Alongside these professional pivots, Castano is nurturing a deeper, more personal maturation while allowing her creative identity to evolve as naturally as her personal one. The artist her audience once recognized is currently in a state of transformation – a shift she feels is strongly represented in her upcoming album, ‘What Is Getting Home?’
Castano describes her 2024 album release “SYRINGA” as the feeling of being outside on a “summery day.” During that era, her visual identity was defined by glittery makeup and fairy-princess-inspired clothing, emphasizing the bright, distinct instrumental that backed her smooth, ethereal voice.
However, her upcoming project, “What Is Getting Home?” trades the fantastical for a sense of indie sophistication both in look and sound – a style Castano has been embracing throughout last year. But, while confident in the directional sound of the new album, she admits she is still searching for its final visual identity.
“That’s something that I’m really still thinking about. I have a general idea, but there’s so much stuff out there that I want to explore,” Castano said.
No longer feeling the pressure to rush her art, she is content in allowing the budding project to mature at its natural pace.
This shift was defined during the production of her July 2025 single, “what’s a good thing?” Castano previously felt the pressure to rush her art — but she gave herself nearly eight months to finalize this track, allotting breathing room to step away, revisit the material and refine the sound into its current form.
“Having so much time and not forcing myself to finish something just for the sake of finishing, it was a very transformational thing in my creating process,” Castano said. “I realized, I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to just make five songs in the span of three months.’ I have the freedom.”
In a previous interview with the Minnesota Daily, Castano described her music as “nature pop.” While that genre still resonates in some of her music today, Castano is actively embracing a shift towards a more mature aesthetic.
To get a sense for Castano’s current performance style, I attended the “Meet at Mia: Spring Forward” event. Performing in Mia’s auditorium – an intimate space flanked by soaring ceilings and ornate columns – Castano and her band took to the stage under a wash of azure blue light that cast tall shadows against the auditorium walls.
By blending old favorites with unreleased tracks, Castano proved her embrace of transformations extends far beyond the recording studio. Her shift towards indie sophistication is just as evident in her stage presence: in the confidence she carried on stage, the grace with which she applauded her instrumentalists and the vulnerability of the stories she shared between songs.
It was a set that felt less like a rehearsed performance and more like an honest reflection of Castano’s testament to her passion and pursuit of transformation.
