By Charles Gray
Having set off on a new phase of his career last year under the name of Kuill in the hope that he could re-energise his passion for music; he is now performing on prime-time TV again under the stewardship of Welsh great Sir Tom Jones.
The father-of-two said he “fell out of love” with performing after winning the BBC talent show Let It Shine in 2017, wherein he and four other young men were chosen to star in a new stage musical called ‘The Band’ featuring the music of Take That.
Musician and writer Curtis Thewlis, performing name Kuill from Morley who won reality TV show Let It Shine on BBC in 2017 and went on to perform in a musical for years now going back to recording and performing his own music. 18th May 2023
Musician and writer Curtis Thewlis, performing name Kuill from Morley who won reality TV show Let It Shine on BBC in 2017 and went on to perform in a musical for years now going back to recording and performing his own music. 18th May 2023
© (Photo: Tony Johnson)
Following the jubilation of winning he was thrust into a hectic schedule of playing “10 or 11 shows a week” for the next two-and-a-half years.
He said: “There’s definitely a point when you’re doing something that’s not you that you start asking ‘am I going to be able to be my own singer again?’
“I spent so much time doing that I fell out of love with music and stopped writing and performing.”
After taking a break through burn-out, he got back on the horse and started writing and recording his own music again last year under the name Kuill – which he said has been “incredibly liberating”.
He said: “It was a chance for a fresh start and reimagining of what I wanted to do. It allowed me to take the next step in my journey.”
It was during a show in London last year that his story came full circle, as he was picked up by a producer from ITV who said that he would be perfect for this year’s series of The Voice; the singing reality competition TV series.
He said: “It was something I had to think long and hard about. Whether I would hurt my family and what it would do to me.
“I thought ‘I might never get the opportunity to do this stuff again so what have I got to lose’.”
Curtis also said that he felt he had an upper hand having experienced the highs and lows of winning a reality TV series previously.
He also gave himself every chance to win by picking a song that he knew would strike a chord with the judge on the show that he most wanted to work with, Sir Tom Jones.
Curtis said: “I went for ‘Don’t Give Up’ by Peter Gariel and Kate Bush. I thought it would tell my story well as it’s all about changing your face and your name. It’s a real story-tellers song.”
The song had another level of significance for Curtis as it is closely associated with the men’s mental health charity Andy’s Man Club, which he has been a long-time advocate of.
He said: “Through my experience on TV shows I know what it’s like for your mental health to take its toll so this time around I wanted to make sure I had things under control.”
The audition itself sees the performers sing to the four judges while they have their backs to them and they hit a button to turn around to send them through to the next round if they like that they hear.
Curtis said: “If nobody turns for you then you have got to walk off in the darkness.”
He said he was full of “nervousness and anxiety” as he neared the end of his performance without any interest from the judges; but it was when he nailed one of his trademark high notes that Sir Tom slammed the red button to join him.
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Curtis said: “My heart was rocking and then there was that feeling of elation.
“It was really nerve wracking to put myself out there again
It will now be a few weeks before Curtis is featured on the show again in the next round. He said that in the meantime he has been soaking up as much as he can from his mentor sessions with Sir Tom.
“He was the one I wanted and he’s been great”, said Curtis. “He said he understood my voice and the story I was telling.
“It’s been one of them things that you have to remind yourself it’s really happening.”
Curtis is not stopping there as well and said he plans on releasing his second album as Kuill later this year.
