Throughout its long history, Uni High School, Cathedral Catholic’s predecessor, saw many academically, athletically, and artistically talented students, one of whom has excelled to become a popular musician. Singer and songwriter Curtis Peoples, a 2001 graduate of Uni High, pursued his own dream of performing music.

“I’ve been writing songs and playing shows longer than I haven’t,” said Curtis. “It’s just a part of who I am.” Curtis first realized his passion for music in the fifth grade while performing in his band that spanned from elementary school through his first years of college. His band played at numerous venues, such as school events, San Diego’s Epicentre, and coffee shops. Curtis even sang at church ceremonies and school sporting events.

Curtis recognized how fortunate he was to have attended Uni High School when he said, “I had some amazingly supportive teachers and advisors when I was at school. People were really in my corner to succeed in music, always. I think they knew how much I loved it, and they wanted to help build me up. That is a rare and wonderful feeling to get from the people around you, and I know how important it was in my growth and maturity.”

Curtis’ most important advice for achieving success in any profession is to never give up. “I can’t stress it enough, for any career, but especially acting or music -never give up. I always wanted to sing and write songs, and I just never let go of that dream. No matter what tried to knock me down, I just kept going.”

“If you believe in yourself, if you have that fire, then just do it – fight and push and don’t stop. Follow your instincts and work hard,” he saie

Curtis describes his music as “coffee shop/arena rock,” what he considers to be a variant of pop and rock. “I love writing songs that make people feel good, and I want to appeal to the widest group I can,” he said.

Curtis is excited to release his upcoming album, “The Fight,” having invested an enormous amount of time and effort in creating it. “Making this album was exactly what the title suggests, a ‘fight.’ It took me a while to write and record. I traveled between Nashville, New York and LA, writing and recording it.” Curtis found the creation of this album to be unique as he worked with hit artists and writers. “You learn a lot really quickly that way,” he said.

Curtis’ new single “Afraid” reflects the adventure that is growing up. Curtis hoped to depict the idea of, “facing your mistakes and shortcomings, but knowing that they won’t destroy you, that you could still find love and light in your fears.”

Curtis’ publicity reached a new level as he performed on NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly, his first network TV appearance (click here). “It was cool to get the chance to have a live show filmed, not just be in a TV studio but actually play in front of fans,” said Curtis. “Being on TV playing my songs, yeah… I’m ok with that.”

Curtis plans to perform locally in the near future. Meanwhile, students can follow him on Twitter and Instagram (@curtispeoples) for news and updates.