LOVE LETTER TO UPCOMING ARTIST(Season2)

Dear Artiste,
I appreciate that you took time to read the first
letter I wrote to you which was really for your
good. It is also remarkable and of note that you
took time out to communicate back to me via e-
mails and also on twitter. Over 700 mails were
sent in respect to the first letter I wrote to you,
each having unique or similar remarks and
questions. The questions are my intentions for
writing you a second letter as I intend to trash
out each of them one after another.
I grouped the questions based on similarity and I
will religiously look into each group of questions. I
must first commend that most of the mails you
sent to me described you as an up and coming
act which is a slight show of humility and this is
quite remarkable, I appreciate the self-definition
which provides an avenue to want to do more.
Now, let’s get on to the questions. A whole lot of
you are bothered about how to become stars
through music, as many questions read how do i
become a star? My dear artiste, the first thing to
be thought of is how to make good music, instead
of the quest for stardom. Good music will not only
make you a star, it will put food on your table and
make you celebrated. I would rightly say that
instead of the thirst for stardom, why not the
thirst for good music. To make good music like I
earlier wrote to you, there are a few but very
important steps. First is self and music genre
definition. Do not intend to sing R & B because
you have a mentor in “R. Kelly”. Take time to
study yourself and understand your voice.
Imagine “Timaya” in the R & B world, which
would have been a square peg in an octagonal
hole. Define your kind of music. Understand
yourself and your voice. The second important
step is to have good lyrics. It’s enough that you
sang about booties, fast cars, drinks and all. Be
creative. Take a clue from the maestro “2face
Idibia”. A good lyric is most definitely, the key.
The fact that you sing dancehall doesn’t mean
you have to be meaningless and very incoherent.
The next step after this is to seek the services of
the best producer around… Don’t settle for less. I
do understand that the finances aren’t there, but
since you already chose music as a career, you
have to do what’s right. Pay the price. You just
have to get it right.
A good producer is one that understands your
verses from the chorus. It doesn’t have to be one
of the big names around; all I’m asking is that
you seek the best of producers. Get a beat that
interweaves your song, not one you have to
adjust to.
After the service of a superb producer has been
sought and his best has been done, now is your
turn to deliver. In delivery, another germane
thing is a good recording studio. Be sure that the
recording studio you intend to use has the best of
equipment. Query the mic, the headphone, the
booth, sound engineer, soundcard and even the
computer system. Of what fun will it be to have
your song corrupted after your labour in the
studio? Please my dear, make sure the studio is
perfect for your song after which your delivery
comes into play.
Singing into a good mic allows you to hear
yourself clearly via the headphone. Take time to
listen to your beat. Get familiar with your beat,
master the tempo. Don’t rush it. No late comer in
the music business. Flow with the beat, flow on it,
make it yours. Take your time on each verse. Do
not be too anxious to make a hit; rather be to
make a good song. Open your mouth wide while
you sing, in other words, “be audible”. Let your
audience hear your words; it shows a lot of
confidence.
After your good delivery in the studio, dear
artiste, do not hurry your producer up to finish up
with your song. It’s understandable that a few of
them could be lazy and nonchalant, just allow
him take his time with your song. Let him
carefully dot the I’s and cross the T’s. If he
intends to work on your song out of the studio, let
him. Balancing is one thing he must get right, so
do not disturb him at the same time check on
him respectfully.
Mixing and mastering are very crucial steps to be
taken in the making of a good musical track. Dear
artiste, I must say to you that not all producers
can mix and master well. Be sure that you give
your song to a producer who can perfectly mix to
give it that beautiful melody. Mixing and
mastering is what transforms your beat and lyrics
from just a song to music.
I must be quick to share this information with
you. Do not allow your unmixed and un-mastered
song to be saved on a music device by anyone,
not even you. The only reason why you should
have it on your music gadget is if by any chance
you think you need to make some adjustments.
My reasons for this are, if your music gets into the
public unmixed, it will definitely bore the
audience giving them first bad impression about
you and your song. Secondly, by the time your
song is transformed to music, if it had previously
been in the public eye, it won’t be appreciated
because even you must have gotten used to the
rough version.
After your song has been well mixed and
mastered, be sure to hand it over to your
“efficient” manager who in turn hands it over to a
publicist for promotion. I can give an assurance
that if all these steps are adequately followed, not
only would you have made good music, but set
yourself on the route to stardom.
Another group of mails with similar questions
read, AS AN UPCOMING ARTISTE, I FIND IT
HARD TO WRITE GOOD LYRICS, WHAT DO I
DO? Dear artiste, I understand that it is very
possible that you have a very good heart, voice
and ear for music but you lack the writing skills, I
say to you that, that is not a problem. Even
“Neyo” wrote songs for the great “Micheal
Jackson”. If your problem is writing good lyrics, I
propose that you get a good song writer. Do not
be ashamed to walk up to people who can write
you good lyrics. Do not force it because if you
ain’t got it, you haven’t, but I can assure you that
it will develop over time if you practice. Get an
individual who can write you intelligent lyrics. If
you got an idea, share with him/her to be
developed. No crime in seeking knowledge. Let a
good song be written for you, and then you fine
tune it to suit you without changing the idea of
the song. Give it a good tone and make it
melodious. Remember, rhymes in songs are
equivalent to sugar and milk in tea.
Another very popular question is DIFFERENTIATE
BETWEEN A MANAGER AND A PUBLICIST AND
WHERE CAN I GET ONE? Dear artiste, like I
earlier rightfully said, an artiste manger differs
from a publicist, but the functions can be
combined by a very dynamic individual. Artiste
management is on one hand, while the publicist
is on the other, but they go hand-in-hand.
Your manager is that person that makes sure you
do the right thing at the right time. You are at
the right place at the right time. He/she fixes and
keeps your appointment. He is in charge of all
resources including your music and he
adequately manages them for the best output.
He is in charge of your musical career. He controls
the use of money and other resources. He decides
what song is dropped when. His very good
human relation makes him your listening ear to
the public. He relates well with your friends and
fans. These are just a few of the numerous roles of
an efficient manager. This individual deserves
your respect and I must say that at any point in
time, do not interfere with his job and always
trust his judgments.
The publicist on the other hand is your voice to
the public. He builds your public image. He
brands you and your music. He gets your face
and music to the nooks and crannies of the earth.
He makes sure any good song handed him by the
manager becomes a hit. He is your media voice.
He is in charge of your interviews and public
image. In lay man’s words, he is your painter. He
paints you in shades he wants the public to see.
These are also a few of the very many roles of a
publicist. Now I hope you see the difference. On
paper, these roles seem easy, but in reality this is
a truck load of work. It takes only a dynamic
individual to combine both roles.
Dear artiste, please get a very good manager and
a good publicist. There are many credible
management and publicity outfits around. Talk to
any of them, research them, and check their
credibility. After you have gotten good ones, let
them handle you and your musical career. More
often, a good manager is easier to find than a
good publicist or publicity outfit. Just take your
time in your research as we have a lot of them
around, but a dynamic publicity outfit is what you
need.
There are still a lot of questions which I intend to
answer with regards to record labels and record
deals, copyright, music law, events and others,
but time won’t permit me in this letter. I do hope
to take a deep look into these critical matters
when in my next letter to you. Please keep the
questions coming in as I would love to answer any
more questions as they arise. For now, I’m your
friend WALE APPLAUSE.
Yours faithfully,
Wale Applause,
@waleapplause01
applauseafricamedia30@gmail.com