Curtisy at Sziget 2026: “Rap music puts me on airplanes”

It’s both slightly surreal, and a glowing testament to the border-transcending strength of homegrown music right now, that you can stand on a leafy island on the Danube, in the heart of Budapest, and hear a crowd join in on an ode to Jobstown in Tallaght, Co. Dublin.

Those were the kinds of scenes that made Curtisy’s set at Sziget so special last week – with the Dublin rapper making his debut at the Hungarian festival following a run of Irish festival slots this summer (including an unforgettable guest appearance during fellow Sziget performer Natasha Bedingfield's set at Kaleidoscope).

The artist, also known as Gavin Curtis, has spent these past few years establishing himself as one of the most thrillingly original voices in alternative Irish hip-hop – releasing his Choice Prize-nominated debut album, WHAT WAS THE QUESTION, in 2024, followed by collaborative projects with producers hikii (2025’s BEAUTY IN THE BEAST) and owin (this year’s Get a Life!).

Now, after making a serious impression at ESNS back in January, garnering praise from overseas publications, and scoring a guest appearance on BBC 1Xtra with CassKid, he’s primed for a proper international breakthrough – with his Sziget performance showcasing an artist who’s not only full of hometown pride, but also universal appeal.

“We’re doing Hungarian-themed things that I coulda never dreamt up,” the rapper wrote on Instagram ahead of his set. “Sziget, have a mad set ready for yis. Rap music puts me on airplanes, thank you…”

Following his 8pm set at Sziget’s hip-hop-centred dropYard stage, he spoke to Hot Press about the thrill of bringing a taste of Tallaght to Sziget – which was attended by festival-goers from more than 110 countries.

“I didn’t think people were going to come to it!” he laughed. “I brought a couple of Jobstown words into it – even the noise on the sound machine, from DJ Cian Bolger. He’s pressing that button, for people who don’t even know what Jobstown means. And I say it at the end of a lot of songs – it’s a bit of a tic for me.

“But people don’t know that they’re helping me, a lot, through connecting with my place,” he adds. “They don’t know what they’re doing for me when they go like this [proceeds to dance] to Jobstown.”

 

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He also spoke about drawing influence from both Irish and international artists outside of hip-hop – having recently covered Fontaines D.C.’s ‘I Love You’ for a radio session.

“I’m consuming rap all the time, so when I step outside of that, and I listen to a Cranberries album or something, I’m like, ‘Oh, shit – they’re doing different music over here! I thought there was only Big L and Lil Uzi Vert!’

“Also, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, things like that. The boys always laugh at me like I don't listen to Alicia Keys. Yeah, I do listen to Alicia Keys! You can check my Spotify! Check my Apple Music!

“I’m listening to music, literally, all day, every day. I don't know if everybody does that – but AirPods in, all day, every day, I'm consuming media. I’ve also been drawing recently. Obviously I’ve always watched movies, because I talk a lot about movies in the music. But just consuming stuff, and creating stuff in different ways – it all comes back into everything.”

Stay tuned to hotpress.com for more coverage of Irish acts at Sziget 2026

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