How Do Most Singers Start Their Careers? 3 Common Ways

You’ve always wanted to be a singer, but where do you start? I've been there, and know it can seem daunting, which is why I've studied how most singers start their careers. Below are my findings.

Most singers begin their careers by performing publicly in local organizations, such as a music program at their school or as part of a church. Additionally, singers supplement this live experience with coaching and training.

For anyone that's dreamed of becoming a singing deity but struggles with the approach, this article is for you. There are three steps you can take today to jumpstart your singing career. Let's dive in.

3 Ways Singers Start Their Careers

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are around 21,000 job openings for singers (and musicians) every year, and this is projected to grow 11% every year, through 2030.

That's definitely a positive for anyone starting their singing career, but just because there's room to get paying position, doesn't mean it will be easy to do so.

It takes complete dedication; a lifetime of training that starts early, experimenting with styles, and countless public performances.

1. Practice and Build Vocal Skills

Some people with a natural ability to sing may take their talents can sometimes be taken for granted. However, for those of us who are not naturally gifted with vocal cords of gold, we have to work a little bit harder to be talented singers.

Within reason, all skill levels of singing can improve with training, even those with innate abilities will see improvement to their already stellar skills.

1a. The Best Singers Still Train Their Voices

Like any craft, singers dedicated to their trade continuously practice and build their skills to retain and improve. Think of a singer that you admire who has been in the business for years, and is respected for their voice.

They say practice makes perfect. And a perfect voice is what they possess. I'm confident they didn't get to where they are without years of practice, and their dedication has paid off in a big way.

For me, Morrissey is someone that comes to mind. He's been at it for decades now, and even when I saw him in 2017, his voice sounded amazing. Like he and his voice hadn't aged a day.

In a documentary about The Smiths, it's confirmed that Morrissey received vocal training as he was entering the trade.

Practicing each day leads to a good work ethic. A good work ethic increases the longevity of your voice, and in turn, your career.

And what might start as a grind will ultimately become a hard-wired behavior.

The singer and jazz musician Louis Armstrong stated, “If I don’t practice for a day, I know it. If I don’t practice for two days, the critics know it. And if I don’t practice for three days, the public knows it.”

It was true then, and even more true today thanks to the speed and accessibility of information.

1b. Exercise Your Voice

Most career vocalists work on their skills by performing different sets of exercises. Each day, do warmups that include breathing, octave jumps, enunciation, and humming exercises.

Then, focus on the skills that you want to perfect.

If you're wondering how much time to put into this, book a half-hour a day to exercise your voice. According to the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media, singers practice around a minimum of 30 minutes each day. 

1c. Get A Mentor

Singing is an art that takes plenty of practice and patience to hone. For most professional singers, having a vocal coach is part of the routine to make sure their singing skills are up to par. 

Working with a vocal coach can encompass a lot of things. From fine-tuning techniques to practicing different genres of music, there's always something new to learn. For many singers, working with a vocal coach is an essential part of staying sharp and keeping their voice in top condition.

Vocal coaches can help you differentiate pitches, find the right tone, read music, and correct mistakes. However, it is not necessary to hire a coach.

You can work on these skills independently by recording yourself and critiquing your sound - listening to the playback of your voice and researching music theory and technique, etc.

1d. Pursue Education

For anyone pursuing singing or music as a career, there's a high correlation between education and being employed in the music industry. A bachelor of arts is typically the prerequisite for employment in both fields.

While this data may be skewed more towards employment for educating others in singing, the broader point is that education and training are important elements of succeeding and getting your start as a singer.

If you're thinking about getting a collegiate degree in singing, here's a handy tool that will show you which universities in your region have singing programs, the time it takes to complete that degree, and the number of graduates annually from the program.

1e. Alternative Education

I know university is expensive (even with loan forgiveness in play), so if that's not an option or just not something you want to get into, don't stop educating yourself as a result.

There are endless resources to continue to improve your talent, and some are incredibly valuable. Look into free options, like YouTube or Facebook. Dig into subreddits for singers or aspiring singers, just to name a few.

At a low cost, let's say a maximum of $100, you can explore resources like Udemy, websites dedicated to singing like Yousician, or find online info products from independent coaches. This type of resource acts as a course like you might experience in college but without years of debt.

And across both free and paid options, there is a never-ending amount of apps for mobile or tablet that you can install and practice through.

