How to Start Your Singing Career

In today's connected and technologically influenced world, aspiring artists have a lot more power and influence in launching their own careers than artists have had in the past. Now, emerging musicians have to be much more focused on...

Part 1 of 4:

Building Your Singing Skills

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    Cultivate your talent. You need to discover who you are as a singer and performer before you begin trying to launch your singing career. Start out by experimenting singing different genres of music. This will help you figure out what kind of singing style comes naturally to you. Take note of things you learn about yourself as a singer, for example: your vocal range, singing styles that are easier and more difficult to pull off, and what wears out your voice.
    1. You also need to figure out what kind of performing works best for you; do you work better singing solo, as a lead singer, or as a backup singer? Do you prefer performing in front of small, intimate crowds, or louder, more rambunctious crowds? Figuring out the answers to these questions can further develop your act, image, and set of skills as a singer. Some other questions you might want to address about yourself are:
      1. How good is your ear for music? This means: are you able to sing in tune? Can you recognize and feel rhythm in songs? Can you hear a melody once and sing it back correctly?[1]
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    Take voice lessons. You want to learn how to bring out the best in your voice. Hiring a vocal coach can help you reach your greatest potential. Vocal coaches can remedy poor technique while addressing your strong and weak areas as a singer.[2] With a voice coach, you can practice increasing your range as well as experimenting with your vocal dexterity in front of someone who can offer valuable feedback. This practice and guidance will ultimately help build up your confidence in your singing abilities.[3]
    1. If you can't find a vocal coach that you feel comfortable with, consider taking online signing classes.[4] Although online classes don't provide a person to person learning experience, they can introduce you to foundational singing techniques.
    2. Just be wary of online webpages that advertise themselves as singing review sites. These sites are usually scams and peddle products to unsuspecting customers. You should be very suspicious of sites like these.[5]
    EXPERT TIP
    Picture 3 of How to Start Your Singing Career

    Amy Chapman, MA

    Voice Coach and Specialist
    Amy Chapman MA, CCC-SLP is a vocal therapist and singing voice specialist. Amy is a licensed and board-certified Speech & Language Pathologist who has dedicated her career to helping professionals improve and optimize their voice. Amy has lectured on voice optimization, speech, vocal health, and voice rehabilitation at universities across California, including UCLA, USC, Chapman University, Cal Poly Pomona, CSUF, CSULA. Amy is trained in Lee Silverman Voice Therapy, Estill, LMRVT, and is a part of the American Speech and Hearing Association.
    Picture 4 of How to Start Your Singing Career
    Amy Chapman, MA
    Voice Coach and Specialist

    Practice singing every day. You don't want to push too hard, especially when your voice sounds a little hoarse, but you should exercise your voice every day. For instance, each day you might do vocal exercises and warm-ups, then practice your music. That will help ensure your voice sounds clear.

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    Learn to read sheet music. In the music industry, if you want to be considered a professional, you need to be ready to sing whatever someone puts in front of you. This could mean singing off a piece of sheet music. If this happens, you are going to be expected to read and follow along effortlessly.
    1. Prepare yourself now, so you can be ready to go when the time comes.
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    Learn an instrument. Learn to play the piano or guitar so you can be a multi-faceted artist, and perform more independently. Learning an instrument also helps you play underlying notes in songs, which can give your performance a unique addition. It's also a plus to learn an instrument so you only have to depend on yourself to perform, lowering your risk of having last minute performance issues, like your guitarist not showing up.
    1. All in all, figure out the materials you need to pull off a live performance. This will solidify your presence on stage, help create your image, establish your individual sound, and draw in your unique audience following.
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    Do your research. Analyze performances of some of your favorite singers. Look up videos of live performances, and take note of their stage presence. How do they connect with their audience? It may be helpful to watch these performances on mute, so you can concentrate on their movements and expressions.[6] These might be characteristics you want to emulate in your performances.
    1. It could also be helpful to research your favorite singers and musicians and see how they got to where they are today. What training did they do before they made it big? Who influenced their decision to follow their dream? What obstacles did they face, and how did they conquer them?
    2. Doing some research can provide you with background knowledge about how other people in your position have found success in your anticipated field.
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Part 1 Quiz

What is something you should consider when you're testing which singing style works for you?

Correct! When choosing a style, keep in mind what vocal ranges tend to sing in that style, and if your vocal range is suited for that type of singing. You can augment and stretch your vocal range, but if the style is consistently out of your range, you might want to find a different one! Read on for another quiz question.

Definitely not! Remember, your singing career is about you, your passions, and your dreams. Make decisions because they're the best decision for you, not because your friends like the style or choice you're making. Try again...

Not quite. While you might have an affinity for the style you learned first, you should also try experimenting with new styles! A style you're just learning, or a style you have never tried before might end up being the best style for you! Click on another answer to find the right one...

