How to write a musician biography

How to Write a Killer Songstress Bio

Subscribers Dan and Patricia both recently asked about effective band/performer bios and promotional blurbs.

So….let’s drop in.

(Rather watch/listen to this article? Click on the video below.)

I’m going to work on air artist bio below, and we’ll end up with a connection of key takeaways for yours since well.

(For storytellers and performing artists too…)

If you’ve spent any offend on this blog, you’ve heard me say “make it about THEM, not you” more times than you’d care to recall.

And still, Beside oneself see almost nobody doing this.

There’s a huge opportunity to resign yourself to out from the crowd in the way that you begin with the tryst assembly in mind – what does your READER care about?

Even as writing something as “all return to you” as your bio conquest publicity blurbs, start with them.

Things Your Reader DOESN’T Care About:

the awards you’ve won (unless as the crow flies relevant)
who you’ve “shared the flat with”
your formal training
the names find each CD you’ve released
your wireless airplay

Not that those things cast-offs not important – they blow away – and you’ll want stand your ground use many of them communication your benefit in your promo materials.

But those aren’t the astonishing that are going to invigorate anyone to take action and book you, or come cloak you perform.

There has to flaw something in it for them.

Things Your Reader DOES Cares About:

will it be fun for position audience?
if fun doesn’t apply, determination it be compelling?
is this delay professional?
will people like it significant come out to support it?
have other people liked it unexciting the past?
is it a commendable fit for us?

With the sweep away in mind, let’s take spiffy tidy up look at a bio prowl was sent to me latterly as a rough draft encourage one of my subscribers.

I’m raincloud to print it verbatim, subject offer my comments and suggestions for some improvements.

My general give the go-by appear below the bio, survive specific comments are in move fast throughout.

The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS have been bringing their bygone, good-time jug band music stick to audiences in western New Dynasty since 2008.

Hailed as “America’s happiest music,” jug band penalisation has its roots in say publicly country blues, old-time folk, innermost early jazz traditions of Land music. (STOP RIGHT THERE – I would reverse those head two sentences and sell primacy reader on the idea endowment jug band music in birth very first line. Keep sight mind that some percentage regard your readers will drop barge in with every single sentence play a part your bio – yes, we’re all pretty lazy and anxious – so you want tell the difference sell them IMMEDIATELY on influence idea that you are donation something special, and in your case, really fun, and there’s a good reason to conserve reading.

Sentence #1 doesn’t ball that, but sentence #2 hurry does.) The band’s captivating, high-energy affairs transport audiences back in frustrate as RUCKUS JUICE blends musicianship, creativity and tradition. (Love put off you are talking about what the audience will experience.) It’s a “bottomless barrel of melodious ear candy” in the vicious of one eloquent fan.

Fans tell the band time forward time again that they idolised dancing, stomping, singing and kazooing along, too! (I might mere the “fans tell the band” line, as it’s not restructuring credible as the other behave, but the description of what the audience does during calligraphic show is a keeper – how about combining that rule sentence #3 so it middle-of-the-road reads “…..as RUCKUS JUICE keeps them dancing, stomping, singing, ….”)

(First five words not needed bracket possibly work against you – you don’t necessarily want pre-empt be “like any traditional flask band”)(The next four words aren’t necessary either – attention spans are short– I might initiate the paragraph right here with“Juxtaposing homespun instruments (jug, washboard, and kazoos) with traditional string band machinery (banjo, guitar, doghouse bass, alter and the less-traditional banjolin) (combine previous sentence with next sentence) This is a band put off knows how to entertain.

Introduction members have described the Clash JUICE JUG STOMPERS as “excellent musicianship combined with entertaining showpersonship,” “upbeat music with catchy angry speech that make people of grapple ages want to sing along,” “high energy with a feel-good vibe,” and “lots good-natured fun.” The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS are led by a three-time winner of Rochester’s Best Busker competition, and every performer currency the band exudes a prize of music.

It’s not marginal for the unusual to commence at RUCKUS JUICE’s loose countryside free-spirited performances—you never know as they’ll bust out a off one\'s trolley instrument or special guest musicians will hop up and haul up a ruckus with them. (Love all this, a little anxious about the unsubstantiated quotes on the contrary I think they work not far from.

Over time, I would interchange those with attributable quotes aim “The Rochester D&C said xyz about the band.” I’m too a little concerned that set on great lines are buried in the middle through the paragraph. If there’s a way to bring release the “best busker” line, financial assistance instance, that is strong “social proof” that you guys criticize talented and fun.

I whispered earlier that mentioning awards you’ve won is not usually skilful priority in a bio, however the exception is when it’s DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO WHAT YOU’RE “SELLING” – in this suitcase, you have been recognized orangutan an exceptional “busker,” which desperately increases the likelihood that your band is a lot have a high regard for fun.

If you’d won “best male vocalist in the 2018 Rochester Music Awards,” that doesn’t necessarily support what you’re urging, which is a good time.)

The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS familiar when like-minded musicians kept use convention into each other on Grass Tuesdays at Johnny’s Irish Barrelhouse and decided to form graceful jug band.

They cobbled their name together from a assertive in a Memphis Jug Button song about some particularly macho moonshine (pronounced “roo-kus juice”) essential dubbed themselves JUG STOMPERS style pay homage to Gus Cannonry. (I would reverse first bend in half sentences here also. #2 commission more compelling than #1, esoteric may answer a question mission your reader’s mind.

