How to Become a Singer and What You Can Do Today to Make it Happen

You can take your chance applying for TV shows, attending auditions and sending off demos. But you know the reasons why these methods rarely work, even for the most talented singers.

You can put yourself out there on stage and perform, get yourself noticed, build up your contacts in the industry and make things happen for yourself.

Get out there and people WILL listen to you!

So I really hope you've gone for 3. Now make the decision to make it happen! What is stopping you?

• 'I can't just give up work, I need the money?' - Of course you shouldn't give up work. You can sing as much as your voice can handle or as little as you need to to fulfil other commitments you have! Oh, and you'll probably find the extra cash handy too!


• I'm still at school, aren't I too young?' - No way! School is a great place to do musical stuff. It'll be really easy to get a band together and there will be plenty of places that you can play!


• There are loads of ways to get yourself out there and work as a singer, I started out doing just a couple of gigs a month while I was working during the day, although after 3 months I was earning nearly twice as much from singing as I was from my day job, so I quit! Now, I spend my Monday mornings having a nice long lie in, rather than stuck in traffic!

People LOVE musical entertainment, here are just a few examples of place you can play!

• Bars
• Hotels
• Casinos
• Corporate Events
• Weddings, Birthdays and other private parties
• Live Entertainment Venues

The list goes on...

There are also endless possibilities when it comes to your act...

• A Solo Singer
• Part of a Duo
• Vocal Group
• Full Backing Band

You are really only limited by your imagination...

There is ALWAYS work out there for good singers!

The thing is that there are lots of people who are very average singers out there who earn a good amount of cash from singing like this...and the people who pay these people are fed up of paying for average singers and are willing and eager to pay great money to hire great singers like you!

There are loads of ways to get out there and make money but there is more to it than just going into your local live music venue and asking to sing! In the box below I'll be looking at some of the things you'll need to have thought about before you head out there on stage!

Here are some things you'll need to consider...

• Will you be a solo singer or a band? - It can be easier starting out as part of a band, but being a soloist also has some major advantages? Of course you can always do both!!
• What kind of music will you sing? - You can pretty much sing whatever type of music you want. But you'll need to think about what type of music your audience will want to hear!
• Your first gig - an exciting and nerve-wracking occasion...and you'll want to make it go right, how will you go about this?
• What kind of equipment will you need and how will you use it? - At a very basic level you need to know a bit about microphones and what is the right way to sing through a microphone...its very different to singing without one!!!
• How will you put your set together? - You can just go out there and sing your songs in a random order, but you'll stun audiences if you take the time and put it together properly!
• How will you find work? - You'll want to find an agent, and there are agents out there who will want you on their book, trust me!
• What venues will you be working in? - As a singer you will need to approach different venues slightly differently.

So there you go...just a few things to think about. Of course there are other things, rehearsals, what to wear, promotional photographs etc...

Unfortunately, most people just go out there and don't even think about half the stuff that I've talked about, and end up giving pretty bad, poorly presented shows. Trust me, I often work with other singers and the vast majority of them are simply not very good! These singers quickly get themselves a bad reputation, get fewer gigs, and less money as a result. It's a real shame when people who have great voices and fantastic potential fail to think about these easy to avoid problems, and basically destroy their singing careers before they even start!

Of course this can all be avoided!

In my spare time I work as a vocal coach, and I often get asked by my students how to go about starting a career in singing. I decided to write a series of articles. These proved very popular, and so I decided to expand them, add some new chapters and turn them into a website. So check out www.becomeasinger.net

Thanks for reading,

Gemma King