2. Find Your Style; Match Your Skill and Interest

After you've got some training under your belt, you will most likely have an idea of your strengths and limitations as a singer. Now is the time to start thinking about what type of music you want to sing.

What type of music ignites your passion? What type of music gets you excited? What type of music makes you feel alive?

These are the questions you should be asking yourself as you start thinking about the type of music you want to sing.

2a. Lead With Your Passion

It's important that find a style of music that you're passionate about and one where your voice will shine. Don't let strengths alone drive your choice - if you do, it's a recipe for burnout. And will quickly lead to dreading what was once your passion.

Singers that shine are not only strong in their style, but they also have a deep love for their style. This love fuels their performance and allows them to connect with their audience on a deeper level.

This connection is what sets them apart from other singers and allows them to shine brightly on stage.

And those that despise it, well, you've never heard of them because they never made it as a singer.

2b. Find Your Range - Style and Vocal Range

This isn't a formula - more so an experiment by trial and error. Exploring music - stuff you already like, but even venturing into new genres - is a great way to start the process.

Listen to anything and everything you can get your hands on. Go to your local record shop and talk to the crew there. Ask them what they're listening too - what's something they heard recently that's off the beaten path.

You'll find new, strange, and sometimes wonderful paths to explore.

You might find that your skills are best for operatic conditions and that you actually dig it. Or, you might find that opera is great for your skillset. However, you may dislike opera.

That's fantastic insight.

You might explore operatic ballads in a genre you like, such as rock. Meatloaf, Queen, My Chemical Romance, Roy Orbison, and many other groups have structured legendary careers around combining operatic music in a non-operatic genre.

Most singers begin their voice journey by challenging themselves to learn different songs from other genres and deciphering the limitations of their skills. Studying new styles of music and figuring out your floor and ceiling will add to your music skills more quickly.

2b. Develop a Unique Style

In the most beautiful way possible, exploring the range of your style interests and the limitations of your talent can meld into a style that's uniquely yours.

Think about a singer you like. What is it about his or her singing style that you enjoy? Is it the unique way they annunciate lyrics? The passion and gusto with which they belt? Or maybe it's the way they shift pitch for emphasis?

For me, I'd default to Bowie. Style is a challenge here because he never stopped exploring new styles. But let's think of the Ziggy Stardust era. And try to set aside the visual theatrics of this era.

Bowie's singing style at this time was incredibly rich - full-bodied like a great cup of coffee. The vibrato was heavier than heavy, and holy hell the gusto in his voice - just hearing it you can feel the dedication to every note and lyric.

But then there are also intentionally flat moments in his voice or unpredictably fast movements in pitch. Starman is a great track for reference.

This creates a simultaneous contrast to emphasize the moments of gusto and creates an appreciation for moments where it matters.

Ziggy-era Bowie has all the makings of operatic rock with the fingerprint of unexpected aural range.

I'd also point out that Bowie is someone who never stopped working on his voice even getting a vocal coach in the 1970s - throughout his legendary 40+ year career.

Being able to sing in a unique style is a great asset for developing a personal brand. By having a signature sound, you can make yourself stand out from other singers and attract fans who appreciate your originality.

So if you're looking to create a lasting impression, don't be afraid to experiment with your vocal style and find what makes you truly shine. It immediately makes you more marketable and attractive to fans, venues, and record labels.

2c. Plan For The Future

You've found the genre you like. You've found your range. And you may have discovered a style of your own. So what now? Where do you go from here? It's time to think about your future.

Don't write in stone, because a poor plan is one that can't be altered.

As a singer, think of this plan as more of a North Star to what you value. Use them as guidelines to help you stay on course during your journey. By living and performing according to what you value most, you'll find greater meaning in your work and more fulfillment in your career.

Do you like the technical arrangements of singing? Do you enjoy performing live and seeing the audience react? The outcome of saying yes or no to each question could mean you want to be in a booth, or you only want to perform live, or you want to do both.

Do you want to be a lead singer of a band? Yes? Great, you'll want to find like-minded musicians that love similar styles and create music together. If you don't want the limelight, you can focus on different studio jobs, or become a backup singer.

These are just a few questions you could run through if you don't know where to start. And there are certainly more questions to explore, but this simple exercise can help you reverse-engineer how to get there.

This approach is probably more technical than what most singers do, but deep within their core, singers know their motivations for singing and what they love, but may not be able to clearly articulate them. Writing it out is a way to manifest the dream.

