Article by Christian Chagas / Photos by Lisa Marie David / Graphics by Salie Agustin
In Poblacion, Makati, weekdays are often filled with lively music and even livelier people along its streets. In Polilya, Manila Wonder, hosted by Third Culture Music + Media, provided a dynamic Wednesday night full of socialization, music, and fun!
Elevating the night was one of the event’s main acts, Curtismith, A.K.A Mito Fabie.
A really relatable artist, some LDR (prod. By CRWN), Snowflake Obsidian (prod. By Kidthrones), and No Ways (feat. Jess Connelly and CRWN). In general, his songs tackle themes such as infatuation and heartbreak (OMG! Hugots!?!??)–as seen in his most recent EP, Soully, Yours.
The guy is really talented. He has a great presence onstage (ampogi rin niya honestly huhu). Mito’s music captures ears in the international music since this December, he is set to perform in Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand.
(READ: Shed Tears to Chndtr’s Hugot-Infused Album: Habang Umuulan)
We had the chance to catch the very dashing Mito Fabie backstage after his set in Polilya. In the interview, we find out a little bit more about who Curtismith is, impromptu song-making sessions with his friends, and how Anne Curtis became a part of his name.
Q: When did you start making music?
I started writing my own music when I was around 14 years old. It was really a form of fun expression that ended up being my own therapy. I’m an only child, so I had no one to talk to and so my music was my older brother/younger brother, it was just really my outlet to express myself.
Q: How was Curtismith, your persona, born? It’s quite far from your real name, Mito Fabie. Is there a story behind the name?
When I first came out with my music, I didn’t want to show people who I was and Curtismith is such a generic name. Initially, I thought I wanted my name to be Cold Soul because I wanted my lyrics to be pure; but then I remembered Anne Curtis Smith and I remembered she was a platinum-awarded artist and it isn’t ‘cause of her music, so I thought it was ironic to call myself Curtismith and have people like my music for what it was other than how I looked or who I was.
Q: We listen to a lot of your songs. The very first material we heard was your most recent EP, Soully, Yours, and we could point out jazzy and very soulful influences, such as Drake. Were there Hip hop artists or artists in general who were very influential in your musical journey towards finding your sound?
Drake, Kid Cudi, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Frank Ocean – all of those guys are HUGE inspiration towards why I sound the way I sound and why I write the way I write.
Q: Digging in a little bit more on Soully, Yours, your most recent EP. In your opening song, Prologue (produced by Howle), a very clean-cut, concise song tackling themes such as chivalry, dealing with hate, and “being an older brother helpin’ your esteem” – would you mind giving us a background behind the song. Why start the EP with Prologue?
The whole EP of Soully, Yours is infatuation, heartbreak, trying to get over someone, and so Prologue is essentially an overview of the whole experience. (Prologue is) me trying to explain to myself why things happen the way it did; trying to come to terms with myself basically of what happened.
Q: There’s another song in the EP, No Ways featuring Jess Connelly and CRWN. How was it making the song with the two very talented artists?
Effortless. Always effortless. CRWN and I were in Davao together a couple of months ago and he made a beat. We performed in the Malagos farm and then we had two extra days, so I was like, “Yo! Let’s make a song together.” I wrote it (No Ways) and we were like, “I need Jess (Connelly) here,” It was very organic, very spontaneous, but all genuine and it captured the emotion it needed to capture.
Q: You’re set to perform in Wonderfruit in Thailand this December. What can your fans and the guests of Wonderfruit expect from Curtismith in the event?
I think Wonderfruit is actually the end of a chapter for me. I feel like there’s a lot of things I’ve learned in the last few months and I want Wonderfruit to be the end of the beginning and the beginning of something completely new in terms of my artistry. Wonderfruit is a motivation to keep pushing forward and keep progressing with my sound. It’s just a beautiful experience to express myself out of the Philippines and see how people respond to it. We’ll see.
Q: Do you have any advice to kids/teenagers/youth who also share the same passion towards creating art? What would you say to them?
(1) Don’t be afraid to fail;
(2) listen to your gut;
(3) don’t regret anything you do.
