How Did Castle's Tamala Jones Prepare to Sing in "The Blue Butterfly"? She Got "Goosed" - Exclusive!

Fans still can’t stop raving about Tamala Jones’s performance of “Comes Love” as lounge singer Betsy Sinclair in Castle Season 4, Episode 14: "The Blue Butterfly," which left thoughts of her medical examiner character Dr. Lanie Parish far behind.

But Tamala told us the crooning didn’t come easy. Her secret to becoming a singing diva for the show’s 1940s episode? Grey Goose vodka!

Wetpaint Entertainment: We had no idea you could sing!

Tamala Jones: I had no idea either.

What?

I didn’t. I’m telling you. I joke around singing. I’ll sing in the shower [or] in the car driving somewhere, but I’ve never really had to go and sing a song, like seriously.

What did you do to prepare?

I did a lot of studying. I went on YouTube and looked at 1940s clips of old movies their mannerisms. I looked at clips of Billie Holiday and Lena Horne, and I just really tried to emulate who they were, singing-wise, and also in the scene. And it really made it easier for me because I’m good at imitating people. But I didn’t think I could sing that well. When I heard it, I was like, wow.

How did the singing come about?

[Castle creator] Andrew [Marlowe] came in the hair and makeup trailer, and he did ask me, could I sing? And, of course, jokingly, I’m like, “Yeah, in the shower.” He’s like,” Well, you’re going to play a Billie Holiday-esque character in this film-noir episode we’re doing, and you’ll have to sing a song kind of like hers, not exactly Billie Holiday, but if you can get any closer to that.” 

And I was like, “OK.”

Were you confident you could pull it off?

That time to record [the song] came up very fast, and I had to go to the studio. And once I got there, I was nervous. We tried a few times, and it just wasn’t there. And I said, “No, let me do it again.” I was like, “You guys have my favorite little animal here? Because I think I need her to help me.” And they were like, “What animal?” I said “Grey Goose. If you don’t have her, go get her.” 

So they went and got me a glass of Grey Goose and cranberry, and it loosened me up. And that’s what you heard.

We heard you “goosed”?!

It was me and the Goose and Billie Holiday. And we sang, and I was satisfied with how I sounded. I was like, “Was that good?” They were like, “That’s good!” and I left. That was it.