Local singer-songwriter Stephen Curtis talks “phase two”
In “phase two” of his life and career, Stephen Curtis has focused on experimentation and received increased radio play.
Born and raised in Edmonton, local singer-songwriter Stephen Curtis has spent the majority of his life writing and producing his own music. Starting at 12, he would “write lyrics over whatever [he] could,” borrowing from Youtube and plugging everything into GarageBand.
He began releasing that music in his late teens. But recently, Curtis has entered “phase two” of both his personal and creative life.
“I think a lot of my twenties was fuck ups and exploring and figuring things out about myself. And oftentimes not getting it right but growing and learning through it.”
In 2022 and 2023, Curtis experienced a number of major life changes, including getting sober. This period gave Curtis a significant amount of clarity about who he is and what matters to him.
“Concurrently with that, I kind of gave myself a blank slate musically.”
Finding his style as an artist involved “a lot of trial and error and experimentation,” Curtis explains
For Curtis, the process of finding his sound has been a years-long process, involving “a lot of trial and error and experimentation.”
A part of this process, Curtis emphasized, is emulation. With enough “practice and repetition you start to find your own way of doing things,” he explained.
In high school, Curtis described trying to emulate Golden Age hip-hop. This was both out of love for the genre and a lack of confidence in his singing voice.
“You don’t have to be as melodic. I think that made me feel more comfortable and confident.”
In his ongoing second phase, Curtis explained that he’s been able to “not think as much” and make creating a daily habit.
“I’ve had a higher level of commitment with it, and so I think that has accelerated my process of finding my sound. I just stopped thinking and worrying and overthinking. I just started trying everything and really just splattering paint.”
With this new phase, Curtis has also felt more comfortable opening up and being more vulnerable in his music.
“At this point I’m not at all bothered by being open in my music. In fact, it’s quite nice.”
Curtis discusses recent radio play and merits of radio for artists
This August, Curtis organized and played a show on the rooftop of local radio station CKUA. The show was split between Curtis and Firebird, an artist friend of his. Curtis liked the idea of having a show to close off the summer and the location felt fitting.
“I got a lot of support from CKUA this summer [for] my music. They played both [“Sea to Sky” and “Lemon Rind”] a lot.”
CKUA wasn’t the only radio station playing Curtis’ music this summer. His music was also on CBC Radio and he was interviewed for Provincial Playlist. The new singles even made their way to the maritimes, receiving radio play in New Brunswick. The increased attention has been validating, Curtis said.
“I don’t really feel like I need that. I’ve always made music for myself and I would make it whether people enjoyed it or not. But ultimately what I want to do is music as a career and have that be my day-to-day.”
With the increased radio play, his music also has the chance to reach more people. While the majority of people consume music through streaming, Curtis thinks that radio is still “a gateway to people listening.”
“It’s a place where your music gets put in front of people that it wouldn’t be otherwise.”
Ultimately, Curtis explained that he’s happy for people to listen to his music through any format, whether that be radio or streaming. Although, one plus of radio — it pays better.
Through streaming Curtis explained he makes “fractions of cents” off each stream. Low compensation from streaming giants like Spotify, especially for smaller artists, is a commonly raised issue. After years putting out music, streaming has amounted to around $60 for Curtis. Alternatively, one spin on CKUA paid Curtis around $16.
“Streaming is not the money maker for sure. And music really isn’t even the commodity anymore. It’s like, can you get enough people to listen and care that you can go play shows or do other things.”
Curtis releasing new single, currently working on a guitar driven album
On October 29, Curtis will release his third single of the year “Helter Alka.” Compared to his past work, “Helter Alka” leans more folk, he explained.
“It’s about release and [the] dissolving of weight, and a feeling of renewal.”
After the single is released, Curtis plans to build on the momentum from the summer. Currently he is busy applying to festivals and planning shows. He is also working on an album, due to come out sometime in 2026.
This new project is “much more on the guitar end of the spectrum.” He explained the upcoming single is meant to act as a transition between his previous work and the new album.
“It’s a more guitar driven single, more of like a singer-songwriter style single. That’s more of the sound of the project.”
