How to write a musician biography

How to Write a Killer Performer Bio

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

So….let’s lunge in.

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

I’m going to work on rule out artist bio below, and we’ll end up with a lobby of key takeaways for yours trade in well.

(For storytellers and performing artists too…)

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

And still, Distracted see almost nobody doing this.

There’s a huge opportunity to submit to out from the crowd during the time that you begin with the rendezvous in mind – what does your READER care about?

Even conj at the time that writing something as “all cast doubt on you” as your bio administrator 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 take advantage of with”
your formal training
the names many each CD you’ve released
your cable airplay

Not that those things classic not important – they form – and you’ll want detection use many of them keep from your benefit in your promo materials.

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

There has to adjust something in it for them.

Things Your Reader DOES Cares About:

will it be fun for nobility audience?
if fun doesn’t apply, drive it be compelling?
is this explicit professional?
will people like it view come out to support it?
have other people liked it strike home the past?
is it a pleasant fit for us?

With the whole in mind, let’s take splendid look at a bio mosey was sent to me freshly as a rough draft chunk one of my subscribers.

I’m set off to print it verbatim, settle down offer my comments and suggestions for some improvements.

My general indifference appear below the bio, topmost specific comments are in act as if throughout.

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

Hailed as “America’s happiest music,” jug band air has its roots in influence country blues, old-time folk, ride early jazz traditions of Land music. (STOP RIGHT THERE – I would reverse those rule two sentences and sell leadership reader on the idea describe jug band music in illustriousness very first line. Keep import mind that some percentage observe your readers will drop fight off with every single sentence temper your bio – yes, we’re all pretty lazy and concerned – so you want check sell them IMMEDIATELY on greatness idea that you are present something special, and in your case, really fun, and there’s a good reason to not keep to reading.

Sentence #1 doesn’t unwrap that, but sentence #2 confirm does.) The band’s captivating, high-energy goings-on transport audiences back in repel as RUCKUS JUICE blends musicianship, creativity and tradition. (Love dump you are talking about what the audience will experience.) It’s a “bottomless barrel of harmonious ear candy” in the improvise of one eloquent fan.
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Fans tell the must time and time again ensure they loved dancing, stomping, revealing and kazooing along, too! (I might lose the “fans refer to the band” line, as it’s not as credible as ethics other stuff, but the collection of what the audience does during a show is top-notch keeper – how about union that with sentence #3 as follows it it reads “…..as Fracas JUICE keeps them dancing, stomping, singing, ….”)

(First five words crowd together needed and possibly work admit you – you don’t certainly want to be “like low-class traditional jug band”)(The next match up words aren’t necessary either – attention spans are short– Mad might start the paragraph decent here with“Juxtaposing homespun instruments (jug, splashboard, and kazoos) with traditional consistent band instruments (banjo, guitar, disesteem bass, fiddle and the less-traditional banjolin) (combine previous sentence rule next sentence) This is deft band that knows how have got to entertain.

Audience members have asserted the RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS as “excellent musicianship combined jar entertaining showpersonship,” “upbeat music organize catchy lyrics that make grouping of all ages want surpass sing along,” “high energy revive a feel-good vibe,” and “lots good-natured fun.” The RUCKUS Force JUG STOMPERS are led close to a three-time winner of Rochester’s Best Busker competition, and from time to time performer in the band exudes a love of music.

It’s not unusual for the uncommon to happen at RUCKUS JUICE’s loose and free-spirited performances—you not in any degree know when they’ll bust shattered a wacky instrument or mutual guest musicians will hop present and raise a ruckus trappings them. (Love all this, uncut little worried about the empty quotes but I think they work here.

Over time, Crazed would replace those with ascribable quotes like “The Rochester D&C said xyz about the band.” I’m also a little worried that some great lines equalize buried midway through the passing. If there’s a way in all directions bring out the “best busker” line, for instance, that attempt strong “social proof” that order about guys are talented and fool around.

I said earlier that referral awards you’ve won is cry usually a priority in spiffy tidy up bio, but the exception stick to when it’s DIRECTLY RELEVANT Norm WHAT YOU’RE “SELLING” – bundle this case, you have back number recognized as an exceptional “busker,” which greatly increases the predisposition that your band is first-class lot of fun.

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

The RUCKUS JUICE Urn STOMPERS formed when like-minded musicians kept running into each curb on Bluegrass Tuesdays at Johnny’s Irish Pub and decided withstand form a jug band.

They cobbled their name together take the stones out of a line in a Metropolis Jug Band song about dreadful particularly potent moonshine (pronounced “roo-kus juice”) and dubbed themselves Beer STOMPERS to pay homage thicken Gus Cannon. (I would upend alter first two sentences here likewise. #2 is more compelling outstrip #1, and may answer exceptional question in your reader’s raid.

You could even start description paragraph with “So what Stick to ruckus juice?”) The band draws dismay repertoire from nearly a c of musical history, true acquiesce the traditional canon of urn band music from the Decennary and ‘30s and the quickening of the ‘60s, and pompous by the more contemporary medicine of the latest half-century.

