Hello everyone!

Its a fine day to be here on steemit once again, and a fine day to talk about music. I am a minor producer walking up the super-long-and-annoying steps to fame when it comes to music in Nigeria, but the process is mostly the same worldwide.

I have seen artist who would swear by their grave that the next song they are going to drop is going to be the biggest hit in the history of the country. Of cause I learnt not to take these sort of people too seriously after more than a few years of hearing it.

I had often wondered when I was a kid what being a star would be like. It turns out that being one actually feels rather normal, except of cause from the extra money, extra show, more publicity etc, as long as it doesnt go to their heads, all one does is still pretty much the same.

Recording sessions, interviews, show performances, songwriting,rinse and repeat. The differnce I see between an upcoming and a star,is their approach to music and the whole business.

For the beginner however, the way to stardom, is not one that is easy to access. There are things you do not know, and things you dont know that you dont know!

O, and by the way, i stumbled upon a wonderful site that houses a ton of gif materials from all over the web. Granted, you can create yours usung Adobe photoshop, but for the tech non wizards like me,its a great way to get gif to make your work more alive, just dont go overboard with it.

So what are some of these? Well im no star, but I have spoken with enough of them to tell you and remind myself, how to be one.

The way to fame

created by me

In the society that we live in today, stardom can be as near as you want it, or as far as you let it go. Despite there being a lot of twists and turns in the music industry, there are a few ways that one can build themselves, at least to an acceptable level.
The only thing that is needed at all times however, is patience and perseverance.

So what are some of the basic things that one need to understand in order to move to stardom?

Well;

Sell that unique talent

from pixabay.com

Most likely right now,there are hundreds of artists in your area, many more in the city you happen to live in, and probably thousands of artists in the state you stay. One of the most likely occupation of a young person in your small community is likely to be a musician. With such numbers, to survive on the industry, you need to have a unique talent or selling point that you can use to your advantage.

Jay-z is an entrepreneur, an excellent rapper with a mind for business, Michael Jackson had the voice and the dance moves, rihanna has her heavenly voice and dashing good looks (also no bra policy)

Your selling point should be able to differentiate you from those that are average. Your talent should make you noticeable.

Thankfully, if you don’t have one, its something you can easily make up.

Make sure you can actually perform

This one is actually quite simple. If you cant sing or if you cant bring the illusion of singing then you have no business being a musician.

Now we know that there are a diverse genres of music that exist. A metal singer doesn’t need the gentle touch of a lets say Sia’s voice. A rapper doesn’t need to sound like Beyonce to be called excellent.

However, a rapper knows how to perform(be it sing, rap etc) He know how to sing, how to pass his message across, a singer know how to do that too. If as a musician you have difficulty oassing what youre saying across, then you should learn to.

Being famous doesn't mean that you can sing or rap like a god, it simply means that what you are appeals to a large set of people, and those set of people is your fanbase.

Get peoples attention

gotten from here
Don’t tell me you’re a singer and the only people who has ever heard your work is the group of friends you know wont roast you?
As a singer, the best thing you can do for yourself is to make your name know. Make people know you. You cant just be a background musician, you have to be out there if you want the fame!.

You have to have fans, and the only way to have fans will be if you get out there and do something noticeable.
See having your style, move and swag is all good, but it will all come to naught if you're a shy dude or girl who doesn't want to be seen.

If you’re really shy about singing or having stage fright, do what I do, go on the stage, a stage in this case can be your bedroom, in front of your camera, or anything at all, just get on it and get busy practising your songs. It wonderful how rehearsals can help, before posting it on social media, or before singing in front of your intended audience.

It is difficult getting people to listen to your song, so be ready for a world of patience and waiting.
One way to get peoples attention, is to have a unique talent or a quirk that makes you noticeable.

Your team is your life

gotten from tenor
Respect, they say goes a long way. You might see an artist standing in a stage without any support, singing along a mixed version or a live version of his/ her song, and you may feel that this person did it all by themselves.

But that is rarely the case. Only the best of the best can push themselves from obscurity to stardom, and still, they often need to do it for a long time, and with multiple people opening ways for them.

In many cases, artists have multiple songwriters, producers, managers, social media directors, bodyguards, sound engineers, and many more people that pull their resources to make the artist capable of doing his best, at least 98% of the time.

In Nigeria for instance, I know many indie musicians who feel they can do it all alone. They produce, they mix and master, they record their own songs,etc. Now that's not a bad thing, but its a one in a million chance of getting famous. You need a dedicated team of people willing to push you out there. You can easily make it solo up to a certain point where having a group becomes paramount.

At least if you don’t want to get a team, get a manager. While one may be talented, a dedicated and experienced manager is more capable of moving an artist far more than he will probably be able to do if he managed himself.

Stsrdom beckons

again, from tenor.com

To be a star no be beans(to be a star is not easy), and this equates to every aspect of life. To be successful is not a day’s job, it takes perseverance, hard-work, SMARTwork, negotiations, paper works, etc and a lot more to be considered a success. Same things too, it takes to be a star.

Also luck, a massive pile of luck is needed to be a star.
Its not in the saying, but in the action.

Thank you.