How To Become A Famous Singer In 8 Steps
Today we're going to look at how to become a famous singer in 6 steps. If you're a beginner singer and want to know what it takes to give yourself the best chance of making it in the music industry, be sure to read to the end for all the details.
If you want a guide which will help improve your vocals in general, check these great value online singing lessons.
Disclaimer: While these below six points will go a long way to helping you reach your desired level of fame as a singer, there is no guarantee that you will become famous. This will come down to a few different things, such as how talented you are, being in the right place at the right time, and more.
That said, doing the below will greatly increase your chances of making it as a successful singer. Be sure to read all 6 points to get a good idea of what needs to be done.
But first, if it's your aim to do music professionally, you'll want to check out our free ebook while it's still available:
Free eBook: Discover how real independent musicians like you are making $4,077 - $22,573+ monthly via Youtube, let me know where to send the details:
Contents
1. Build Your Way Up To Fame
A common misconception about fame in the music industry is that it will come overnight. It's easy to see someone in the charts for the first time, and assume they haven't been working hard for some time leading up to that.
In reality, this isn't normally the case. If you want to be a famous singer, you will need to work at it.
You won't start out doing world tours or writing number one hits. You need to work your way up the ladder.
Start out by aiming to become known with your family and friends. When they recognize your talents and let you know you're genuinely good enough, network out and start to build up your name in different areas.
Start establishing your name in your local area, on online music forums, on already established YouTube channels, on local radio stations and the like.
Once you have this local market covered and people are talking about you, expand once again. Each time aim to conquer a bigger market, using the buzz you gained in the previous area to get more people to give you a chance.
This is the best way to become a famous musician, one stage at a time.
2. Have A Unique Selling Point If You Want To Become A Famous Singer
A unique selling point, USP for short, is a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd. You don't want to be doing the same thing as every other singer out there; if you are, what's going to make people buy into you over the others?
Your USP doesn't have to be anything big, but it has to be noticeable. It could be that you structure your songs differently, that you have a voice that's different from the norm, or simply that you do what you do at a much higher level than everyone else.
Yes, that in itself is a unique selling point, as people will see they can only get the best by being a fan of yours. If you don't already have a USP, you may want to think about creating one.
Once you do, make sure it's clear to people what it is. Sometimes it will be tangible, but other times you will have to drop it into the conversation via interview or on your website, etc.
Don't say “My USP is”, instead say “I like to do *this* which I don't think is something fans get anywhere else”. This will help make you sound like you're thinking of them, and also put the idea in their mind that you stand out in some way.
This is an important step if you want to be a well-known singer.
3. Market Yourself As A Singer
If you want to become a famous singer, you will need to learn how to market yourself. That, or you will need someone to market for you.
If you haven't got the budget to pay someone to market you, then it's all down to you. You may want to check out our marketing for musician guide for tips and advice on how you can do this.
Marketing is the process of raising awareness of yourself as a singer. The first step in getting your fans is letting people know you exist.
Second is making them be open to listening to you. This is a much trickier job than it sounds, so don't underestimate how much work is required to make this happen.
With all the other singers and musicians fighting for people's attention, music fans have become overwhelmed with the choice available to them. The result?
Many people are blocking out most artist that throw themselves their way. Even if you're giving away a free download, the majority of people will actively ignore it.
Giving out a free CD? A lot of the time it'll end up on a shelf never to be listened to.
It has become increasingly difficult to market yourself as a musician, but with the right knowledge it is possible. Being a famous singer will require you to have a lot of fans, so if this is what you want to achieve, then you need to get your marketing hat on asap.
Without it, you simply won't reach your goals.
OK, so here are three other tips teaching you how to become a famous singer. Point number 8 is especially important, so make sure you read on to the end:
4. Learn How To Sing Properly
OK, so this may seem like an obvious point, but if you aren't a good enough singer you'll never, never become a famous singer. You can market yourself all you want, but if people don't want to listen to you, you'll never move forward in your singing career.
It's never a bad idea to take online singing lessons if you haven't already, so you may want to look into that. Alternatively, you can always take an online singing course which is a lot cheaper than the hourly rates many vocal teachers charge.
Either option is good, as strengthening your voice and improving your vocal range can only be good for your music career as a whole. Ultimately, your goal should be to be the best you can be.
Britney Spears is not an impressive singer. Neither is Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips.
There are plenty of others that can hold their own, in their own unique way (they've developed their USP), but aren't necessarily at the top of their game. Nevertheless, they are famous.
It's true that being undeniably good will open doors that being so-so simply won't. But you don't need to be Idina Menzel either.
You can make up for your weaknesses with image, branding, marketing, and attitude. But don't fool yourself about how good you are (or aren't), because that can come back to bite you in the butt later.
Get an honest opinion from someone you trust. If you're tone-deaf, you're in trouble.
But most of the time, there is a way to progress and to improve as a singer, and that's the path you should follow.
5. Collaborate With Musicians And Industry Figures That Are Bigger Than You
The art of using other's authority is one of the best ways to get yourself known. One of the quickest ways of getting in front of a relevant audience is working with someone who already has an established audience in your niche.
If you can get this person to recommend you or be on a song with you, you are going to get in front of their audience, and have the chance for them to become your fans too. You can also study under them as a backing singer, if they are amenable to the idea.
While it may be hard to collaborate with someone big in your genre at first, keep working at it. Start with a lesser-known person with a decent buzz, and start working with more known artists as you are able.
The more you work with others and get your name out there, the more people will want to work with you. As time goes on, you'll find it easier and easier to get the more prominent collaborations, and your audience will grow at a decent rate as a result.
