Riccardo Curzi
Keyboards / Rhythm Guitar / Vocals
Biography
Many of you don’t know who I am, but some of you surely do. My story is one of success, pitfalls and a constant dosage of sheer pain. I have always known music was my one and only road in life. Operationally speaking I couldn’t muster the courage to pursue the career until later in life. I always thanked God for making me wait, though. By doing so I lived and learned how not to be pushed and pulled by a business that is unforgiving towards young, inexperienced artists. My climbing of the music business mountain started in 2010, when I moved to Canada. At that point Italy was just a joke, a pale shadow of its former classical music glory. There was no business to be done in my homeland. There still isn’t any.
I managed to move my way up in the north american scene and by 2015 I had my little empire, built around the tribute band called Absolute Journey Tribute (a tribute to Steve Perry’s band Journey). I went everywhere, did everything and lived off of music for 5 long years…
Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.
… then the hammer fell. Covid came. At that time the market for my product was almost solely concentrated around the USA. I had to thank Justin Trudeau’s crazy-spending, high taxation politics for drying up music opportunity in Canada since 2016. I also am extremely thankful for the economically effective politics of Donald Trump, who made my transition from an all Canadian business to an international sensation so profitable. For 2 long years me and my band weren’t put in the condition of making a living. Quarantine was a must when going to the USA. Exemption was given only to bands with a high volume of shows on schedule. At that time, obviously, almost no band had that volume of business, because of the crisis. By the end of 2021 all of the clientele that I built in the USA for many long years since 2013 just vanished. After all, when I started my tribute, there were 6 similar businesses in the whole of US. In 2020 there were around 60. The hole that I was forced to leave in the market was filled by other acts, eager (and legally allowed) to take my place.
I decided it was time to come home to Italy. A long period of deep depression followed. As I made peace with the fact that my life went through a hard reset and I didn’t was left with nothing, a spark reignited.
I decided I owed to myself to try again. Not only try… succeed again. I found the energy and conviction to rise when most people would have stayed down. I am now rebuilding my career brick by brick until I get back to where I was. No: until I surpass my previous successes.
I am a human of many skills. Absolute Journey was my birthchild in full: I was lead singer, band manager, booking agent, pr, graphic designer, web designer, social network curato, artistic director, costume designer and tailor. I’m glad to be able to share this new Electric Waves adventure with the world and can’t wait to meet you all at our shows.
