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Think of Mexican pop star Christian Castro and you'll probably see images of sighing teenagers packing his concerts and swooning at the mere sight of the 24-year-old heartthrob.
You might also get a mental picture of his mother, veteran actress and TV personality Veronica Castro. Skeptics will tell you that the young singer--who headlines the Universal Amphitheatre on Saturday--owes his splashy success more to his family ties than to his powerful voice and a style reminiscent of the more famous Luis Miguel.
Think of his last album for the BMG Latin label, "Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor" (My Life Without Your Love), and you might see all the cliches associated with the tired genre of Latin pop--from inane lyrics of idealized love to arrangements dripping with hundreds of strings.
From now on, however, you can add a new association. Think of Christian (he uses just his first name professionally) and think of Tool, the Los Angeles hard-rock group that happens to be the singer's favorite band.
Accompanied by his best friends, Christian used to follow Tool with the same kind of passion that some young girls apply to him. He's seen them in concert seven times. He even has the band's name tattooed on his back.
"I admire and respect Tool to no end," says Christian. "This group created an entirely new way of being for me," he continues. "I know from personal experience what it means to be a good fan, and I'm certainly a fan of their music."
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