Lansing Singer Refuses to Sit 'Idol' Against
Adversity
Story by LCC Radio Reporter Sarah Spohn
22
year old Rachel Curtis began singing in the crib, making up gibberish songs her
mom still has on tape to this day. Last February, the Lansing singer-songwriter
beat out 45,000 contestants and made it to Hollywood after auditioning for
“American Idol.” Lessons learned from that experience carry with the
multi-instrumentalist today.
Influenced by Etta James, Loretta Lynn, Florence and the Machine, Alabama
Shakes, and Vance Joy, Curtis was active in choir, musicals and talent shows
throughout high school. After graduation, she formed a duo with local Lansing
musician Alex Mendenall, aptly named Rachel & Alex. “During that time,
while I was in the duo songwriting, it just became a lot more obvious that
that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Curtis said. “Rather than
just keep it in my room or sing in front of my family, I knew I wanted to
somehow get it out there.”
She began learning to play the guitar, mandolin, piano, cajon and foot
tambourine. In a short amount of time, she was playing original material in
front of audiences in bars, coffee shops and venues across the state. She
credits learning how to play multiple instruments at once from her former duo
member Alex. Curtis also performs with a band (Danny Lindstrom, Tyler Terell,
Josh Maul, Chris Muffett, Ben Nelson) which gives a whole new feel to her
performance. The addition of bandmates also brought her original music to life.
Though Curtis often sings, plays guitar and foot tambourine at the same time,
her ideas also included a larger sound she simply couldn’t play by herself.
“It’s nice to be able to collaborate with people, instead of just being alone up
on stage or in a bar,” Curtis said. “I’ve sang my whole life, but I definitely
have a lot to learn with playing guitar and learning more instruments. To be
able to play with such talented musicians, it really helps bring more creative
stuff to the table.”
Though she’s been quiet about it on social media, a recent health diagnosis also
called for the addition of helpful band members to this formerly one-woman band.
“Another struggle I do have with that, is that I have a health condition, and it
affects my joints,” Curtis said. “It’s a collagen disorder called EDS. So the
reason why it’s so important for me to have a band is because I can’t play
guitar for a long time or certain chords are really hard for my hands. It’s nice
support to have other people help me with the instruments.”
EDS is short for Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes, and is considered an invisible
illness, because many of its symptoms aren’t evident to the naked eye. “I look
fine and dandy, but I do have struggles,” Curtis said. “A lot of people ask on
social media, and I haven’t really put it out there, but that’s why I do wear
these braces on my fingers.”
With
the diagnosis has come an even more fiery passion to follow the
singer-songwriters’ dreams. Last June, her mom sent in a tape of her singing to
“American Idol.” She had auditioned once before, waiting in line at 15. This
time, the producers called her, and she auditioned via Skype a few times,
singing in front of the Executive Producers. "The whole process was surreal. You
never think that out of all those people, that you’re going to make it far,”
Curtis said. “There’s just so many talented people out there.”
She made it through, and was sent to Nashville, Tennessee at the Country Music
Hall of Fame to audition in front of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan.
“I wasn’t allowed to tell a single soul what was happening, except my family.
While I was at that audition, my family stayed there. I probably had like 10
members, because I have a huge family – my aunts, uncles, cousins, and they even
brought signs. They probably had like 10 hours of taping of me, so it’s funny I
only got like four seconds,” Curtis laughed.
When the next day of taping came, however, disaster struck. “I had to wake up at
2 a.m. I got there in LA, all day taping and interview and 10 p.m. rolls around,
and I hadn’t eaten dinner.” She headed to a nearby sandwich shop, and “then my
food poisoning kicked in. I had been up 48 hours, and I was supposed to sing
that following day. I was sick that whole day.” The TV cameras filmed the entire
thing, with suspense hanging in the rafters, to see if Rachel could pull off the
audition, after being up and sick for 48 hours. “It was very hectic, I
learned a lot. It’s probably the craziest, most valuable experience I’ve had in
my life to be that sick, and to have to perform. After watching the show for
years, and that being a dream in the back of my mind, having that happen was
crazy,” she said.
After
singing Vance Joy’s “Fire in the Flood,” Rachel’s American Idol journey ended
there.. “At that point, I was just so drained that it was really hard to give a
full performance,” Curtis said. “I wasn’t extremely happy with my performance,
but being on the Dolby Theatre Stage was amazing.”
The crash-course in the music and entertainment business ultimately proved
invaluable for the Lansing native, and she’s grateful for what it led to. “I was
thinking – what are the chances, it must be meant to be, because, what are the
odds that I would get food poisoning at one of the most important times in my
music career?” Curtis said. The biggest lesson Curtis learned from her
high-pressure, cameras rolling experience was that being vulnerable and
uncomfortable isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A month later, she got engaged to
her fiancée, and this past summer, the surprises kept on coming. She was
selected to perform with her band at Frederick Meijer Gardens, and also got to
open up for Gladys Knight, all within a month.
Her new EP, “Senses” was finally released, after having to hold it during the
“American Idol” contract, and Curtis is happy to share her original music with
the world. The release, recorded in Minneapolis, is a personal story of poetry;
a reflection of life, love, highs and lows.. “Senses kind of reflects life – you
see, you feel, you hear, you touch things,” Curtis said. “Through your own
senses, that’s how you experience life.”
For now, Curtis is happy to be a part of the Michigan music scene, having
recently sang vocals for a rap song by local artist ikeyy Austin. There’s also
plans to release a full-length record in the future. In between playing plenty
of outdoor shows and festivals, Curtis is excited to take time to look back on
her crazy ride.
“I’m really looking forward to taking the fall and the winter as a new season to
write, and kind of reflect. Things have been so busy with American Idol, Gladys
Knight, and getting engaged. I feel like a lot has happened this year, but that
calls for more music to write, as well.”