Doubts can always creep into our minds when we think of doing something bold and risky. Something that will change the state we currently live in, singing doesn’t have to be that way.
It’s never too late to start a career in singing. The better way to look at it is through having relative skills to make your transition to the music industry much easier. Keeping an open mind and allowing yourself to be creative will help you tremendously in determining which path you can take for yourself.
We have a decent amount of things to dig into and reading ahead, keep your mind open to possibilities. If there was only one way to start a singing career, we’d all be famous.
Why Age Really Is Just a Number
Age is what age. It allows you to measure the time you’ve spent on this Earth.
Time spent.
We’ll keep that in mind.
Regardless of what age you may be, you can always learn to sing.
I believe in it so much that I have already written an article about it, you can read it here.
Monetary Success or Happiness?
If you’re someone who looks at a career and measures it with monetary success then you’d be right some people ought to think like that and it keeps people on their toes to perform.
However, I beg to differ on this. A career is a means to an end to earning money. You can’t really deny that.
Here’s the honest truth, most people will not make a buck in the music industry let alone be so well-off that they don’t need another job.
People who work in this industry as freelancers start from nothing and grind for years and then get the equipment they’ve been dreaming of to make more music.
All of us know that people who grind this hard aren’t motivated by money as a primary goal but when it starts to roll in it feels great. Because your hard work has finally paid off. The late nights of composing and networking have created real value. You’re now ‘someone’.
Finally.
People who work this hard are able to pull this off because music brings them happiness. So money is a welcomed change.
I beg to differ on something. I believe you can get equally skilled at almost anything a professional musician does if you have steady and healthy practice habits while maintaining a job that actually pays.
No jokes, do you think after 15 years of being in the industry people are getting better at mixing or their singing capabilities? Nope. It’s more of rinse and repeat, and then more of it until they decide not to work anymore.
An Alternative Approach
If you’re serious about music, try getting a job that pays you enough to buy all the equipment, lessons, and other things you wish to have. Save up money and rent out a place and go to town with your education and hone your skills.
Who says you can’t get into the network of people who are in the music industry? Who says you have to be good at composing before you talk to a bunch of them? Who says you can’t own an expensive piece of equipment for your musical needs without knowing how to use it?
If you want abundance and want to be able to explore different facets of singing then it’s true. If grinding isn’t your thing then you can just do this.
People are often uninterested in things that they have yet to try.
A JOB!?
If you’re not good at networking, you should get a job that will force you to get better at it or just read a book and try implementing the things mentioned in it.
If you have an interest in marketing and think you can and will have to market yourself when the time comes, get a job that will teach you that.
See what I am doing?
I am taking boring jobs (no offense) and seeing how in some distant future you will use these skills to benefit yourself from them. It’s a strategy really.
If you are already had some job, your experience will carry through. Or if you’re not good at it yet why not take a job in something you’re weakest at and try to enter the music industry with that particular job?
Accountant? Try working for a label.
Copywriter? Try writing a sales copy or written content for an artist, label, or someone related to music for their socials.
Ad manager? Run ads for a song or an artist.
People get so focused on ‘singing’ that they forget that the music industry works like any other industry. Understand the ins and outs of it and you will find yourself working towards it. Who says you ought to start as a singer?
You can get your foot in through any job really. And that will let you in the industry one way or the other. It may not be as a singer but it’s something and getting enough of those little somethings will make for a bigger whole than you could ever imagine.
The accidental knowledge that will help you later on, the mistakes to avoid and the best part is if you’re in a regular job you can access people who are much better than you at music than you are. So networking is easier due to accessibility.
Another thing is, you will be paid your worth. So, it’s not like if you’re an accountant and you will get paid less at a label. They might be one of your clients but you will have that connection to rely on.
Financial Stuff
If you’re bad with money then you’re bad with money even when you do become a singer. Knowing how money can be saved, invested, and properly used is a life skill. If you haven’t already learned it, I suggest that you do.
There is an alarming amount of good content about it for free. Books have been published and I believe they can help not just educate you but change the course of your life.
Just a friendly reminder that monetary obligations will be ever-present and we should be educated regardless of what career we may find ourselves in.
Personal Goals
But it all comes down to your personal goals.
If you want to have monetary success as a singer, the work has to be done. Whether it’s starting a band or becoming a single artist who does everything.
