Rudy Currence Rides the Wave of Popularity as a Gospel Recording Artist

Rudy Currence considers himself an everyday PK: a preacher’s child.

Church shaped the Rock Hill native’s experience, fueling the message of his music. He spent countless hours at their home church, New Mt Olivet AME Zion Church, and met with the congregation at Souls For Christ Church, where his father, Reverend Ruperd G. Currence preaches. Jr ..

“Both churches have had a significant impact in my life,” Currence said. “My brother [whose stage name is Mykal Star] and I grew up playing and singing in church.

Currence’s parents surrounded him with music while growing up. His father was a Prince fan and his mother, Patricia, loved Michael Jackson and Motown. They introduced their children to the Carpenters and Bee Gees, exposing them to a variety of sounds.

“The beautiful thing about my parents is that even though we grew up in a religious home – a faith-based home – they were just music lovers,” Currence said.

Patricia would take the family to local events, which led to the kids singing the national anthem during the Charlotte Hornets games. They would later compete and win in “Showtime at the Apollo”, the television show hosted by Steve Harvey at the Apollo Theater in New York.

“That’s all before I graduated from high school,” said Currence, a Northwestern High School alumnus. “With that kind of training, then majoring in classical music at Furman University – I was a classical piano and classical vocal scholar – which stretched me even more, I’m just grateful to have been exposed and to have had a chance to glean in so many musical genres. When someone asks me what my style is, it’s really the culmination of all the life experiences and musical experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have.

“I don’t really classify myself as a thing. I’m just an everyday PK, musician, singer, songwriter from the Carolinas.

Although he doesn’t claim a single genre, Currence has been recognized for his gospel music. The Grammy and Dove-winning artist’s single, “I Belong Here,” won Billboard Gospel’s first song for two consecutive weeks earlier this year. He wrote the song several years ago to remind God that there is a place for him in the world and in the music industry. “I Belong Here” was released in May 2020 at the height of the pandemic and days before civil unrest swept across the nation in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“I didn’t realize when I wrote the song how timely the post would be for the season we were all going to be entering, due to the global pandemic,” Currence said. “People suffered from depression and anxiety because they were sheltering in place. They felt alone. They felt isolated. People were losing loved ones [and] face financial difficulties. We witnessed civil unrest. “At that point, everyone needed to remember that they held a special place in this world and that no matter what they were going through, we are not alone – that you belong to here. I belong here. We have a place in this world.

Star produced Currence’s latest radio single, “Testimony,” which earned Billboard Top 20 recognition on the gospel charts.

Currence also released four other singles in 2020: “#Hope”, “#Hope remix with David Banner” and “O Holy Night” with Korean artist Jae Jin. He plans to release an album, “Stained Glass Windows”, in the second or third quarter of 2021 in homage to the gospel singers who came before him.

“The concept is to grow in the church, it’s easy for people who are part of the faith community to somehow forget that we are the church – we are the body of Christ,” Currence said. “As believers, we should go out into the world and preach hope and spread love the same way Christ did, the same way we believe God is love.

“I hope this album doesn’t turn into something that alienates anyone, but really is something that encourages everyone, no matter what lifestyle you’re from, just to be the best of yourself and to love each other. ”

On the Net:
http://rudycurrence.com

comments