Charlie Curtis-Beard

Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Curtis-Beard grew up attending church, where his mother played the organ and his father the drums in the church's worship band. Discouraged by his parents from listening to secular music, he was instead exposed to gospel artists, which would influence the sound and message of his music. He wrote "horrible cheesy songs" from a young age, but only began seriously pursuing music and production in high school. After high school, Curtis-Beard moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College Chicago, where he studied jazz piano and graduated in 2019. While at Columbia, he won first place at Columbia's Biggest Mouth competition, held at Metro Chicago, and was awarded a slot opening for Ella Mai at the Manifest urban arts festival. == Career ==

Prior to his social media career, Curtis-Beard had released two EPs, A.D.D.P. (2014) and Doneish (2017), and three studio albums, Childish (2016), Existentialism on Lake Shore Drive (2017), and 22 in Eden (2019). Childish, released in May 2016, was included on the Chicago Reader's "The best overlooked Chicago hip-hop of 2016" list, where writer Leor Galil wrote that the album "feels like part of the tapestry of Chicago hip-hop" and praised the album's "youthful euphoria and strong soul influence". A third EP, Rain in Pasadena, was released in December 2020 and received praise from Ones to Watch, who called it "concise, relaxing, easygoing, and a showcase of Curtis-Beard's strong lyricism". When the pandemic disrupted those plans, he joined TikTok, He found success with music- and hip hop-themed content, including rap and dance challenges, adding original verses to Super Mario soundtracks and popular TikTok sounds, rapping in asymmetrical time signatures, and promoting his music. He also became known for collaborating with other TikTok musicians. In April, he and DJ trio Cheat Codes opened for Flo Rida at the Tufts University Spring Fling music festival. and began releasing music as part of the duo "a few new friends" alongside collaborator Ramya Pothuri. In May 2025, Curtis-Beard's project from the Creator Accelerator Program, the TV series The Warehouse Phase was announced as debuting on Peacock on May 19th 2025. Curtis-Beard also confirmed the release of Chi From The Chi, a soundtrack album to accompany the series. == Artistry ==

Curtis-Beard is known for blending hip hop with elements of soul, His 2020 EP Rain in Pasadena included "Move Forward Together", a pop rap song with funk elements, and "Sunlight, Quiet, Flowers", a synthesizer-driven ballad. In reference to his musical style, Curtis-Beard has said, "I like to say I speak for the weirdos." Growing up, he listened to gospel artists like J. Moss, Fred Hammond, and Mary Mary and older R&B/soul artists like The Winans and Bryan McKnight. By college he had discovered hip hop through Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kyle, and Kanye West, and has since cited Alina Baraz, The Internet, Kaytranada, Lucky Daye, Nao, Anderson .Paak, and Saba as influences. His songs are primarily produced first with lyrics added afterward. On TikTok, Curtis-Beard's persona has been described as "relatable and sweet, like the boy-next-door", while Insider describes his musical videos as "delightful and full of slick wordplay and pop culture callbacks". He is recognized for his signature catchphrase "Oh my" and for challenging masculine social norms by wearing nail polish, a practice referenced in his single "Nails Mint Green". == Discography ==

Studio albums • Childish (2016) • Existentialism on Lake Shore Drive (2017) • 22 in Eden (2019) • Polaroids of Venice (2022) • Love in LA (2024) EPs • A.D.D.P. (2014) • Doneish (2017) • Rain in Pasadena (2020) Singles Music videos == References ==