Curtis Stigers, an award-winning singer, songwriter, and saxophonist – and perhaps best known for his string of ‘90s hits including I Wonder Why – has spoken to Headliner about his creative and artistic process, the formative blues jam sessions that lead to him becoming one of the most highly-regarded jazz singers in New York, and how he’s recorded new versions of those very hits for an upcoming 30th anniversary record...
A multi-platinum selling artist, Stigers has navigated a three decade-spanning career as a successful songwriter, and has nurtured a fierce commitment to artistic growth during that time. Yet, over the last 18 months, he has been forced to tread cautiously on unfamiliar ground.
When the lights went out on the live music industry in March 2020, Stigers found himself going from being on the road, and on the cusp of promoting a brand new album, to sitting in his kitchen with his dogs, wondering what to do with himself next.
“Among other things, I eventually created a live stream show called Songs from My Kitchen,” he tells Headliner, “which allowed me to stay in touch with my fans and promote my latest album. It also stretched me; I had to learn how to edit and how to light things, and teaching this old dog some new tricks has been fun. I didn’t make any money, but I had a great time, and I think I grew quite a bit artistically.