Charlie Curtis-Beard
Los Angeles-based rapper Charlie Curtis-Beard makes songs for the visionary. The artist decided to pursue a music career while attending Columbia College Chicago. Touted as a rising star on forums like BandCamp and Chicago Reader, Charlie made his way to Spotify in 2017 with his single “Kauai”. Since then, the musician has continued to put out music featuring his signature sound. Phenomenal beats layered with smooth harmonies and vocals separate his work from the rest of the pack. This was never more apparent than in his latest project, Rain In Pasadena, which is seemingly one of his most popular works to date. “Sunlight, Quiet, Flowers” and “I’ve Been Better, Still Alright” are standouts on the album, both surpassing over 100k Spotify streams. More recently, the artist has gotten even more attention through the help of TikTok -- his music account currently has over 250k followers! We recently spoke to the artist about his experiences in the music industry, his TikTok influence, and more!
Hey Charlie! How did you get started making music?
Hey! I’m pretty sure the first Sunday my mom could take me to church, she did. I was raised in a church, so basically I was always surrounded by music. My mom played the organ and my dad played the drums, and my sibling would be in the pews dancing and singing along. I come from a very musical family and it’s just always been in my blood. I was always writing horrible cheesy songs but I didn’t really start making serious music and producing until high school. By my senior year when it was time to choose a college, I knew that I wanted to go to art school and study music and make it a permanent part of my life.
You have such a cool style. Who are some of the artists that have influenced this sound?
I grew up listening to Gospel artists like J. Moss, Fred Hammond, and Mary Mary. I was also raised on old R&B or soul. So when artists like The Winans or Bryan McKnight would release Gospel albums, my parents would definitely always play it in the car. By the time I got to college, I was fully into rap. Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, KYLE and Kanye West really got me into rap but I think the further I dove in and discovered more artists, my sound changed. Artists like Alina Baraz, The Internet, Kaytranada, Lucky Daye, Nao, Anderson .Paak, Saba, and Tobi Lou really influence my sound today.
You made your first Spotify release three years ago. What has changed the most about your music since?
I’ve just gotten a lot better. I don’t mean it in a weird cocky way, but every aspect of my music is just genuinely better. I produce better, I write better, and I can use my voice better. And that’s not to say that any of the music back then was bad, I’m just blessed that I get to be one of those artists where you can see that they actually improved. I think the themes of struggling with identity, loneliness, or love have stuck around but overall I think the sound has just improved.
Walk us through your typical songwriting process. How does the typical Charlie Curtis-Beard track come to be?
I produce first about 90% of the time. I think I’ve made really only a couple of songs where I write the lyrics first. But I usually produce and try to write off of what the song feels like. Songwriting is really easy for me when I am writing a concept album or EP. I can kind of gear the feel of the song or the subject matter around the concept of the project. Songwriting can take anywhere from a day to months! It’s really hard for me to write two verses in one sitting because I spend a long time on my lyrics. I leave songs half finished so much and if I come back and finish writing and producing, then I know that song is going to be a good one. I think about it this way; a song that is really worth releasing if I take the time to come back and finish what I started.
Has the pandemic affected this at all?
Yeah but not in the way you think. I moved to LA right before the pandemic, so it’s not like I had a ton of places to be or people to meet anyways. The pandemic actually gave me time to sit and focus on what I really needed to get done. I put more time into social media, producing, recording, and writing. I’ve actually spent more time on music during the pandemic than any other point in my life and I’ve probably seen the most growth during it too. I’m excited for it to be over so I can start meeting fans and performing at shows, but I’m grateful for the time that I had to really focus on my art 100%.
You are a part of a rare but growing niche of artists to find viral success on TikTok. How did you get started on the app?
I am and it’s such a blessing! I started TikTok during the pandemic. My initial goal, when I moved to LA, was to be a people person and make connections in the industry. When the pandemic absolutely destroyed any hope of that plan, I turned to TikTok. I really didn’t know what to expect when I started it. But in high school I had about 60,000 followers on Vine and figured that the app was similar and I could probably get around that number of followers again. It really started as more of a joke and I just posted anything without a really clear voice. I just made random content. But then my first music post blew up, then another one, and another one. And now I have hundreds of thousands of people following me. Oops.
What has this experience been like for you?
It’s a double edged sword at times. It’s honestly one of the best things I’ve accomplished and I’m so proud of myself. I have people reaching out to let me know how much they love my music or my videos, I have seen growth on all of my other platforms, and I’m really just overwhelmed by the love from the little community of supporters I have. Because of TikTok I’ve been able to write, and produce almost every day. I’ve really honed in on my skill and can see I’ve gotten much better. However, I think my idea of perfection has gotten worse. I feel like I have a larger group of people to please and more people are expecting me to do well, so I push myself even harder. It’s stressful being a content creator because a lot of your eggs go into a very fickle basket and there’s no telling if it’s going to pan out or not. But when I turn to my supporters I feel like I can accomplish anything. Like I said; a blessing and a curse.
What can we find you doing on your day off?
What’s that? I’m kidding… sort of. I mean I’m doing music stuff almost every day, and I push myself because I want it more than anything. If I have free time I’ll play video games for an hour or two, or I’ll watch some shows, or I’ll try to go on a run most mornings. But I’m usually in my studio working. That’s just the way it has to be right now.
What is the biggest difference between Nebraska and Los Angeles? Where would you rather live and why?
I’d honestly rather live in Chicago. Chicago is where I went for college (Columbia College Chicago) and it has always felt like home to me. I still really feel like I don’t know LA that well since I don’t ever really leave home. The big cities are way different than Nebraska of course, you aren’t running into people from high school all the time, people are just more open-minded, and there are a lot more places to go if you wanna do something fun. But the thing I like about Los Angeles is that it really feels like you can get swept off your feet by the city at any time. There were already some pretty cool things I’ve experienced here in the short time that I’ve been here. There are real people here with real connections and can help you achieve your dreams, or just give you a really great story. I think that LA is going to win me over but it hasn’t yet. I still love Chicago the most.
Lastly, what's next for Charlie Curtis-Beard?
There is a ton to be excited for right now! I have new management and we have my new EP, Rain in Pasadena, coming out on December 9th! We’re doing another project together even after that. I’m still growing on social media and I’m really excited to see where that road takes me. One thing I love about being an artist is that you never really know where your life is going to be in the next couple of years. I mean I’m still in my young 20s and don’t really know what to expect and that’s exciting for me (at least right now.) So in long-terms; I don’t really know. But for now I just focus on that next song, that next project and what’s directly ahead of me and see where it takes me.