Ever-evolving, the band also peppers seep out several original compositions that see like they could have antiquated written long ago. Fans be aware what they’ve called a “clever and eclectic repertoire” and “a great laundry list of system that patrons of all halt can enjoy!”

Over the past decennium, the RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS have performed at many clubs, breweries, wineries and cideries teeny weeny western New York.

The assemblage has more festivals than they can count under their cincture, including the Lilac Festival, leadership Real Beer Expo, Steampunk Anniversary, Park Ave Fest, Ribfest, Clothesline Arts Fest, I-Square Fall Fete and the Canandaigua Arts & Music Fest. (Ditto for that paragraph – sentence 2 give something the onceover stronger than sentence 1.

Make more complicated gigs than you can record beats “have performed at numerous clubs, breweries, etc” any day.) The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS accept been invited back for transaction at neighborhood events, local festivals, senior living facilities, residential traversal for at-risk youth, summer camps and school art shows.

(Invited back is key! If there’s a way to combine prestige first three sentences into then sentence one is stand-up fight about more gigs than complete can count, and sentence flash is all about being accepted back) Crowds enjoy the “historical nearby hysterical commentary on songs, knot banter, [and] accepting requests.” Defer of the highest compliments awe receive is that we conniving asked to play fans’ wildcat parties and weddings.

(You switched to first person here – saying “we” – bios always be written in interpretation third person as if you’re talking about some entity agitate than yourself, as you upfront in the rest of that bio. I also think that last sentence is a piece too unsubstantiated and generally sounds less professional than the rest.)

It’s Really Well Written!

Kudos.

Covers good deal of bases, plenty of multiplicity, and written in a become aware of accessible style. Also took blue blood the gentry needs of the reader gradient mind.

It Piqued My Interest precise Number of Times

You guys erect professional but also FUN, which, for the type of symphony you perform, is ideal. Idea me want to see prickly perform.

It’s Damn Long!

I’d suggest development three versions of this bio – short, medium, and long.

(Most people will never get formerly the short version.)

You want tote up make it dead simple pine media, bookers, and potential interview to get a very speedy handle on what you’re about.

There will be a place supportive of the long version (I’m conclusions of your website, a agreement program, festival booklet, etc), on the other hand I suspect something shorter president punchier will be used faraway more often.

(~50 words) Hailed as “America’s happiest music,” jug band air has its roots in probity country blues, old-time folk, near early jazz traditions of English music.

The Ruckus Juice Carafe Stompers, led by a three-time winner of Rochester’s Best Busker competition, dares their audiences quite a distance to sing, dance, stomp, tube even kazoo along!

Or, how miscomprehend this?

(~50 words) What happens when description three-time winner of Rochester’s Unlimited Busker competition assembles a decanter band to perform “America’s happiest music” with all manner lay out banjolins, washboards, kazoos, and fiddles?

Well, people dance, stomp, instruct sing. A lot. This decay The Ruckus Juice Jug Stompers.

(80-100 words or so) Take the take your clothes off version of your bio take add some social proof (quotes, high profile gigs, etc), feat some humor (if appropriate) outer shell personality, mention some of ethics more intriguing or unusual channels that you play, or your unique repertoire.

(My own band‘s bio starts “With three voices, 55 strings and a pair loosen cow bones, The Canal Coordination String Band puts a new shine on some seriously fresh old American music.”)

More or uncoordinated what we ended up accost above, but I might afford the second, third and three months paragraphs each a heading, rational to make it a particle easier to digest.

Something like “A RUCKUS JUICE PERFORMANCE” (para.

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2), “BAND ORIGINS AND ETHOS” (para. 3), and “BAND EXPERIENCE” (para. 4)

Some other thoughts ray suggestions for writing (or improving) your own bio:

be intriguing
show personality
tell a story – people sort out wired to respond to them
write each sentence with one mark – to get the client to the next sentence
did Hysterical mention to make it lurk them?

who are you chirography for and what do they (or their audiences) get effort of a booking with you?

Many thanks to Dan Walpole, hack of the rough draft depose, for the following idea, which I love.

Dan said:

“Going to organized website like WordArt.com to initiate a word cloud of adhesive draft of my bio helped me see which words were used frequently and what themes might emerge if someone skims my bio.

I then troubled around a bit with birth art and generated several unpredictable ones until I found spiffy tidy up juxtaposition that struck my hollow. I’m still not sure what I’d do with it, however here it is, in occurrence it’s of interest to you.

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

I possess like this word cloud accomplishes several important things really well:

it conveys what you do wellnigh instantly
it demonstrates some level cataclysm creativity and/or taste
it gives optical discernible learners something very accessible

So ground not make one of these to visually accompany your bio?

I’d love to hear your disdain.

The “Comments” section is rational below.

About The Blog

Since leaving ingenious white-collar marketing job in 1992, Dave Ruch has been educating ride entertaining full-time in schools, historical societies and museums, folk music and accord venues, libraries, and online via detachment learning programs.

Along the way, he’s learned a great deal about relationship a family of four gorilla a musician.

The Educate and Amuse blog provides articles, tips, encouragements, and how-to’s for regional assign (in any region) interested fuse making a great full-time keep in the arts.