Curtisy: Rap breakout star performs at The Civic

Rap breakout star and Tallaght-native Curtisy, a.k.a. Gavin Curtis, is performing at The Civic Studio Theatre alongside Dubliners KiD V and S.t Jaé and Kildare-native ‘C.O.B. The Dude’ on June 15 at 7:30pm, reports Avery Lin.

After his start during lockdown in 2020, the young artist has undergone a whirlwind rise to fame.

After self-releasing his music on YouTube and SoundCloud that year, he amassed a devoted following, and since then has grown to become “your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper” according to District Magazine.

Curtisy is known for his unique pairing of avant-garde beats with slow, poetic notes: a style sometimes classified as ‘dreary rap’ according to ‘Music Industry How To’, which featured Curtisy in its 2023 list of the ‘23 Best Irish Rappers’.

The rapper has frequently collaborated with other rising talents in a similar sonic sphere to which District Magazine has referred as “the new wave of Dublin’s rap-adjacent odd-balls”.

Following his 2022 debut EP with D*mp, Curtisy teamed up with TXPE_EATER for his second EP ‘BLCKMGC*’ in March (also his collaborator for the 2021 single ‘Tobacco!’).

Last January, Curtisy formed a musical trifecta with Rory Sweeney and ‘Ahmed, with Love’ for ‘Men on a Mission’.

Featured as a ‘Track of the Day’ in Hot Press and included in All City Records’ new hip-hop compilation album ‘This Way Vol. 1’, the track was approved by Irish hip-hop royalty Kojaque who featured in a September remix of it.

Prior to his own set as one of the six selected artists, Curtisy joined Ahmed to perform the single live at the Sunday Independent’s ‘Artists Against Homelessness’ charity concert, curated and headlined by Kojaque in support of Focus Ireland at the 3Olympia Theatre in April.

The Tallaght man brings a relaxed, charismatic attitude to the stage; he first appeared at the 3Olympia in a dressing gown and flip-flops.

Reflecting his vocal’s unique leisurely pace, the vibe also complements the refreshing lack of pretence of his music and its record of spontaneous releases.

In 2022, Curtisy played at major festivals including Otherside Festival and Electric Picnic; performed and headlined at renowned Dublin venues such as The Sound House, The Workman’s Club and The Button Factory’s venue Crowbar; supported Kean Kavanagh and Emily 7; and appeared as a special guest on Alex Gough’s tour.

Last Thursday, Curtisy was one of the “six acts shifting the needle in Ireland” chosen to perform in District Magazine and Hennessy’s showcase of the ‘Future of Irish Music 2023’ at The Complex.

Alongside his hometown appearance, he will be playing at the Body & Soul Festival in Westmeath on June 17 and can also be seen at the signature festival ‘Ireland Music Week’ in Dublin in October.

On the production side of things, the auspicious artist reports a “couple of big things in the works” including but not limited to a full-length album “with a range of producers and features”.

All latest info can be found at the rapper’s instagram @itscurtisy.

Before self-releasing your music, did you make music growing up or ever consider becoming a musician?

When I was a kid, I’d often perform my own renditions of songs for my family…I never really realised it, but I’ve always been a pretty musical guy.

I don’t know if I ever thought about music as a career choice, but I knew that I loved to create and perform.

 You’ve done a lot of collaborative work so far. What has that experience been like, and what keeps you going back to it?

Being around other people that I’m inspired by helps me a lot with making music.

The artists I like to collab with often encourage me to take risks, have fun and try my best: things I might not remember to do if I were working alone.

I’ve always just been the rapper, but recently I’ve been learning to be more involved with production.

I’d love to produce a project of my own someday.

On stage, you’re known for a loose and eccentric performing style.

 Do you enjoy performing, and do you try to embody a certain personality when doing it? Performing is my favourite part of my job!

There’s nothing like sharing something that you’ve put your blood, sweat and tears into with a crowd of people and them loving it, it’s the best feeling in the world.

With me, every show is different.

I might have five guest artists or I might have none, I might change the set list mid-set depending on how the crowd is reacting.

I really just play it by ear and try to have the most fun I can.

When I’m having fun, the fans are too!

Do you gravitate to specific ideas when songwriting? What’s that process like?

A lot of my songs revolve around hardships and heartbreak – purely because the times when I’m feeling low or when I’m overthinking are the times I’m most drawn to creating.

Writing down what I’m feeling helps me to understand it, whether that’s right after writing it or after 300 listens.

Would you say that your Tallaght upbringing has influenced your music?

There’s a lot of Tallaght in my music.

I always wanted to be true to myself when recording, and you can hear that in the accent and the slang.

I’ve had great and not so great experiences growing up around here, but ultimately I love where I’m from.

What artists are you currently most inspired by?

The Ballymun-based band Bricknasty are a big inspiration for me – I’ve played a lot of gigs alongside them and they always bring the energy.

The work and thought that they put into releasing and performing music is unmatched.

I’ve also been listening to a lot of Lucki, the Chicago rapper, and loving his style of rap: small honest sentences with a sleepy delivery.

I heard him say once in an interview that ‘I treat rap like a report on life’, and that always stuck with me.

I like to tell the truth in my own music, the little truths that not everyone thinks to say.

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