Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about you….
My name is Curtis Skinner and I’m a full time singer. I sing for all ocassions mostly weddings, parties, festivals and fairs. In February last year after a career in musical theatre I was offered a position as lead vocalist for musicals on Thomson Cruise ship, but decided musical theatre was no longer a path I wanted to take and so started a solo vocal career. I love my job and am currently expanding my repertoire into different genres such as Pop, Motown, Soul, amongst others. Whilst my main passion is singing, a close second is the sea. I regularly go fishing and I love swimming, surfing and snorkelling in the summer. I also love my girlfriend, she is the best and very supportive.
How long have you been singing?
I started singing when I was about six but noone really heard me until I was ten when I sang a song written for me in the school pantomime “Sleeping Beauty” that started: “I am your handsome hero, I’m beafy, butch and strong”. To my amazement it resulted in a huge applause and surprised my mum who didn’t know I could sing. Following this, I performed in many shows around Brighton before enrolling at Mountview Academy, where I trained in Musical Theatre. This opened a lot of doors for me and led me to perform in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Joseph” and for Jamie Oliver’s food festival “The Big Feastival”. Or the short answer is 19 years.
Is there a song in your set list that is always a popular one?
I would say most requested is definitely “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra, it always gets everyone up on their feet and, at one wedding, it was requested three times in the same night. Popular for first dance songs are Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Michael Buble’s “Everything”. I love that it’s Christmas now and I get to sing some of the favourites such as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, I may even break a few out at the fair!
What are your plans and ambitions for the future?
I love travelling as it allows me to experience different cultures and one of my ambitions is to combine my work with travelling. My sister currently works in Dubai as a presenter, so that may be my first stop. I’m also really interested in exploring a wide range of different music for my own enjoyment and to cater a wider audience, maybe even writing some songs of my own.
Are you looking forward to performing at The Fairy Tale Fair on Saturday 6th December?
I always enjoy performing to an audience and The Fairy Tale Fair is no exception, especially meeting Santa (perks of the job!) and picking up something handmade for my mum, my biggest fan.
How can we find out more about you and make a booking?
You can check out my website at www.curtisskinner.org.uk where you’ll find more info about me. Email me at curtis_skinner@hotmail.co.uk, call me on 07748589751, follow me on twitter @skinnercurtis, and like me on Facebook by searching ‘Curtis Edward Skinner’.