How to start a singing career (from a late bloomer)

Someone asked me recently, “How do you actually start a career in singing?” That’s a wonderful question with so, so many unique paths to an answer.

Some people are born into families who work or have major connections in the music/entertainment industry and they learn about what singing as a career looks like from the time they can hum a tune. My experience has been very different. Singing has always played an important role in my life, but it has taken some time for me to land on actually pursuing it professionally—and what I want that to look like. I’m still figuring it out day by day!

It’s important to remember that a singing career can look very different from person to person. Think about the vast majority of different singers in the world—what kind of music they make, what kind of environment they create with that music, and what kind of life they want to live. Not every successful singer lives a rockstar life. In fact, there are far more lesser known but highly successful singers who make their living singing behind the scenes rather than in the limelight, and many of them do this intentionally.

Also, when you look up the definition of “career”, the first result comes up as, “an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress”. NOWHERE in that definition does it mention exactly how much money you have to make for something to be viable as your career. Like any other job, you get to decide what kind of work you’re willing to put in to make the kind of money you want. You don’t have to be a full-time singer to say you have a singing career. But if you want that full-time status, prepare yourself to put in the work.

From an early pandemic photoshoot—trying to keep the dream of singing alive when live gigs were nowhere to be seen

Regardless of what direction you are coming from, there are some very practical major stepping stones to help you find your next right step in your pursuit of singing as a job. As I grow in my own career, these are a few of the things I come back to to ask myself how and when I’m ready to shift to the next level.

1. Sing where people can hear you

   This may seem like a ridiculous statement, but there are so many amazing singers out there who dreeeeam of singing as a career, yet they refuse to let anyone hear them sing. Hate to break it to you, but a career in singing is an experience shared with other people. So whether you sing in front of a live audience, make Youtube videos online, or put out audio recordings, the first step in a singing career is making your singing accessible to other people. As you do, you will start to learn where and how your voice adds value to the world around you and how you want to develop your career around that value.
   
   I’ve been singing in front of people since I was 3 years old, and to be honest I don’t usually get stage fright. However, I’ve learned in the past year that I do get studio-fright. Having to record myself singing songs that I wrote in studio with other people around is still a growing edge for me. It’s been a good reminder to check in on my mindset towards myself, work on my singing with teachers and coaches that I trust, and keep that imposter syndrome from sabotaging my true desire to share myself honestly with others.

2. Place financial value on your singing services

   This is often a weird step if you grew up singing solely as a hobby or in environments where singing was a purely voluntary activity (I really struggled with this in the beginning!). But if you want to start making singing a part of your “job”, finding a way to place financial value on your skillset is an eventual step in recognizing your singing as a career pursuit. When you show up to sing or help others with their own singing, you are providing a service with your time and practiced know-how. This is worth being paid for. This doesn’t mean you have to be paid in every environment that you sing, or that you have to charge insane amounts of money for what you do. Find at least one environment that you feel comfortable starting to accept payment for your singing services—stay consistent with it, and feel free to adjust your rates as you grow and learn.
   
   I grew up singing heavily in church and community theater environments where practically all of my singing was voluntary. In one way this instilled a deep value of service in me when it comes to the use of my voice that I will always be thankful for. However, this also trained me to put in a lot of hours and hard work with my voice without ever expecting anything but personal satisfaction and appreciation from others—this was a great place to start, but it made it very difficult for me to see my singing as having any financial value . It wasn’t until I began to teach and coach other singers that I began to recognize the value of the experience and skillset I had built as a vocalist over the years. This is what gave me the confidence to start putting my voice out there for other paid opportunities. Aside from teaching/coaching I’ve worked as a session vocalist, a vocal/music director, an event singer, and I perform regularly with my band for paid gigs. I still look for volunteer opportunities because I think it’s an important part of the person I want to be, but I’m learning to set better boundaries around my singing for the sake of the career I want to build.
   

3. Find your team and colleagues

   As a professional singer, having people you can trust to support you is crucial. You’ve got a fine tuned instrument to take care of that is a part of your body—having a teacher/coach who can come alongside your vocal journey and advocate for your health and progress is huge. Looking into a manager or booking agent who can help you navigate what areas of the industry you want to participate in might be helpful. Don’t stay in working relationship with people who treat you like crap. Trust me, there are far more people out there who will treat you with respect and the value you deserve. You’ll also be far less lonely when you start making friends with others who are trying to pursue a career like yourself. The watering holes are out there—don’t be afraid to show up and be counted at live music events, workshops, conferences, etc. Look for people you can learn from and don’t be surprised when you find people who may actually have things to learn from you.

   I’ve always loved getting to know people, but I’m an introvert by nature. Some seasons have been easier than others when it comes to putting myself out there, being vulnerable, and trying to build effective relationships for my career. I’m immensely thankful that I have family and friends who love me for me (all work pursuits aside), and they help me stay grounded and in touch with the best of who I am as a human being. Keep these kinds of people close.

Some career paths have a very straight forward set of instructions for success. What I love about music is that it offers many different definitions of success. If your dream is to have one regular local gig where you can share your singing and get paid for it, you can absolutely do that. If your dream is to sing on tour and see the world, you can absolutely do that. The requirements will look different in every scenario, but this is one field where if you have made the most of the voice you have and you are willing to stick with each next step, you’d be amazed what is possible.