6. Join A Band & Generate A Ton Of Interest In The Music
What do you do when you’ve been putting your best foot forward for years, and you still can’t find success and fame as a singer? You take charge of the situation.
There are many bands looking for great singers. Working with a talented singer can make a huge difference for them, because signing duties often fall to the bass player or guitarist, who may not be great singers to begin with.
They can develop in time, but if they could concentrate on what they’re genuinely great at (i.e. their instrument), they’d have a better chance of reaching their goals and getting somewhere in the music industry.
That’s where you come in. If you sang for the band, and delivered killer vocals, that would free up everyone else to focus on their strengths.
It’s a win-win. And when everyone is doing what they’re good at, amazing things can happen. A band becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Just look at The Beatles.
If you choose to take this route, then make it your goal to sell a lot of music. It’s getting tougher and tougher to sell CDs and digital downloads these days, but getting streamed and featured on notable playlists can also get you to where you want to go.
Once thousands or tens of thousands of people are listening to your music, industry people and labels will have no choice but to take notice of what you’re doing. And if you land a contract or an amazing opportunity as result, achieving fame will only be a matter of time.
Note: finding a band isn’t hard, but finding the right band isn’t easy. You must ensure that there is good chemistry between the members, and that they are good players.
They should also have the same goals in mind that you do, or at least aspire to the same level of success. Otherwise, the band won’t be together long enough to achieve anything worthwhile.
You also must ensure that you aren’t the culprit of issues within the band. Beware of lead singer disease (LSD). Singers sometimes have a tendency of seeing themselves as the most important piece of the band, and set different standards for themselves than they do for others.
This is not only unfair to the band, but it can also cause unnecessary tension. You are important as a singer, but not that important. So, bring the best version of yourself to the band, always.
7. Build Your Following & Own It
Again, sometimes you must take matters into your own hands. Today, it’s rare for you (or anyone) to be presented with massive opportunities randomly and unexpectedly.
You must make your own way, and as you keep hustling, serendipities and synchronicities will begin to occur. But you can’t expect this to happen by default or on autopilot.
If you want to make it big, you’ll have to earn every inch of your success. If you let others dictate to you what your portion should be, you’ll get the short end of the stick every single time.
That’s why you should take initiative and build a following that’s all your own. Prove your worth!
But it isn’t enough to set up a website (find a techie friend to help you), ask for emails, and send people to your social media profiles. This might get you a few signups and followers, but you’re going to have to be more aggressive in your approach.
Everywhere you go, you need to smile, shake hands, hand out business cards, and make real connections. It doesn’t matter who you talk to, or how important you think they might be.
You must treat everyone as though they are the most important and valuable person you know. And then, you need to follow up with everyone you connect with, and introduce them to others you know.
But only introduce people when there is a genuine, mutual benefit. Send an article that might be of interest to them if you can’t introduce them to anyone.
Can you connect with one new person every single day? It’s not that hard.
And just think of how many doors that could open for you in terms of opportunities and new connections. Think of the 365 follow-up emails you’ll be sending every single year (make strategic use of your email signature to draw attention to your email list and social media profiles).
Every email you send can be used to promote who you are and what you’re doing. Want to pick up the pace?
Then connect with two, three, four, or even five people every day! Want to take your hustle even further?
Then become an influencer in the industry. Write a new blog post every single week, guest post on other popular blogs, leave blog comments, connect to people on forums, send email campaigns, be active on social media, distribute press releases, go to networking events, and so on.
Again, own your following and build a relationship with them. This alone may not make you famous, but it will become a vital contributing piece to the larger fame puzzle.
8. Never Give Up
So finally, let me give you one of the most important factors of becoming a famous singer: NEVER GIVING UP!!! The thing is, fame doesn't come overnight.
If this is what you expect, you'll be in for a very demotivating journey indeed. It's taken some of the biggest musicians in the world years to become successful.
If they had given up half way through, do you think we would have heard of them? No, we wouldn't have.
Every singer has up and down periods. If you're going to quit at the first few down periods, you may as well not have started in the first place.
People will let you down sometimes, but deal with it. Learn from it, and take a new path with someone else.
Eventually you will get to where you want to be, so keep building on and leveraging previous successes.
How To Become A Famous Singer Conclusion
So there you have it, 8 tips on how to become a famous singer. If you want to gain exposure and fame from your music career, you'll do well to follow these tips. If however you want to learn to sing better, check out guide on how to become a better singer.
As mentioned, there is no guarantee to fame and fortune for anyone. But by using these best practices, you will greatly increase your chances of doing well.
Good luck with achieving your dream, and let us know how you get on in the comments section below. If you find this guide useful, please share it on Facebook, Twitter, and any other sites you use.
P.S. Remember though, none of what you've learned will matter if you don't know how to get your music out there and earn from it. Want to learn how to do that? Then get our free ‘5 Steps To Profitable Youtube Music Career' ebook emailed directly to you!
I wish I could become a singer just like Ariana Grande, cause when I started to hear her songs, it made me think what should I be. I wanted to be a doctor, but when I started to hear Ariana that made me think instead of a doctor, why not a singer? So I will be taking classes and start to sing.
I’m 14 and I think these steps are good for me. Thank you!
I’m 13 and I have a passion for singing. I hope these tips help me out thank you for them.
I believe God can help me through everything and I believe that if I make my musical career about him, it will work. I may not have the best voice although I haven’t really asked anyone. I know if I start singing everyone will make fun of me, even my friends. Idk what to do. I am 14 and I live in MN and I would love to have some help with my music.