Introducing #176 - Curtis Walsh
Let us introduce you to fast-rising Irish artist Curtis Walsh, who has just released his latest offering ‘Picture Perfect’. Filled with colorful pop tones and euphoric moments throughout - it sees him pushing his music to the next level. He took a moment to talk us about his music and childhood.
Hey Curtis, how are you? So your track ‘Picture Perfect’ is out now, can you tell us what it is about?
I’m doing well, thanks. Really excited for this release ! I wrote Picture Perfect last summer 2020 when lockdown had a strong grip on all of us and I remember it being a really warm sunny day when I wrote it and all I could do was just stare out my window. It was the first time for most of us where summer 2020 was dead in a really frustrating way. So I wrote the song about a time in the future where we can be free to do what we want and act on it by living life to the fullest.
Where was the track recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process?
The song was recorded in my bedroom but I was working with an amazing producer David Turley who’s based in Australia. It was so cool to work with someone literally on the other side of the globe ! But it was all done online via zoom call which has its ups and downs compared to actually being in the studio. I think we both knew exactly where the vibe of the song needed to be while working on it so it was pretty straight forward thankfully! As for any behind the scenes stories, I guess because we were in two different parts of the world and not in an actual studio together, there are no real stories to tell. Although one interesting element to his being in Australia was that while we were working on this song, it was summertime in Australia but winter time in Ireland. So he emailed my manager one day saying he was listening to the song in the studio and it was roasting hot outside and it was giving him real summer vibes, whereas I was in Ireland and it was cold and dark outside. Mind you, I did write the song during the Irish summer 2020, so it’s kinda mad how it’s not being released almost 12 months to the week it was written originally!
You come from the wonderful city of Dublin, what are your favourite things about the city? Where is the best place to get a pint?
I love the huge dynamic of people in Dublin and even with that large population, everyone is still so friendly and not in their own bubbles. I also love how on nearly every street you can hear music either from pub gigs or buskers ! And in my opinion the best place for a pint in Dublin city is a pub called Fibber Magees.
Since your early childhood, you have immersed yourself in music, so what are your fondest childhood memories when it comes to music?
When I was really young my mother got her hands on a really old piano that had a very unique sound. I used to sit in front of it for hours messing about on the keys. My grandfather on my Dad’s side also played guitar and picked me up my first one when I was roughly 6 or 7 for Christmas one year and I’ve a very fond memory of sitting with the guitar across my lap thinking I was playing along while he played Dirty Old Town by the Pogues
What are your key influences when it comes to your music?
When I was first taking music seriously at around 14 I was really into Ed Sheeran and between my mother listening to Adele and my Dad listening to U2 a lot I feel both would have had a major impact over the years as well. But these days I’m loving all types of music, and one guy I’m crazy obsessed with is Bon Iver.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
Everything I have put out up until now I would classify as singer-songwriter / ballad type music but lately I am experimenting way more and I’m definitely going to dive head first into a lot more diverse sounds with my upcoming tracks! Picture Perfect is probably the start of that departure.