3. Getting Noticed

The hardest part of starting a career is getting noticed and finding opportunities, or at least that is what it might seem like from the outside. There are a ton of other capable singers competing with you, and going through a similar experience.

To cut through the clutter and get noticed quicker, the singers that go on to legend status find their tribe early on, practice in public whenever possible, and go all-in on their style and brand.

3a. Finding Your Tribe

Everyone has a genre of music they either love or hate. And within that genre, there are artists they adore or can't stand. And even within each artist's catalog, there are tracks that fans praise or skip over.

But even for tracks that aren't placed on a pedestal by fans, if an artist is adored by this group, the good will always outweigh the bad - so long as the artist is true to the tribe. And finding your tribe is easier today than ever before.

Whether it be Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, or SoundCloud, social media has become the best way of getting noticed for a singer trying to get started. There's not a long history for social media comparison, but there are certainly notable figures who have gone this route.

A few examples of singers finding their audiences through social media include Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Olivia Rodrigo. Whether or not you enjoy their music is beside the point. These artists found their tribe online, and the rest was history.

However, regardless of era, the start of popularity and fandom has always started in a tight-knit community - jazz in speakeasies, Chopin playing in a salon in the 19th century, punk in UK clubs during the 1970s, etc.

They all had cult followings as the starting point.

Following this analogy, think of the social platform as your venue. The hashtag or organization technique of the social platform is the common interest of your tribe. And you, the singer, as the electricity that powers the tribe.

Wrap your effort and focus here, because this will inevitably become the hub of your superfans, and they are worth their weight in gold.

When you find others that love the same type of music as you, it becomes easier to connect and build a rapport. Your superfans are the people that will buy your merch, come to your shows, and talk about you when you're not around.

Essentially hyping you up and helping you get noticed far more quickly than any other method at your disposal. They can also give you feedback - the good and the bad on what's working and resonating, and what isn't.

This can only help you in continuing to develop your skills. Practice makes perfect, after all. And the more you hone your craft, the better you'll become.

3b. Perform In Front Of An Audience

If you want to improve your performance skills, you need to get in front of as many people as possible and take every opportunity that comes your way.

That means seeking out open mics, putting yourself on the bill for local shows, and really putting yourself out there. The more experience you have performing, the better you'll become at it.

Thankfully, going live online is the norm, and easy to do. TikTok is perfect for this, and the discovery algorithm lends itself to finding your tribe. The algorithm within the platform plays to your advantage of being discovered still, whereas other platforms, more mature online platforms, have decreased the effectiveness of discoverability.

Facebook and YouTube are also great options, purely from a reach point of view. And there are quite a few resources out there that can help you go live on multiple platforms at the same time.

Digital is one of the most accessible and low-investment ways to reach new audiences, plus you can go live whenever you want, at whatever frequency you like. Which gives you numerous opportunities to continuously improve in front of an audience.

I'm sure that singers of yesteryear would have loved this opportunity.

Going digital isn't the only way. You can go old-fashioned and hit the pavement, or take it back to the speakeasies and cultish following roots by performing in small venues. There's a charm to performing in smaller, more intimate settings that you can't get online.

It allows for a much more personal connection with your audience, not to say online doesn't have a one-to-one value as well, it's just a different kind.

If you're looking for an outlet for your singing talents, you might consider exploring local community organizations with open singing auditions.

These organizations are usually always looking for new talent to help perform at their various events throughout the year. So if you think you have what it takes, go out and explore your local community for opportunities to show off your singing skills.

Competitive singing experiences will help you in the long run. Allowing you to maintain the quality of performing under enormous pressure.

Even if you don't meet the criteria these places are looking for, auditioning and creating demos is a great experience for navigating the music industry.

And it's certainly a rite of passage that all singers have had to take at one point in their careers as a test of their vocal abilities. Showcasing vocal prowess is a challenge that many singers face during their career, so it's best to get battle-tested early.

Your music might be great, but if no one knows about it, or you don't get in front of people to receive feedback, you'll never get anywhere.

3c. Branding and Marketing Yourself

No matter where you are, online or offline, you have to learn how to market your singing career. There are a lot of different channels and strategies you can use to get yourself out there and start generating some buzz.

It can be overwhelming at first, but once you identify the platform that works best for you and your brand, and start putting yourself out there, you'll be on your way to a successful singing career in no time.

Start thinking about yourself and your music as a product - I know that might sound bad, but there needs to be an authentic shift that shows your dedication to your performance identity.

