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| Simon Curtis | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 18, 1986 Michigan, United States |
| Origin | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States |
| Genres | Electronica, 8-bit, dance-pop |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, actor, record producer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Website | www.simon-curtis.com |
Simon Curtis (born March 18, 1986[1]) is an American actor and singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma.[2] He gained fame for playing Royce Du Lac in the film Spectacular! (2009).
Curtis released his debut extended play Alter Boy [EP] in 2008 and his debut full-length studio album, 8Bit Heart on March 23, 2010, on his independent record label BoyRobot Records for free via download on his official site. On June 7, 2011, he released his second album RA (stylized as R∆, initials for "Robot Army"—a nickname for his fanbase[3]) on his label through the iTunes Store.[4] RA debuted at number 20 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[5][not in citation given]
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[edit] Early life
Simon Curtis was born in the state of Michigan, United States, and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[6] At the age of ten, he was diagnosed with leukemia.[7][8] Curtis earned a coveted role in the national tour production of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.[9]
[edit] Career
[edit] Early career: 2002–2006
Curtis won Popstar Magazine and Johnny Wright’s “Get Famous” contest,[10] was named a national top ten finalist in the “Britney Spears Samsung Superstar Tour”, was commissioned by Disney to provide a theme song for an annual Disneyland event, was named an official Oklahoma Ambassador of Music, and won the University of Tulsa Award for Outstanding Achievement in Performance.
After years of performing in at least seven professional-level operas or musicals a year, Curtis had shifted his sights to the realm of pop music. Inspired by the current pop sensations Britney Spears and *NSYNC, he decided to record his first demo. At fifteen years old, Curtis completed his first set of recordings. He encountered managers Matthew Knowles and Laila Bagge later that summer. After meeting with them and singing for them, Curtis presented the two managers with his demo, and much to his dismay, was told that although he had stage presence and charisma beyond his years, he sounded like a Broadway kid and would not be signed with that kind of sound. Taking their advice, Curtis stopped performing in musicals altogether, began the process of breaking his voice down, and started to find one of his own.
At sixteen, Curtis met local producer Jadion, who offered Curtis his business card after watching him win the Britney Spears Superstar Karaoke tour in Tulsa. A few months later, Curtis finally felt he was ready to tackle the recording studio again, this time with a fresh approach, and contacted the producer. The producer’s fresh, Swedish-pop sound pleased Curtis and they soon began the process of recording his new demo. This was Curtis' first time seeing songs he had written himself come to fruition, and he soon became addicted to the process.
A few months before his nineteenth birthday, Curtis grew weary of pursuing his dream via phone and mail, and decided to accept the invitation his producer extended to live with him and his wife who had recently moved to Los Angeles. He packed his bags and drove across the country to LA.
At 20, Curtis found his own voice in the tiny apartment recording studio with Jadion. There they began the sessions that would ultimately result in Curtis' upcoming, independent, debut album Alter Boy [EP]. Curtis and Jadion were commissioned by Disney to deliver a theme song for the annual Disneyland Resort event, Flashback, which later became a charity single benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America.
[edit] 2009–2010: Spectacular! and 8Bit Heart
Curtis made his film debut when he landed the role of Royce Du Lac on Nickelodeon's musical TV movie Spectacular! in 2009.
In late 2009, Curtis once again began to work on his musical career. He teamed up with friend producer Jeff "Jadion" Wells and in about thirteen days, he wrote and recorded 8Bit Heart. He chose to release the album for free on his official website after meeting the goal of eight thousand followers on his Twitter profile. The album was well received by the pop community and was downloaded over 150,000 times in the two weeks following its release. Curtis has managed to do all this without the help of a manager or record label. He is currently hoping to get signed very soon and is promoting his album to various music blogs. He was also recently the opening act of Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean on May 6, 2010, at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California.
[edit] 2011–present: RA
On May 16, 2011, Curtis released the first single from his second album RA (stylized as R∆) titled "Superhero" as well as a remix titled "Superhero (The Remix)" on his independent label BoyRobot Records through the iTunes Store.[11] The second single from the album, titled "Flesh", was released May 31,[12] along with a remix titled "Flesh (Future Freestyle Remix)".[13] On June 7, he released the full-length album[4] and it debuted at number 20 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[5] The music video for "Flesh" is tentatively scheduled to be released within the next few months.[14]
[edit] Discography
| Releases | ||
|---|---|---|
| ↙Studio albums | 2 | |
| ↙EPs | 1 | |
| ↙Singles | 6 | |
| ↙Music videos | 1 | |
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 8Bit Heart
|
| 2011 | R∆
|
[edit] Extended plays
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Alter Boy
|
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Delusional" | 8Bit Heart |
| "Diablo" | ||
| "8-Bit Heart" | ||
| "Beat Drop" | ||
| 2011 | "Superhero" | R∆ |
| "Flesh" |
[edit] Music videos
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "8Bit Heart"
|
8Bit Heart |
[edit] Soundtracks
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Spectacular! | Royce Du Lac | Nickelodeon |
| Television series | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Hannah Montana | Tim | "Once, Twice, Three Times Afraidy" |
[edit] References
- ^ Simon Curtis Facebook - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ My Poproks » Simon Curtis Dirrrty Pop On New Free Album 8bit Heart, “Diablo” My Popriks - March 29, 2010 - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ Anitai, Tamar. "EXCLUSIVE: Check Out Simon Curtis' New 'RA' Album Art Before It Drops Tuesday, June 7". MTV. http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2011/06/06/simon-curtis-ra-album-cover/. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ a b "R∆ by Simon Curtis". iTunes Store. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/id442416533. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ a b "Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-electronic-albums?order=gainer. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ SUNfiltered : Fresh culture daily. » Blog Archive » An interview with Simon Curtis Sundance Channel - April 20, 2010.
- ^ YouTube - Simon Curtis of SPECTACULAR!: Amazing Leukemia Speech! YouTube - February 15, 2009 - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ Inspire magazine - Simon Curtis INSPIRE Magazine - May 30, 2009 - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ Simon Curtis - Simon Curtis Pictures, Biography, Dating Pop Tower - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ boy culture: Heartbeeps: A Review of 8Bit Heart by Simon Curtis boy culture - April 5, 2010 - Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ "Superhero - Single by Simon Curtis". iTunes Store. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/superhero-single/id437499532. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ "Flesh - Single by Simon Curtis". iTunes Store. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/flesh-single/id441235652. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ "Flesh (Future Freestyle Remix) - Single by Simon Curtis". iTunes Store. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/flesh-future-freestyle-remix/id441239464. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ Ferguson, Wes (June 21, 2011). "Simon Curtis Drops the Beat From Nick Kid to Indie Music Superstar". Celebuzz. http://www.celebuzz.com/2011-06-21/simon-curtis-from-nick-kid-to-indie-music-superstar/. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
[edit] External links
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