CASANDRA Honors Late Great Aunt on New EP ‘ISLA TRANQUILITA’
- Sarah Tan
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
CASANDRA (formerly known as Cassie Marin), the Cuban American singer, songwriter, and producer born in Miami and based in Los Angeles, dropped her new EP ISLA TRANQUILITA on May 15, available now on all streaming platforms.
The title translates to “little island of peace” in Spanish, and the meaning behind it goes back to her childhood. It’s named after a word her late great aunt Teresa used to say to her. Teresa was a Cuban immigrant who encouraged CASANDRA’s singing, creativity, and curiosity from a young age and was a steady source of comfort throughout her childhood in Miami.
Whenever young CASANDRA felt overwhelmed, Teresa would gently say “tranquilita”—a quiet reminder to pause, breathe, and find calm. The EP is a tribute to her, and CASANDRA carries that memory permanently along with a tattoo in Teresa’s honor.
Almost every song on the project holds a piece of her childhood and the healing that unfolds from it over a lifetime. The EP seals her memories in a time capsule on a small, pretty island.
The six-track project blends alt-pop, R&B, and electronic textures, pairing bright, rhythmic production with deeply personal storytelling. The result is something that sounds like it could soundtrack a trip to an open, sun-soaked paradise that also feels completely insulated and private.
Never fixed on a particular genre, CASANDRA lets the music lead. CASANDRA writes in both English and Spanish. Spanish is her first language, and she grew up surrounded by Spanish music at home, even if it took years for that influence to find its way into her own writing. Her Cuban heritage and upbringing shaped a sound that feels cinematic, expansive, and emotionally specific.
She made ISLA TRANQUILITA over the course of about two years, though the project didn’t fully take shape until 2025. During that time, she was managing an autoimmune disease she’s been living with for nearly seven years, which causes her to wake up every morning with hives and raw, dry skin that makes it uncomfortable to move. Rather than stopping or slowing her down, her creative process became a form of healing.
“It was sudden. I began creating from a place that felt like home after all these years. I had been building it inside of me and now it’s finally ready,” CASANDRA said.
She describes the project as feeling like an ocean wave of hope washing up on shimmering shores. It taught her that enjoyment is possible in patience. She’s always been a fast-paced person, but making this EP showed her the pleasure of slowing down.
CASANDRA worked on the EP alongside producer and multi-instrumentalist Jaye Locke, an LA-based musician whose sideman work—playing in support of other artists on tour and in the studio—has put him alongside Alec Benjamin, David Kushner, and Lauv.
CASANDRA and Locke first met when she moved to LA six years ago, and their working relationship has grown into something built on flow and trust. Through their collaboration, she cultivated a creative environment where the music could come together naturally, without forcing it.
The six tracks move through a range of moods while staying rooted in the EP’s central feeling of stillness and self-discovery. It opens with “TRUTH SERUM” and “PERMANENT MISTAKE,” pulling listeners in through elegant piano lines, modern beats, and electric guitar. “TRUTH SERUM” sets a meditative tone with observant, reflective lyrics, while “PERMANENT MISTAKE” leans more playful, mixing pop and R&B with melodic rap and resonant vocals.
“WANT VS NEED” is a confident, assured moment, and it’s currently CASANDRA’s personal favorite on the project. “EXPLICIT” flips that energy, pulling her into more vulnerable territory as she wrestles with temptation and the tension between feeling and restraint.
“SOLUTION” brings a tropical edge and fluid beats, a warmer contrast to the dreamier productions earlier on the EP. Finally, the title track “ISLA TRANQUILITA” arrives as a final destination, built on bright guitar strums and spirited rhythms. It’s a quiet exhale at the end of a wide-ranging project.
Rather than releasing it all at once as a full album, CASANDRA chose to bring listeners in gradually, welcoming them slowly to the island’s shores before venturing deeper together. She plans to expand it into a full album shortly after the EP run.
CASANDRA has been making music her entire life. She started learning piano at age three, began writing compositions at seven, and released her first commercial single, “Slowly,” on Spotify when she was 15.
Growing up, her family moved 15 times before she reached high school, a childhood experience that made her more comfortable alone in her room writing songs than out at parties. She was homeschooled for much of that time, which deepened her connection to her inner world early on. Music became her anchor, especially after a serious gymnastics injury at age 13 ended what had been her first dream of competing at the Olympic level.
via @cassiemarin on Instagram
She started producing her own music in 2013, a transition she pushed through despite being told by male producers she’d worked with that there was no reason for her to learn.
Having released music consistently since then, including albums Lil 5i5 (2022), mundo dulce (2023), METAPHORIA (2024), and her self-titled 2025 album CASANDRA, she has spent nearly a decade building an independent artistic path defined by emotional depth and fearless self-expression. Her music has grown alongside her listeners, many of whom have followed her through multiple chapters of her life and artistry.
With ISLA TRANQUILITA, CASANDRA begins what feels like her true era. It’s not that she’s brand new, but she’s finally stepping into who she’s always been and showing off her most authentic self.
The EP offers listeners a paradise and a new landscape to retreat into, inviting listeners to explore themselves alongside her.
What’s your personal “isla tranquilita” where you find peace? What’s your favorite track on the EP? Let us know in the comments or reach out to us on Instagram or X.
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Edited by Michelle Leung
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