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20 year old Nepali-Canadian artist and producer Curtis Waters has released his highly anticipated debut album, Pity Party, after a string of hit singles including his viral track Stunnin. Waters musical journey began on a trip to Nepal in 2014, the musician downloaded FL Studio on his laptop and began to create his own music. Upon his families move to North Carolina, US, he began to focus more on his music in the hopes of making it in the industry.
Fast forward to present day and his debut single, which features Harm Franklin, has over 380 million global streams. The song became popular on social media platform Tik Tok, where it is featured in over 533K user-generated videos. Waters is the fastest independent artist ever to have been added to Spotify’s ’Today’s Top Hits’ playlist, breaking the record in just 29 days.
Opening with the self-reflective and pensive, Shoe Laces, Waters ponders the future and sets the tone for the vast exploration of the human psyche that is to follow. Bringing in some invigorating guitars and booming percussive patterns on Freckles, a track of admiration for another who throughout their own battles, still maintains a sense of hope and happiness.
The record came to fruition whilst the singer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Capturing the multi-faceted emotions the singer faces, the record encapsulates feelings such as love, hope, depression, honesty and feeling carefree. On The Feelings Tend To Stay The Same, Waters navigates life as a young adult in the modern world, whilst also referencing his own mental health struggles, managing his bi-polar disorder. The track also serves as a thank you and an apology letter to Waters’ college friend, whom he shared a relationship with. Better serves as a juxtaposition to The Feelings Tend To Stay The Same, with the singer hoping for improvement within his mental space in hopes to retain a fleeting relationship. Title track Pity Party, shows a more self-deprecating side to the singer, highlighting his own self-doubt. On Subaru, Waters reflects on all these themes, tying them all together in the one song.
With offers rolling in from a number of record labels, Curtis opted to sign a license deal with BMG, leaving the musician with 100 percent control of his music. The track System, references and took inspiration from Waters’ experience feeling like a commodity to record labels, whilst also personifying the anger he experienced after the death of George Floyd, and the global uproar and movement that followed.
On 6pills, Lobby Boy and Toxic, the musician forms a trilogy of tracks that navigate substance abuse and the sometimes toxicity of relationships. Lobby Boy, which features a verse from Harm Franklin, is one of three collaborations on the record. The electrifying Mistakes on which Waters and Renzo Suburbn recall on past mistakes within a relationship, making tongue-in-cheek wild statements from a place of hurt, before admitting they miss their ex-partners. Closing the record with his smash hit Stunnin, his second collaboration with Harm Franklin, Waters ends the record on a high.
Written and produced completely by the 20-year-old musician, Waters has produced an incredible rap meets alt-pop debut record set to an electro-pop soundscape. The coming of age debut is a raw and real tale of the struggles of mental health, with hope for a brighter, more carefree future. Perfectly encapsulating post-adolescent feelings with a somewhat bedroom-pop vibe, there are moments of tenderness, hurt, angst, admiration, love, anger and hope. The ultimate rollercoaster of emotions. There is a candid quality to the singers rapping and vocal performances, lyrically inviting listeners into his world and allowing them to view all the pieces that make up Curtis Waters. Waters has successfully navigated the terrain of finding fame as a viral hitmaker, to producing a memorable body of work.
4/5
Pity Party is out now!