Ever since pop singer Simon Curtis set the Twitterverse on fire last year with his excellent free album 8-Bit Heart, I have been obsessed with him as a singer (in a good way, of course). What made me fall in love with Simon was that he built his fanbase the old fashion way (as old fashion as you can get with the new surge in technology) by giving his album away on his website for free, promoting it through music blogs and Twitter, and also created a whole concept around the music. His video game electro-pop was not only great to dance to, but like another singer I love Robyn, it hit you at your emotional core.
It's been a year since we've gotten new music from the 24-year-old unsigned pop act, and would you like to know that he is set to release his sophomore album, titled RΔ, later this Spring.
"I don't look at giving away the album for free as a missed opportunity for making money," says Curtis, 24, who has yet to hire a music manager or publicist. "I look at it as a really great first step, as an artist building a successful business."
Simon, who starred in the 2009 Nickelodeon movie Spectacular! explains why he decided to take the DIY approach to his career after he was approached by Sony.
"they offered me one of those really big, scary contracts that included taking my publishing for the rest of my life." I applaud the singer for taking his career in his hands instead of signing his life away to a seven-album 360 contract that may or may not give him the full support of someone at the magnitude of say, Justin Timberlake or Lady Gaga. Oh, and speaking of the latter, because Simon referenced Gaga and Britney in his music, he received the attention from people who run the fansites Gaganews.com and Gagadaily.com, which in turn got Gaga's fans interested in his music. So far his album has been downloaded over 100,000 times on his website.
Listen to a megamix of three exclusive tracks Don't Dance, Enemy, Pit of Vipers, and Laser Guns Up, from his forthcoming album RΔ. Simon will also be performing alongside Sky Ferreira, DATABOY and She's the Queen at Arjanwrites.com's Superfraiche New York showcase on April , and at EQ Live in London on May 14. Last but certainly not least, if you haven't done it yet make sure you download 8-Bit Heart by heading over to his website
EXCLUSIVE SIMON CURTIS FIRST-LISTEN: "Don't Dance," "Enemy," "Pit Of Vipers" and "Laser Guns Up." by billboard
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