Abhinav Bastakoti (born December 20, 1999),[1] known by his stage name Curtis Waters, is a Canadian-American musician and songwriter.[2][3] He is known for his self-produced 2020 debut single "Stunnin'".[4] He is the first Nepal-born musician to attain international success.[3]
Early life
Abhinav Bastakoti was born on December 20, 1999, in Kathmandu, Nepal. At a young age, he moved to India, before moving to Germany at the age of 4, then Calgary, Canada at the age of 10[3][5] At the age of 14, Bastakoti returned to Nepal for three months to receive his Bratabanda, a complex Hindu coming of age ceremony.[3] Around this time he downloaded FL Studio onto his laptop and started making beats.[2] Posting them online in 2017 as Frank Waters, before changing it to Curtis Waters, a homage to his two favourite artists Joy Divisions’sIan Curtis and Frank Ocean.[6] As a teenager attending Sir Winston Churchill High School[7] he struggled with depression and used music and graphic design to overcome it.[8] He would often skip school to compete in beat battles.[7] At the age of 17, he moved to Cary, North Carolina, as a result of his parents' educational pursuits.
Career
In April 2020, Waters posted a 15-second snippet of his hip hop/pop song, "Stunnin'" which became a "viral TikTok sensation."[9][8] In one month, "Stunnin'" was viewed more than two million times on YouTube.[2] In June, "Stunnin'" was ranked #3 on Rolling Stone's Breakthrough 25 Chart.[3] By July 2020, "Stunnin'" had been streamed over 35 million times on Spotify.[8]
Water's second single was "System."[9] He recorded his album Pity Party in his dorm at UNC Greensboro.[3] After production, Pity Party was re-released in October 2020.[10] One reviewer of Pity Party noted, "The throughline in these 12 disparate tracks remains Waters’ distinct point of view, simultaneously self-deprecating, sincere, and disarmingly honest."[10] On June 23, 2023, he released his sophomore album, BAD SON.[11]