There are many things to think about and given where you are and how your network is will determine a huge amount of your success.
But nothing will come to you unless you know how to sing. I believe that online courses are the way to go and they’re a one-time investment that you can keep learning and practicing for years to come. Do check the links out.
Different Ways to Earn
But of course, I think you should think about how you’re going to monetize yourself.
There are so many ways, to the point that if you believe something you’ve created is worth having, you can sell it. From a book to a t-shirt or even a course.
Who knows?
YouTube, stock music licensing, or becoming a freelance singer on Fiverr.
Who knows?
No one will if you don’t try all of the things. There will be hurdles in everything and that’s why it’s kind of important to stick through the problems just a little bit longer than you think they’re worth because even if they’re not worth it in the end, they’re still valuable experiences to draw from.
And believe me, singers and musicians who are successful have a lot of valuable experiences.
There are other various online courses you can purchase that tell you how to use different social media platforms to promote yourself. They give you an understanding of how they work and how to do things correctly so that you are able to best utilize them.
Amazing.
Being Multifaceted
You can’t just be a singer. Period.
You will see yourself wearing many hats and you will need more than just singing in order to be successful. That’s the truth and it’s ten times more fun when you know how to record yourself.
So, don’t turn away from it. Understand it and see what skills will help you propel you forward. What skills and teachings can you learn fast and what advantages do you know about yourself that will help become skilled?
Let me give you an example.
Music theory.
Everyone should know it and as a musician not having the foundational knowledge of music theory is going to make you feel inadequate in front of others.
On the other hand, learning how to record yourself isn’t mandatory but knowing it will help you promote yourself early on when you don’t have the money to afford a whole studio with your band.
Home studio mixes can reach an amazing level of quality though. And the more time you spend on honing your mixing skills, the more you’ll save later on.
Now, when you think about how I spoke about spending money on gear from a job, does it make sense? Just creative ideas for when you start a little late but can use the money to your advantage.
All of life is having the skills to make your life easier. Whether it’s lifting weights or doing something else. So take it easy on yourself and try to understand things one thing at a time.
Music isn’t a hard nut to crack intellectually. It’s hard to be consistent at it, whether it’s showing up for practice or trying to find a career in it.
How to Start?
Be good at singing, have additional music-related skills, and know people.
Practice
Yes, you have to practice and even 30 minutes a day of practice is a really good thing to have. Get good at what you want to and the only way to do it is through practice.
I do believe that practice has an end and that’s why I said that the people who have been in the industry don’t necessarily practice every day.
But you need to make sure you are good before you start a full-blown career.
Other Skills
I mentioned knowing how to record yourself and that’s essentially music production but if you’re good with people. That’s a skill. Making friends everywhere you go is amazing and if they can trust you to have food with you, they will trust you with a lot more.
So, if you have other skills then you can use them. Marketing, managing, and social media. All music-related skills as long as you can think about them and learn things that will help you kickstart your own career.
Creativity Doesn’t Seek Competition
You’re a creative entity.
Knowing yourself is going to be your biggest asset in this conundrum.
I will not name singers who started their journey at a specific age. Do you know why?
Because I don’t know them and to draw any life comparisons from just their career of singing and comparing it to my own would be wrong. There is no way for us to calculate the possibilities of advantages they had over our own disadvantages. The environment and people allowed things to happen. It’s not possible to compare.
So, I ask you, and plead to you, to change your mind about how you look at others. You’re in a creative field, which is music. You’re creative with sounds. If you cease to enjoy it and stop composing and singing then you are no longer a musician or happy doing it.
Your ability to make sounds and compare them to others can’t be quantified on a scale. For example, saying metal is better than rock or pop is better than blues. No comparison. Creative field, there is no yardstick to say one thing is better than another.
Especially in music where the industry and how we produce and compose music is changing as fast as technology is.
So, neither the circumstances of how you came to be a singer nor how skilled you are can be directly compared to someone else.
I love simple music and I love hearing something heavy from time to time. The diversity provided for you in music isn’t for you to niche down and look down on other genres. It is there for you to enjoy, understand, and be inspired to compose and arrange music to your taste.
This was an analogy. If you can’t compare creative tastes from one to another. Then why would you compare yourself to others?
You’re a creative entity.
Create.