Firstly, I would like to state here that the term “upcoming artiste” is somehow degrading to young acts who hustle day and night to put out good music, with little or no resources and hype. Sometimes these young acts even put out better materials than the A list artistes out now. The only difference between them and the A list artistes out now is the fame and the recognition. So I would like to address them as “potential star artistes”
Below are some basic and vital tips for potential stars who aspire to make it big in the Music industry.

It should be noted that they are my own personal views/opinions; they shouldn’t be taken as facts or otherwise.

1. As a potential hit maker, your name matters a lot. Before picking a stage name, endeavour to check around the existing “Already made” artistes, so that you don’t end up picking an already existing stage name. Make sure your stage name means something intelligent, especially if it’s not a shortened version of your real names.

2. Learn and master at least one music instrument, it makes you understand the basics of music.


3. As a potential music star in Nigeria, we all know times are hard. . Learning how to produce will go a very long way in your career, so u can save more money from paying producers who ironically are upstarts like you.

4. Social media is a very important tool to your success, but unfortunately many of the potential stars don’t know how to utilize the medium to its fullest. when you register on any social media, be sure that your username is strictly your “STAGE NAME” and also, make sure your bio explains who you are, what you do, what kind of music you do and most especially a LINK TO YOUR MUSIC. Any potential artiste who doesn’t do that is unserious to me and doesn’t take his/her career serious. As a potential artiste, your bio shouldn’t be reading stuffs like “team follow back, team arsenal, team big boobs, team bla bla bla” . . Leave all that for kids who are online to have fun. You are online for business!

Also make sure you make friends with people that matter online, don’t go about following people who will not add anything to your career. Follow bloggers, follow producers, follow critics, follow bigger artistes (Famzing is allowed). Follow dj’s, follow OAP’s . . just make sure You are in contact with people who are music inclined. Forget about the girls for now, when you blow, they will beg you with everything to be friends with you.
As a potential superstar, criticising already made artistes to the point where u get noticed and picked as someone who hates is bad for your career. Always try as much as possible to pick out the good in them and talk about it, till u get noticed.

Learn to put your songs online via your twitter or facebook accounts, that’s the major reason why you signed up for them. Let your friends listen and broadcast. And learn to take to corrections from listeners. Na naija we dey, no be everybody be objective listener so don’t be discouraged by some negative comments. We get hate for our blood as Nigerians naturally.
As a potential music star, you really have no business planning for an album yet. Focus on a mixtape or something, Drop your stuff on popular hit instrumentals of the moment, and make sure you drop your best on them. People tend to listen more to remixes of already made hits, than songs with new beats. It is your content that will get you record labes.
Participate in online competitions by bigger artistes/producers or blogs. You never can tell e fit be there your luck go shine and people go sabi you.

Nothing stops you from having your own personal blog or reverb page. Post your songs there, post lyrics, short interviews, pictures etc. and spread them on the internet.

5. Getting your songs posted on entertainment sites.
Many at times I just shake my head when I get some mails from potential stars, they often lack professionalism. Never you; send a mail with your stage name, you don’t have to wait till you get signed, before you have a label name. Form a label of your own, just for the name. Get an e-mail address with the name of the label and make sure all mails from you to any promotional entertainment site is VIA that e-mail address.
A standard e-mail to a site MUST have the following. . .
• A graphic art for the content u want posted on the site
• A short Bio about yourself
• An attached Mp3 format of your song, or a link to DL the song
• And an appreciation in advance for the posting.
When your contents get posted, always endeavour to say thanks. That’s the least you can do to show appreciation.

Don’t kill yourself on a particular site; spread your songs to all entertainment blogs you have access to. The more the merrier.
Never you send an average song to any site, always send out your best. Na wetin people hear na em dem go use take judge you. And we all know say Naija fans no too dey give second chance, we’re very impatient.

6. Your musical content.
Your content as a potential star tends to be scrutinised more by the public, especially for rappers. In as much as the average naija fan wants to dance and party, they also want something new, fresh and real from you guys.

Who says you can’t do a party song that has good content? It all balls down to the skill and talent of the artiste. Don’t just go into a booth and sing crap on a good beat and expect to blow. Try and make sense!

Once in a while, drop conscious songs. . Songs that would make listeners think about life, songs that make people go “this is so so true”. Sing about the ills of the society, sing about love, just make sure it’s a conscious topic. No be everytime we go dey ginger ginger, we av to take it slow sometimes. The standard of music has increased, you either meet up or be left out.

As for rappers, no be everything be punchline punchline o, Puchlines with no story line, leaves the listener with nothing to remember your song for. Always try to tell a story!

7. On air promo
Before you pay that dj that will not play you’re your song on radio, have you thought of other means to get your songs on the streets?

• Burn your songs on CD’s, give to people you know that have cars, give to bar owners in your neighbourhood, give to Dj’s at your local parties, give to Dj’s at clubs etc.
• I am of the opinion that money cannot sell a bad song; a good song will sell itself. E fit take time o, but one day hustle go pay!
• As per videos, if u re sure that it will get played on Tv, go ahead and lobby with whoever you can.

8. I think that’s all I can remember for now, am sure it will go a long way in helping out. It should be noted that God is the koko of everything, never you leave him out of your hustle.

@tosinadeda
2012

http://tosinadeda..com/2012/02/tips-for-potential-naija-music-stars.html

You make brain die

You are so on point. I'm bookmarking this thread.