If you're not selling yourself, why should anyone else? The good news is that there are quite a few resources and advice out there on how to brand and market yourself as a musician.

Which is becoming increasingly important in the digital age, where we're all competing for attention against billions of other people and businesses.

Some of the basics include creating a strong social media presence, understanding SEO and using it to your advantage, and using creative marketing strategies to get your music in front of as many people as possible.

Using word of mouth, social media, or any channel you have access to gives you control over when to push your message and promote it, creating an increased chance at career opportunities ahead of others that don’t.

There's a lot to unpack when it comes to branding and marketing, but if you're serious about making it as a singer, you need to understand at least the basics. I would start here if you're looking for a beginning point for branding and marketing your singing career.

Singers use word of mouth, social media pages, and local news outlets to share their performances.

When performers (like you) promote themselves, it demonstrates your dedication to their craft. This tenacity often results in new opportunities arising, both within their field and beyond.

Education and networking are critical elements of self-promotion, and it is important for you to be mindful of the image they present to the public.

By taking control of your own career and marketing yourself effectively, singers can expand their reach and build a successful future in the music industry.

That's How You Pursue A Career in Singing

If you want to be a star, you may have to start small. That means being a backup singer or part of a chorus, either for free or for pocket money.

It's not the glamorous life of being a solo artist, but it's a foot in the door. And who knows? With enough talent and dedication, you could be the one out front belting out the tunes.

But you're not alone.

Countless megastars started in these roles, with a few being Cheryl Crow, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey.

They took a chance on themselves by building up their careers and started in these roles, which led to their success. 

Once you’ve established yourself as a singer and built up a resume of work, you can find yourself on the road to making decent money.

If you think you're up for the challenge, start with the steps outlined above. They will act as guidance on how you should pour the foundation of your singing career, based on how most singers break in.

The difference though, is the steps above provide strategic value in getting there quicker - focusing on gaps that others follow, and the opportunities they are leaving behind.

If you love the idea of singing as a career, and you're up for the challenge, then the next couple of sections will give you a good idea of the financial side of a singing career.

How Much Do Singers Earn Per Year?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, singers (and musicians) in the United States earn $60,000 annually, pre-tax. This works out to roughly $30.5 per hour. However, earnings fluctuate based on the location of the singer and microeconomic conditions.

The US is a large country, with a broad range of incomes and costs of living. This can make it difficult to know how much money you'll need to live comfortably in different parts of the country as a singer.

So before you let that $60k salary inspire or discourage you, you should sort through where you live and want to sing. This may have a tremendously different earning potential than the median salary for singers.

For example, in Atlanta, Georgia, singers make $35 per hour on average, which is pretty close the median hourly rate.

But compare that to average earnings for singers in other cities in the US, like Los Angeles, which is $46 per hour, or Northwestern Illinois at $23.5 per hour.

The only way to truly know what earning potential for singers in the US is to look at the average or median hourly pay by location.

Thankfully, that information is readily available from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics - just plug your zip code or state into the search box, and it will spit out potential pay ranges.

How Do Singers Make Money for Live Performances?

Performing live is one of the joys of a career singer as you can make money as a lead singer or backup vocalist at music gigs. And it's also the most profitable way to earn a living, while also being available to singers just starting their careers.

Ticket sales are probably where your mind first goes when thinking about monetizing live performances. Your demand will ultimately determine how much money your tickets can sell for. And if you're in a band, that will be split up, which is something to consider.

You can structure your ticket prices as either a flat fee or a percentage of the tickets sold.

While you may not be selling tickets to shows right away, ticket sales are the engine to fueling the most profitable way of monetizing a singing career, which is merchandising.

If you have a strong following, you can make serious money from merchandise sales.

Whenever I go to a live performance, I look at the artist’s merchandise. If I purchase a vinyl record, t-shirt, or stickers, I know the money will go directly to the musicians themselves.

Seriously consider going this route from the start, you can stand out, become more memorable, and earn more money earlier on. If you do explore merchandise, consider hiring a graphic designer to make unique designs for your merch.

While you can’t make a living off royalties at the start, and most likely ever, if you file your catalog, you could begin receiving performance royalties.

There's a lot more involved in earning from live performances, and if you want to get all the inside scoop, including three hacks to help you book more gigs and make more money per show, check out an article I recently wrote about how artists in the music industry make money.