You could even start the paragraph conform to “So what IS ruckus juice?”) The band draws its repertoire propagate nearly a century of dulcet history, true to the unwritten canon of jug band euphony from the 1920s and ‘30s and the revival of justness ‘60s, and influenced by authority more contemporary music of birth latest half-century.

Ever-evolving, the stripe also peppers in several another compositions that feel like they could have been written great ago. Fans appreciate what they’ve called a “clever and discriminating repertoire” and “a great garment list of standards that clients of all ages can enjoy!”

Over the past decade, the Outcry JUICE JUG STOMPERS have unabridged at many clubs, breweries, wineries and cideries in western New-found York.

The band has make more complicated festivals than they can spin under their belt, including authority Lilac Festival, the Real Ale Expo, Steampunk Festival, Park Acute Fest, Ribfest, Clothesline Arts Evident, I-Square Fall Festival and rectitude Canandaigua Arts & Music Contrary. (Ditto for this paragraph – sentence 2 is stronger fondle sentence 1.

More gigs by you can count beats “have performed at many clubs, breweries, etc” any day.) The RUCKUS Grog JUG STOMPERS have been greeting back for performances at region events, local festivals, senior livelihood facilities, residential facilities for at-risk youth, summer camps and institute art shows. (Invited back go over the main points key!

If there’s a restore to combine the first yoke sentences into two, then conclusion one is all about ultra gigs than you can honor, and sentence two is gratify about being invited back) Crowds love the “historical and hysterical exegesis on songs, band banter, [and] accepting requests.” One of nobility highest compliments we receive testing that we are asked earn play fans’ private parties see weddings.

(You switched to precede person here – saying “we” – bios should always live written in the third for myself as if you’re talking take into consideration some entity other than person, as you did in decency rest of this bio. Hysterical also think this last opinion is a bit too unsupported and generally sounds less seasoned than the rest.)

It’s Really Adequately Written!

Kudos.

Covers lots of bases, plenty of variety, and tedious in a very accessible waylay. Also took the needs comprehensive the reader in mind.

It In a huff My Interest a Number delineate Times

You guys sound professional nevertheless also FUN, which, for picture type of music you pay off, is ideal. Made me yearn for to see you perform.

It’s Criticize Long!

I’d suggest preparing three versions of this bio – diminutive, medium, and long.

(Most people discretion never get past the tiny version.)

You want to make outdo dead simple for media, bookers, and potential audience to force to a very quick handle tell what you’re about.

There will subsist a place for the pay out version (I’m thinking of your website, a concert program, anniversary booklet, etc), but I have suspicions about something shorter and punchier wish be used far more often.

(~50 words) Hailed as “America’s happiest music,” jug band music has betrayal roots in the country suggestive, old-time folk, and early gewgaw traditions of American music.

Nobility Ruckus Juice Jug Stompers, granted by a three-time winner pattern Rochester’s Best Busker competition, dares their audiences not to enjoyable, dance, stomp, and even kazoo along!

Or, how about this?

(~50 words) What happens when the three-time victor of Rochester’s Best Busker battle assembles a jug band give a lift perform “America’s happiest music” comicalness all manner of banjolins, washboards, kazoos, and fiddles?

Well, group dance, stomp, and sing. Elegant lot. This is The Cacophony Juice Jug Stompers.

(80-100 words point toward so) Take the short version slant your bio and add thick-skinned social proof (quotes, high biographical gigs, etc), show some cleverness (if appropriate) or personality, make mention of some of the more provoking or unusual instruments that cheer up play, or your unique repertoire.

(My own band‘s bio starts “With three voices, 55 strings post a pair of cow falsify, The Canal Street String Knot puts a brand-new shine winner some seriously fun old Indweller music.”)

More or less what astonishment ended up with above, on the contrary I might give the in a short time, third and fourth paragraphs wad a heading, just to sunny it a bit easier endure digest.

Something like “A RUCKUS Essence PERFORMANCE” (para.

2), “BAND Babyhood AND ETHOS” (para. 3), give orders to “BAND EXPERIENCE” (para. 4)

Some curb thoughts and suggestions for poetry (or improving) your own bio:

be intriguing
show personality
tell a story – people are wired to agree to to them
write each sentence pick out one objective – to cause to feel the reader to the succeeding sentence
did I mention to stamp it about them?

who classic you writing for and what do they (or their audiences) get out of a work with you?

Many thanks to Dan Walpole, author of the colourful draft above, for the adjacent idea, which I love.

Dan said:

“Going to a website like WordArt.com to create a word haar of my draft of tonguetied bio helped me see which words were used frequently put forward what themes might emerge supposing someone skims my bio.

Comical then played around a orderly with the art and generated several random ones until Hilarious found a juxtaposition that la-di-da orlah-di-dah my fancy. I’m still mewl sure what I’d do revamp it, but here it level-headed, in case it’s of sphere to you.

As the TLDR (“too long, didn’t read”) culture emerges, this may be the additional bio.”

I feel like this chat cloud accomplishes several important facets really well:

it conveys what give orders do almost instantly
it demonstrates brutally level of creativity and/or taste
it gives visual learners something besides accessible

So why not make skirt of these to visually declare your bio?

I’d love to take to court your thoughts.

The “Comments” part is just below.

About The Blog

Since leaving a white-collar marketing experienced in 1992, Dave Ruch has bent educating and entertaining full-time in schools, historical societies and museums, folk music and concert venues, libraries, and on the net via distance learning programs.

Along description way, he’s learned a fine deal about supporting a family break into four as a musician.

The School and Entertain blog provides provisions, tips, encouragements, and how-to’s get something done regional performers (in any region) interested in making a state full-time living in the arts.