Five steps in becoming a Professional Singer

Well...hello again, my lil' music lovers.

Welcome back to my blog Musicophilia, a wonderland where all your musical fantasies come true... or NOT! I'm just joking with you, I am not a "music fairy" and i can't grant you your wish of becoming a, famous ROCK STAR or a leading Opera DIVA. But I can give you some great tips on how to become  a professional singer, hence bringing you a step closer to fulfilling your dream of, concurring the world's greatest musical scenes!

Before I elaborate this post let me share with you a personal experience, since I too am an aspiring singer; if you are embarking on this road of becoming a professional singer you must first of all, be madly in love with music and singing. You have to be dedicated and loyal in your passion for music, because only so will you have the straight and determination that it takes, to make it in the Music Industry. Believe me, the road of an artist is not easy at all, but when times get hard you can always rely  on your love for music to give you the right impulse, becoming the fuel to your flame of passion, burning bright, motivating you to work harder in realizing your dream of becoming a renowned musical artist.

So with out further ado...here are 5 simple but effective steps that ca help you become a PROFESSIONAL SINGER;

1. First things first, being passionate about music wont guarantee you a successful singing career. You have to have a voice that literally blows the audience away...but don't panic! You don't have to sing like: Aretha Franklin, Whitney Huston,Tom Jones or even Luciano Pavarotti, these artists are the perfect example of naturally gifted singers (but don't let yourselves be fooled into thinking that they didn't chisel their vocal gift). Yes...they where lucky enough to be blessed by mother nature with a great vocal potential. By now I'm sure you are probably asking yourself; "- Hmmm...do I have the voice that can make me become the next big thing?!" Well my advice, (if you're asking me), is to get a professional opinion. And by that i mean, getting your voice heard by a voice teacher. A professional voice teacher can tell you, how special your voice really is and he can advise you in your; vocal and career development as a singer.

2. The second important step is to get your self musically educated. It doesn't matter: how old you are, if you went to a music specialized high school or collage or if you didn't. Maybe you discovered your passion for singing recently, or you always desired to become a professional singer but the timing wasn't right until now, either way you have to get a musical education. Get a vocal coach, take singing lessons, learn the basics of music theory, improve your vocal score reading skills. I guarantee you, these new trained musical skills will make a difference between you being an, amateur or professional singer.

3. The third step is the most crucial one in your development as an artist and singer. You have to choose a musical identity. This musical identity should represent you as a singer and should embody the expression of your artistic nature. Think of it as you leaving your personal artistic print on the surface of Musics History. This step is the most exciting part of becoming a entertainer, thus; expressing, inventing and reinventing your musical personality. I bet you are asking your self right now; "- Who am I (as an artist)?"And the perfect answer is..."on stage YOU ARE who ever you want TO BE!" And that my dear readers is called "artistic freedom." So start by: choosing a stage name for yourself, experiment with different vocal and musical styles, go wild choosing stage costumes, take acting classes if you think that it can help you express yourself better artistically, learn a musical instrument (becoming a skilled artist gives you a competitive advantage), don't be afraid to show your true colors, be original and most of all, stay true to your artistic integrity.

                                                                                                                                                             

4. The forth step on climbing the stairs of acclaimed musical fame is, producing an original music material. This musical material should represent your voice as an artist. So get ready to pour out your naked soul to the audience...wait, don't hit the panic button (yet)! I know it sounds kind of scary to share with the world, your most personal and intimate musical compositions, but in the end its all worth it. These musical compositions written from your personal life experiences, may they be: good, bad, painful and even psychedelic, represent your musical individuality. The idea is to connect with your audience, to build a true emotional bond with them and there is no better way then through your personal musical writings. There is no greater satisfaction for any artist/singer then to hear his/her fans cheer and sing-along to his/her music knowing by heart every lyric of a song. Then you know as an artist that, the music that you write touches another persons soul, leavening a musical print on their heart and a little bit of you (your artistic expression) in them (your musical message resonates in them). That being said you should start writing; lyrics, vocal melodies, compose instrumental backing harmonics...what ever you are best at. If you have a band start brainstorming on musical ideas, get together for musical sessions and jammings, get creative and start working on a music album that you can promote. If you are a newbie DJ or Music Producer fighting to make a name for yourself in the "music jungle", start by making as many collaborations and studio work as you can. This way you can perfect your musical talent and material, this in the near future leading you to your well deserved musical recognition and stardom. If you want to become a professional singer as I said before start writing: lyrics, vocal melodies and compose instrumental backing harmonics. If you don't know how to play any musical instruments or compose instrumental harmonics just hire a pianist or guitarist that can help you out with the instrumental composition or just go straight to a recording studio, in which case the musical production team can help you out step by step in the creation and recording of a song/album.

5. The fifth and finally the last step in your "becoming a professional singer" process is "DRUM ROLLS"... showcasing, promoting your musical material and getting signed by a record label, "TA-DA (easier said then done)!" You need to start small in order to grow Big (sad but true).

But don't panic! With today's technology, "online word of the mouth advertisement" (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and the video-sharing/media promoting website (instant 5 minutes of fame) YouTube, that climb to the top of the Billboard Charts isn't that impossible as you might think. All you need to do is create valuable and original artistic content, the kind of music that spreads viral like an ear-worm. And don't forget nowadays if you want to make it big in the "music industry"(the emphasized word being industry rather then music ) you have to create a "music marketing plan". 

Be smart about it! It's okay to play the role of the "bohemian artist" who cares only about the authentic message spread throughout his music, but that message has to reach your "future concert audience" in order for you to get signed by a record label, so that you can one day build a musical career. The first step is to hire a talent agent (or also called a booking agent), someone who is qualified in booking you all the necessary concerts and gigs that you need, in order to promote your musical material and showcase your talent. Start looking for auditions, if you search the internet you'll find thousands of auditions for singers that sound like "singer wanted". Don't be disappointed if you start as a backing vocal for a mainstream artist. It's all about creating the right connections (as in any other business). Start by singing at your local "cafe bar" that has an open mike night or any other club that offers you the chance to perform on a free stage. You have to start somewhere and gather some "stage experience". Continue with small concerts, work your way up to gigs and music festivals. Create a name for your self, meet other artists, do music collaborations and you'll see that, at the right place in the right moment with the right people, you will have your big musical breakthrough. You can also start promoting your music and artistic vision on YouTube, you never know when the right musical promoter, captivated by your work might be watching. Also there are so many talent shows that you can audition for, ex: "The Voice, X-Factor, America' s got talent", etc.

I'm sure that with the; right & optimistic attitude, talent and a burning desire to make music and a whole lot of "blood, sweat and tears", plus a smart music marketing plan, you will get to live out you dream of becoming a FAMOUS ARTIST. The important thing is to keep the faith alive, work hard for what you want and take advantage of every opportunity, so that you leave no room for regrets and you can rest assured that, you tried your best in any situation. And one last thing, be grateful for the "love of singing" and that MUSIC choose YOU to represent it and not somebody else!

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