How to be a successful music artist

The music industry is one of the most highly competitive industries in the entertainment world with numerous talented musicians springing up every day. 

It is one of the popular and lucrative industries that has been for a long time and even growing bigger owing to the happiness it bestows upon humanity. Hardly will you see anyone that doesn’t listen to music, and different people with their different preferred genres.

With the lots of grass to grace stories of successful musicians in recent years, music has been at the center of talk and attraction for most youths. However, most people who set out to start a career in music get hit on the head and quit. This is because succeeding as a musician is not just about talent but requires a series of strategic planning and execution with hard work.

So, whether you’re just starting out as a musician or you’re about to quit because of challenges, this article is for you. I will be sharing with you top 7 tips to become a successful musician. Here we go…

Top 7 tips to become a successful musician

Here are tips to become a successful music artist:

1. Be Hardworking and excellent at your craft

This is the most important fact if you want to climb the ladder of success in the music industry. You must be confident in what you do, know yourself, and nurture your talents. The fact that you sing well in the four corners of your room doesn’t mean people will immediately accept you, hence, the reason why you need to work harder.

You can do these by giving yourself more personal training in becoming a professional in your niche. Furthermore, hang around studios, read books on music, get a mentor, or even learn a musical instrument to support your music career.

What causes the downfall of some artists is that they rely solely on their talent and capacity, forgetting the fact that talents are only developed when you work hard. 

Also when you have a passion for music and work harder in achieving your aim, it makes you a person of value, and once people perceive value in what you dispense then success is inevitable.

2. Enter a music competition

Entering a music competition with other musicians in a contest is also a good way of making a name for yourself. It requires hard work and practice over several days of relentless effort. However, it will pay off if you emerge the winner. Take a chance and enroll in a well-known music competition where you battle with other contestants and know your worth.

Many Nigerian musicians have risen to the top by enrolling in music competitions, the likes of Timi Dakolo, Chidinma, Iyanya, etc. They became popular during and even after the competition. Even if you don’t end up as the winner, the experience, exposure, and popularity you get there being a participant can boost your career in the music industry.

3. Be unique in your style or performance

Let the world know you for a unique style, it can be in your dancing steps or your beats. This is a game-changer known only to a few upcoming artists. A careful look into the story of Olu maintain shows a clear influence of dancing style in moving to the top when he released the song “Yahooze.”

Many examples can be used to illustrate the power of unique style. The gospel singer Evang Ojo Ade is known to always make an illustration in his music, most especially in form of a story and that caught the attention of his audience making him the cynosure of all eyes. Other examples are Kiss Daniel in Woju, Wizkid in Azonto, etc.

4. Feature a musical star in the industry

Producing a song on your own might not give you the results you craved most time and you might get frustrated in the long run. Instead, you can feature a well-known artist in the industry. To achieve this, you have to ally with the big guys in the field first, after which you might earn a free collaboration with one of them.

If that seems difficult you can also decide to pay the price by sacrificing your cash, sweat, and time. If they ask you to bring some amount of money for collaboration, you can decide to raise the fund, who knows that single collaboration might be your shining star. 

5. Be controversial

Raise some dust in the industry by being controversial to grow your audience or fan base. The truth is, people love new and secret things, and you can use that as bait to draw attention.

It might be putting on a weird dress to an event, or making a comment that can trigger public response, the aim is to get widespread commentary and in turn, increase your audience.

6. Record a hit song

Follow the trends and research what people crave and will sell faster. Create that hit song with decent, catchy, and danceable lyrics. No music company or record label will sign you if they don’t perceive that value in you. Recording a hit song will give you exposure and make you the focal point of many music companies and record labels. With that, you can choose the one you wish to work with.

Some musicians that are in this category are Mayorkun, Peruzzi, Rema, etc they rise to stars by recording quality songs after which they got signed by good record labels. Another thing is making a quality cover song (or remix) of any trending song by a top musician. An example is Mayorkun’s cover of Davido’s song “Money” ft Olamide using a piano.

7. Get a partner and separate later on

If moving on your own is proving difficult you can consider getting a partner to move along with. Two heads are better than one, however, in selecting a partner ensure it is someone with the same mind and vision as you. Sometimes, one’s success is tied to another person. Typical examples are Psquare, Bracket, etc.

Conclusion

Competition in the music industry is fierce and upcoming musicians that wish to be successful in the industry must be strategic so that their voices can be heard by many. If you are a musician and desire to rise to the top, follow the tips above. You can use more than one of the tips. All the best.