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Part 2 of 4:

Performing

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    Perform and sing as often as possible. Performing often will increase your confidence in front of a mic, and expose you to various audience settings. You can start out small with joining church choirs or acapella troupes, singing at bars and nightclubs, or simply performing at karaoke night.
    1. Starting out with small performances is a good place to begin before moving onto bigger gigs, but there are other ways that you can perform too.
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    Perform at colleges and universities. Use the college directory to contact the events department, and see if you can perform at gathering on campus. For example, colleges often look for singers to perform the National Anthem at their varsity sports games.[7]
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    Sing backup on someone else's demo. Some artists and songwriters in your area might need singers to sing backup on their demo. Ask around and reach out to these artist and ask if they looking for any extra singers. If they need an example of how you sing, send them your demo or set up a time and place where you can perform a song for them.
    1. If someone agrees to let you sing on their demo, see if they will allow you to use their song (which you sang backup on) as a project for your personal portfolio.[8]
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    Audition as much as you can. Audition a lot so you can get comfortable performing on the spot and preparing your quick pitch to producers and managers. It might even be a good idea to audition for theatre groups and singing troupes.[9]
    1. That way, you can get experience working and performing on stage as well as getting into a network of performers.
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    Record a demo CD. Having a demo of your work on you at all times is a good way to put yourself and your talents out there whenever an opportunity arises. At any performance you do, you can sell your demo CD to interested audience members, or give it away for free.[10]
    1. You want your demo to include a manageable amount of songs, perhaps between 4 and 10.[11] This means you want your demo to have enough songs to showcase the range of your talents, but also give your listener a small and convenient amount of music to listen to quickly.
    2. If you can't record your demo in a professional studio, you can easily get the required materials to do it yourself. All you need to do purchase some music to sing over and record yourself.[12]
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Part 2 Quiz

How many songs should you include in your demo?

Definitely not! Your demo is a CD designed to show your vocal range and skillset. No matter how good, one song usually won't showcase that many aspects of your voice. Aim for a variety of songs, so that your audience can hear your full potential! Try another answer...

Not quite. You want to have enough songs in your demo to showcase your vocal range. Remember, your audience has already decided to sit down and listen to your demo, so you want to provide enough songs to really count! Choose another answer!

Correct! When you're recording a demo, you want the number of songs on the CD to be manageable, both for you to record and for your audience to listen to. Recording four to ten songs gives you enough space to showcase your range, but is also a reasonable amount of music for your audience to listen to in one go. Read on for another quiz question.

Not exactly. If you have too many recorded songs, you could bog your audience down and risk overwhelming them. Not to mention that recording songs professionally is expensive! Aim for a manageable number of songs while still showing off your vocal range. Choose another answer!

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Part 3 of 4:

Networking

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    Link up with musicians in your community. Get involved with the music events happening in your area. By attending musical events and making friends with other singers and musicians near you, you surround yourself with like-minded people who can support your musical efforts. You can also learn about new possible places to perform, and gain some insight and advice from fellow performers.[13]
    1. The more you surround yourself with people who are in your field, the more exposure and opportunities you'll find to show off your talent and get recognized.
    EXPERT TIP
    Picture 14 of How to Start Your Singing Career

    Amy Chapman, MA

    Voice Coach and Specialist
    Amy Chapman MA, CCC-SLP is a vocal therapist and singing voice specialist. Amy is a licensed and board-certified Speech & Language Pathologist who has dedicated her career to helping professionals improve and optimize their voice. Amy has lectured on voice optimization, speech, vocal health, and voice rehabilitation at universities across California, including UCLA, USC, Chapman University, Cal Poly Pomona, CSUF, CSULA. Amy is trained in Lee Silverman Voice Therapy, Estill, LMRVT, and is a part of the American Speech and Hearing Association.
    Picture 15 of How to Start Your Singing Career
    Amy Chapman, MA
    Voice Coach and Specialist

    Try to communicate with artists who have the type of singing career you want. Figure out what kind of singer you are and what kind of career you'd like, such as a singer-songwriter, session singer, artist, or choral singer. Then, find someone who does something similar to what you want to do and ask to take them out to lunch so you can ask them about their career path.

