Sometimes you can be so focused on getting the gig, swinging the deal, being a star or grabbing the center of attention, that your basic people skills go flying out the window, along with untapped potential and unexplored opportunities to engage those very things you crave at the core of your dreams.
Keys to Open Doors
There are a few often overlooked keys that can help you open doors of opportunity while also helping you build and strengthen relationships as you make connections. Many of these keys will seem obvious and absurdly simple. But, it’s amazing how often they’re overlooked or get lost in the scramble to be noticed.
As you pursue your singing success, you will interact with a lot of people that serve to protect those that are in a position to advance your career. All too often these people are brushed aside or are even looked down on by aspiring singers, singer-songwriters, and singing musicians.
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How to Become a Famous Singer
Becoming a famous singer isn’t simply a matter of an agent accidentally stumbling into your latest gig. It absolutely requires dedication and a grasp of the nature of the journey you’re about to embark on.
To be a successful singer requires quite a lot from the musician. Working on exquisite vocal technique will make your vocal performance that much stronger. It’s important to invest the time into working with a vocal coach on these matters. Even if you’re creating your own music and you write amazing songs that resonate with audiences, singing lessons can help you take your work to the next level.
Most very successful singers have had vocal coaching at some point in their lives. These lessons help with things like vocal range, tone quality, and performance opportunities, and they’re very useful for building a large repertoire at the beginning of your career.
Honoring and Encouraging Others With Your Own Songs
The first key to remember is to honor and encourage each person you meet. For example, let’s say you want to get a meeting with a particular booking agent or artist manager. But there are people that serve as gatekeepers or screeners that you have to deal with. You must remember that anyone you encounter might potentially open a door for you – maybe not right away, but somewhere down the road at a critical crossroad. One thing is for certain – they can close a door and keep it locked if you’re perceived as a threat.
When you meet with people, know that every person is important. It could be word-of-mouth that makes you take off. That being said, be active and be engaged. Oftentimes, you won’t be interesting to gatekeepers, agents, and screeners if you’re not active on your socials and gaining listeners on Spotify. They want to see you out there, encouraging the world and gaining a following that’s loyal. A great voice isn’t the only thing you need.
Another way you can be appealing is by having a distinctive visual style early on in your career. Amazing vocal talent is only amplified by having a brand that you stick to. Gatekeepers are much more drawn to people who are consistent, rather than flighty musicians who haven’t figured out who they are yet. Find your brand, stick to it, and market it well. That’s not to say that you can’t ever try something new, but when you do, have a purpose. For example, if you want to make a music video that explores some other areas that differ from your standard, make a point to have a reason and share that reason. Being consistent shows vision, thoughtfulness, consistency, and maturity – all things that make you appealing to have on the team.
Open With Respect
So, always be friendly, open, and respectful. You don’t want a self-serving, negative attitude or some condescending behavior to be a deal breaker or something that adds an additional obstacle to block your path to success. Think of each person you meet as a potential fan or personal advocate for your artistry.
Sure, you will meet a lot of jerks and creeps and otherwise unpleasant people along the way. When you encounter any negative types, be patient, and be friendly but guarded. But whatever you do, resist any urge to feed the negative behavior by serving it up or slinging it back. Keep your cool, and move on.
Building Bridges through Conversations in the Music Industry
Find out where someone is coming from. Ask about their musical tastes and their views on what makes a performer successful. Ask about marketing trends and shifts in the industry. Ask about favorite singers, songwriters, bands, and musicians. Get as much information as you can on what people find appealing and what they would like to see more of. If you find them reluctant to talk about music, build a bridge of conversation by asking about the arts in general, media, or pop culture. Then, once they open up, subtly shift into music.
Building bridges in the musical industry is and was foundational for the most famous singers ever brought to light. To do this, it’s important to prioritize discovering other peoples’ musical tastes and perspectives. Ask open-ended questions so that they have plenty of opportunity to share. This will help you understand where they’re coming from as well as give you potential information on current performers and trends.
Explore the industry shifts by bringing up marketing strategies, technological changes and advancements, or genres that are emerging and/or falling out of favor. Always seek common ground so you can build a connection with the person you’re speaking to. Once you have some rapport established, introduce yourself as an artist. Share your music style and values while keeping the conversation inviting, encouraging others to share their thoughts and opinions.
By engaging in genuine and insightful discussions, you can build relationships of value that might lead to open doors within the music industry. It’s not only about showing off a musician who cares, it’s about becoming that person through your day-to-day actions. It’s those kinds of people that other people want to work with.
Empowering Individuals and Sharing Your Views
By asking questions about taste and perspectives, you empower the individual. It also conveys your willingness to learn, along with respect for the industry and your place in it. Share your views and talk about what you stand for as a singer, singer-songwriter, or singing musician. You don’t have to spill your guts or launch into a sales pitch. Be yourself. Keep it conversational, with your views always positioned to invite a response. In other words, say something like, “Do you ever feel that way?” or “What do you think about that?”
Sharing your views while not diminishing them is an important skill, especially for someone who is working towards becoming a professional singer. Moving within that circuit means you need to be able to hold intelligent conversations that don’t foster negative interactions. To empower individuals while sharing your views effectively, ask thought-provoking questions that generate meaningful discussions. After you ask those questions, show genuine interest in their perspectives and demonstrate your willingness to learn from their insights. This shows that you have respect for the industry and it positions you as an artist who values the many, diverse opinions of others.
