The Dumfries rapper taking his first steps on tour

A 15-year-old rapper from the south of Scotland is setting off on a tour which will culminate in a gig at a venue which once hosted Lewis Capaldi.

Joseph Cursare – real name Joseph Walters – is being supported by the Dumfries Music Collective (DMC) to take some of his first steps in the industry.

The organisation, which helps young musicians, said it had been impressed by his “creative discography and unstoppable ambition”.

His three-date tour will end at The Venue in his hometown of Dumfries.

Joseph grew up in Crawley and moved to Scotland in 2017 – attending St Joseph’s College.

His love of music started to take shape after he came to Dumfries and Galloway.

“I started making music I think four or five years ago – just making beats on my phone,” he said.

“They weren’t amazing – they were quite terrible actually – and I did that for a few years.”

He also tried theatre before he turned his hand to rap.

“My first few songs weren’t amazing – people still bring them up now at school and it’s cringe to think back on,” he said.

But then, he says, things “kind of just took off” with a couple of singles and an EP which got tens of thousands of streams in a matter of days.

He describes his music as “comedic rap” with tracks including If I Give You A Pound and I Bring The Party.

Now he hopes to start building a following from the local area and grow from there.

“I’m just trying to make a name for myself a bit more locally at the moment,” he explained.

He cites his influences as the likes of Niko B and Window Kid and hopes his local tour might pave the way to perform at bigger venues in due course.

In the meantime, though, he is looking forward to his gigs in Dumfries and Galloway starting in Wigtown on 22 April, Castle Douglas on 25 April and Dumfries on 26 April.

“The Venue I’m very excited for – Lewis Capaldi’s played there,” he said.

“In my head, it’s quite a legendary venue.”

DMC director Hagen Patterson admits he stumbled across Joseph’s name by chance.

“I actually came across Joseph whilst I was putting some newspapers into the fire,” he said. “I saw this article about this young man who had gone viral with one of his tracks.

“So I stopped and read the article and went – wow, that’s quite special for someone at the age of 14 at the time. Then, coincidentally, I happened to meet his mum a few months later and then it just all kicked off from there.”

He said what struck him was the young rapper’s “dedication and his commitment to music”.

“It’s what I certainly fell in love with and it was right for the ethos of DMC to support someone like Joseph,” he said.

“There is no other artist out there like Joseph at this moment in time.”

He said the teenager was now at the point where he was ready to “refine his craft” thanks to the backing of DMC.

“We decided to just put Joseph on tour because we feel that he is ready,” he added.

Supported by the Holywood Trust and Creative Scotland, DMC says this is an exciting time for music in the town where Calvin Harris – and others – first started to learn their trade.

“All those artists started somewhere,” said Hagen.

“I believe Joseph has got the potential to become something very, very big because as I say, it’s heart and soul stuff.”