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    Get in touch with booking agents. Investigate and get in touch with booking agents in your area. Inquire if you can open for any upcoming musical acts.[14] Being an opening act for a larger performer is a good way to gain experience and make connections.
    1. Eventually, your gigs could become bigger and bigger, leading to more opportunities of a producer or agent hearing your sound.
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    Let the local papers know about your performances. Publicizing your upcoming performances is a good way to get your name out there in your local community. Eventually (hopefully), you will be recognized by your work around your area.
    1. Publicity in your local papers can build up a sizable reputation before your career moves you somewhere bigger like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago.[15]
    2. Be sure to save positive reviews and articles from publications so you can include those reviews on your personal website and quote them in interviews.[16]
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    Make connections within the music industry. Send your demo to record labels, talent agencies, music managers, and A&R consultants (artist and repertoire consultants). Many of these contacts can be found online, you just need to do some searching.
    1. Usually, smaller record labels are more open to receiving a variety of musical material. Don't limit yourself to only sending your music to big record labels. You might have a better chance of getting your foot in the door by sending your demo to all kinds of record labels.
    2. Try to make good impressions on everyone you meet. It doesn't matter if it's the secretary at an agency you visit to meet a manager, or a fellow musician you have played with; a lot of music professionals get noticed by word of mouth recommendations by other professionals. Gaining a good reputation as dedicated, and a pleasant musician to work with can get you far.
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    Prepare a press kit to send along with your demo. Press kits provide your audience (usually managers, agents, producers – people you are trying to convince to hire you) a small promotional taste of who you are as an artist. It lets your image and musical vibe shine through to potential employers in a quick, convenient, and tangible way. Normally, press kits are prepared very strategically to grab the attention of whomever it's getting sent to.
    1. Because of this aspect, consider having a professional help you with developing your press kit.
    2. Don't forget to include a link to your portfolio or personal website.
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    Set up a website. A website is an extremely accessible medium to make you music available to nearly anyone on the internet. Having a personal website allows you to construct a varied online portfolio that can be shared and sent easily as a link. To top it off, most personal websites are free, so it is a really economical way to market yourself and your music.
    1. Be sure to include information about your background as a singer, contact information, positive reviews, and samples of your work (your demo).
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    Use social networking and media sites. Having a YouTube channel is a great way to share your performance footage, but you need to be on all social media sites to fully promote your work in the most efficient way. Being connecting and promoting yourself on all social networks instantly broadens your audience base. A widespread fan base that it connected to you on multiple social sites can boost your credibility and popularity as a performer (even if you are still an independent and without a manager). By establishing a wide, loyal following early on, managers will eventually seek you out and want to manage you. Consider creating these social media accounts to spread your talents:
    1. Twitter
    2. Facebook
    3. Myspace music
    4. Soundcloud
    5. Tumblr
    6. Instagram
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    Get an agent. Having an agent could greatly increase the work you receive as a singer. However, getting an agent to take you on as a client can be very challenging.
    1. If you show drive, commitment, and confidence in yourself and your work, you may win over a reputable and bustling agent.
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    Discuss your contract professionally. Read and go over your contract with a fine tooth comb. Pay special attention to things like fees, commission, the duration of your contract, and the restrictions on your performance exclusivity.
    1. Always voice your concerns and ask questions if you are ever confused about any aspect in the contract. If you don't like something in the contract, try to negotiate and find common ground. This shows that you are responsible and passionate about making a good deal and coming to a mutual agreement.
    2. Only sign the contract when you are completely satisfied with the features arranged.
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Part 3 Quiz

True or False: You should only send your demo to record labels.

Not quite. You should absolutely send your demo to a record label, but there are other places that look for demos as well! Try sending your demo to talent agencies, music managers, and A&R consultants too! Try another answer...

Correct! You can and should send your demo to record labels, but you should also send it to talent agencies, music managers, and A&R consultants. If you have one, send a press kit along with your demo to give your audience a sense of who you are as an artist. Read on for another quiz question.

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Part 4 of 4:

Trying Alternative Routes

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    Enter a singing competition. Audition for singing competitions near and far. Talent shows and local competitions are a great place to begin, but eventually move on to bigger competitions like American Idol, The Voice, America's Got Talent, and the X-Factor.
    1. The directions to enter these big competitions can be found on their websites. You can send in your audition tape, and go there in person and perform a live audition.[17]
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    Use music distributor sites. These are sites that don't initially involve record companies at all. They offer artists an independent outlet to getting their music out to the public.
    1. TuneCore.com allows you to publish your song or album on their website for a price, but then you get to keep all the rights and royalties to the music you distributed.[18] This is an easy way to bypass problems that musicians often have with dealing with record labels. You have to put in some promotional effort, but once your material gets noticed, it could serve as a good springboard to starting your singing career.
    2. WeeklyIndie.com allows musicians to upload their music, and then the best 10 songs of the week get sent to the website's paying subscribers. This is a really competitive website, but if your music is chosen, it could launch your singing career into something bigger and better.[19]
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Part 4 Quiz

What is a music distributor site?

Not exactly. You can find agents and managers through consulting companies and talent agencies, or directly online. However, music distributor websites are usually places that let you bypass record companies and agents! Try another answer...

Definitely not! While music distributor websites do provide free music, the music is freely-given by the artists, rather than being pirated from people who are trying to sell their music. Choose another answer!

Not exactly. A music distributor site is a website more geared towards new singers rather than highlighting the achievements of currently popular singers. Try again...

Correct! A music distributor site like TuneCore.com or WeeklyIndie.com is a place where musicians can upload their music while still keeping all rights and royalties. Then, the public can log onto these websites and listen to your music! A music distributor site is a great way to get your name - and your voice - out there! Read on for another quiz question.

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Update 24 March 2020
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