When sharing your views, present them as a conversation, always inviting responses and encouraging dialogue. Avoid launching into a sales pitch or overcoming the situation with excessive amounts of self-promotion. Instead, retain an open, inviting, and conversational space where everyone’s thoughts are of equal value. If you only ever talk about yourself, it shows a lack of caring for others. Selfish people are incredibly unappealing and hard to work with, making them less likely to garner the positive opinion of gatekeepers and screeners.
By empowering individuals through meaningful conversation and being respectful when sharing your views, you can build rapport with influential people and establish yourself as an artist who not only creates incredible music but can contribute in a thoughtful and inspiring way to the music industry and community.
Give Your Spin
For example, if you talk about musical taste, ask what they think of that in terms of how it appeals to them personally and in terms of the bigger picture of its broader appeal in the market. Then, you can allude to where you fit in as far as that sense of style or appeal is concerned.
This approach with anyone will help you build rapport by learning about where they are coming from, relating to any common ground in your tastes and observations, and then introducing yourself as an artist.
Get Personal
Another obvious but often dismissed key is to get personal information. Remember to get names, a little history on where someone is from originally, how they got into the business, and even what dreams or goals they may have.
Find out about family and even get information on what they think of the area where they work or live. You can even ask them about places they’d recommend such as restaurants, shops, even things likes doctors or veterinarians, if that comes up. The point is that you find touches of info that personalize the situation and can make you and them more accessible.
Keeping Connections
If you sense that someone is shutting down, or that you may have overstepped a boundary, simply apologize. Generally speaking, this kind of small talk gives you information to build on. Something as simple as remembering somebody’s name, and then thanking them for a recommendation of a local club or restaurant, could open a door to an interview or get an introduction to a venue owner, production person, PR rep, potential band member, or an agent. If nothing else, you have a friend.
Thoughtfully Yours
Honor any personal info that is shared such as birthdays by remembering! Send a card or a text – whatever you feel is appropriate, based on the degree of familiarity. Don’t send a dozen roses to somebody you bumped into in the elevator. That would be a turn off and a clear red flag that could scream for security. But acknowledge and honor information such as names, birthdays, recommendations, and any help you receive with a sincere thank you and any other appropriate follow-up.
Turn Your Keys at SSTV
These simple keys apply to your forum postings at SSTV. Use the forums to get to know your fellow viewers. Get their spin on trends and musical tastes. Compare notes on dreams, struggles, stumbling, coaches, lessons, and triumphs. Ask for success stories on networking, performing, studio work, interviews – the more you share and the more you seek to know, the more you receive and the better prepared you will be to pursue your singing success with confidence.
Embracing the Journey Towards Success in Your Singing Career
In order to truly embrace the journey and reach success in your singing career, you will need to cultivate a collaborative and supportive community. You need to encourage others in their pursuits, offer help and support, and foster a positive environment that encourages people to thrive and grow.
Additionally, pursue your goals with confidence, knowing that your hard work and talent deserve recognition. Building a network of connections within the music industry, and nurturing relationships with professionals who can push your career to the next level, it is all incredibly useful when reaching for those intense goals that may seem far out of reach at the beginning of your odyssey.
People skills play a pivotal role in your journey. Relationships can open doors, boost careers, garner followings, and create opportunities, and negative interactions can close doors, destroy followings, and ruin careers. Treat every person you encounter as a potential supporter and advocate. Their input and contributions should be valued and considered every step of the way. By embracing the journey towards your success with a collaborative mindset, confidence, and strong relationships made stronger by openness and kindness, you can navigate the challenging landscape that makes up the music industry while maximizing your potential for achievement.
Conclusion
This article, as you may have noticed, focuses on how you can build a career by connecting with the people around you. Here are some main points we discussed:
Honor and Encourage Others: Treat every person you meet with respect and openness. We’re not only talking about gatekeepers and screeners who could open doors for your career, we’re talking about everyone. Every person is a potential member of your community and deserves your respect.
Build Bridges through Conversations: Genuine and insightful discussions with industry professionals are essential to your career. Remember to ask open-ended questions that show interest in your companion. As about their musical tastes, marketing trends, and industry shifts to help build rapport and find common ground.
Empower Individuals and Share Views: Your career isn’t only about you. Remember to engage in meaningful conversations, ask thought-provoking questions, and respect diverse opinions, and you will be seen as the contributing, kind, thoughtful artist that you are. Being a musician trying to “make it big” isn’t ever a solo act. Bring others in on your world. Encourage diversity of opinions and temperaments. You and your music will be better off for it.
Put Your Spin On It: When discussing musical taste, singers should share their own views and subtly relate them to their artistic style. This approach helps in building rapport and showcasing one’s unique identity as an artist. Being the same as everyone else may make you unobtrusive, but it also makes you beige in a world that values vibrancy.
Get Personal: Don’t feel like you always have to stay on the very surface level with those you interact with. Gathering personal information about industry professionals, such as their background, dreams, and preferences, helps personalize your interactions with them, making them feel cared about. Remembering and acknowledging these details can strengthen connections.
Keeping Connections: Sometimes, we overstep or otherwise accidentally cause offense. It’s okay, because we’re all human and everybody does it. Just go back and do what it takes to maintain that relationship. Sometimes, a simple apology can open doors wide. Additionally, remember to thank people for their time and information. Never underestimate the power of a true friend within the industry.