We need more of these topics on this board, but the current state of Music thread is saddening. There is nothing worth reading here, except this.

Impressed. . . Nice one tosin. One of the days wey you dey make sense. . . This should make the home page.!. . .Muki/?

this thread reminds me of the days i fell in love with the music board of this site.
Gone are those days.
Now na so so adverts full the place.

Tosin,
I have gone through your article and once more i want to acknowledge the good content therein. Well done!!
However, i have a problem with nos. 2 and 6.
How do you want to convince an upcoming artiste to learn a musical instrument when those he is looking up to can't play jack?
No need calling names but name five out of the lot who played at Rhythm unplugged (i just plugged a premium concert out of the air) that can play an instrument? I chose Rhythm unplugged for a strategic reason. Why do you want the upcoming artiste to tow a path that is not proven?
I know of no artiste that practices instruments as hard as the duo of Femi Kuti and Lagbaja. Do you know how they survive? through international tours. If na only Nigerian market, hunger for don kill Femi and his large band. Lagbaja has been on an extended tour for the last 6 months or so. In the industry's present state, learning an instrument is not productive for any up coming act.
On No 6, i have a similar complaint. Look at Dbanj, Davido, Wizkid, Timaya, Terry G,Psquare,Dprince etc and tell me what the heck musical content has to do with it. Folks like Sound Sultan, Blaise and Eldee who have insisted in talking sense have had to work twice as hard to make half as much fame and cash.
Musical content is not important. I'll rather advice the upcoming acts to rather concentrate on autotune and catchy beats. that is the proven route. why try to fix it if it ain't broken?

[color=#000099][/color] What a nice post you got here bro.

If we all can learn from this, I think the future would be so bright for us surely as it's written ''Heaven helps those who help themselves''. I'm really impressed.

Can I duplicate this in my blog? Just asking.

Thanks in advance.

No. 7 reminds me of a guy who was a security man in one of these fast food joints.
he burned his cds and handed it to customers who walked into the outlet. He asked for a token and if you declined to drop anything but he felt you are his target market, he will just dash you the cd.

@mbulela: I like people like you. Please go on and right something on this thread.

You made a proven point in the learning of instrument stuff but I reckon that doing so is basically to add something to yourself as an artiste. It's practically not commercial but a way of making a spiritual relationship with the career.

@Tosin: I'm still waiting for your reply about dublicating this.

@iygeal sure u can duplicate, just add my name and a link to the original post

@mbulela
lol i get ur point about the instrument. . .
But playing an instrument is an added advantage. .
Understanding music is key when making music.

If u check no6 again, i said the fans tend to scrutinize the works of new acts, that's my it's necessary. . .

They are all opinions tho, dsnt mean it will work for everybody, u dig?

^^^^^
I get your point.
I am being cynical though honest.
If you say fans scrutinize the works of new acts,how were the works of all the bubble gum music artistes taking centre stage scrutinized and how did they emerge?
The truth is that content counts for very little in our environment. Check out Ade Piper!

mbulela:

Tosin,
I have gone through your article and once more i want to acknowledge the good content therein. Well done!!
However, i have a problem with nos. 2 and 6.
How do you want to convince an upcoming artiste to learn a musical instrument when those he is looking up to can't play jack?
No need calling names but name five out of the lot who played at Rhythm unplugged (i just plugged a premium concert out of the air) that can play an instrument? I chose Rhythm unplugged for a strategic reason. Why do you want the upcoming artiste to tow a path that is not proven?

Tosin, answer this question.

Many of these A list artistes know how to produce. . . That means they have knowledge about music.

What do u mean by path that is not proven? As far as i know, learning an instrument improves ur knowledge about the art of music. . .
Nobody needs proof for that.

tosinaded@:

What do u mean by path that is not proven? As far as i know, learning an instrument  improves ur knowledge about the art of music. . .
Nobody needs proof for that.

it is proven that you don't need it to succeed.
the inability to list any of those artistes in that line up that can play an instrument decently is the proof i am referring to.

I dnt remember saying u need an instrument to make it,
i said it will make u understand the art of music. . .
People like 2face dnt play any instrument, and he understands the art almost perfectly!


Terry G - 7 instruments
Eldee - keyboard, infact he's a producer
M.I - drums and keyboard, he produces
Jessejags - drums, keyboard etc
Asa - Guitar
soundsultan - Guitar
psquare - Guitar
Nneka - Guitar
Ksolo - Piano
Darey - Piano
timi dakolo - Piano

do u want more?

Wizboyy - multi instrumentalist.
Duncan mighty - plays the keyboard, he's a producer.
Faze - plays the keyboard.
Flavour - keyboard, guitar
davido - young producer
suspekt - Producer
Dbanj - harmonica

@TosinAdeda , Ur endowed neuro-chemicals that flow in your medula will neva jam bombastic bokoharamystic danger in Jesus name.
So much sense and am learning from it,

tosinaded@:


Dbanj - harmonica

Tosin you don win carry go.

tosinaded@:




Terry G - 7 instruments
Eldee - keyboard, infact he's a producer
M.I - drums and keyboard, he produces
Jessejags - drums, keyboard etc
Asa - Guitar
soundsultan - Guitar
psquare - Guitar
Nneka - Guitar
Ksolo - Piano
Darey - Piano
timi dakolo - Piano

do u want more?

Terry G, 7 instruments?
Tosin you sure?

M.I drums and piano i hope no be all those hobbies section for CV you get that info from?

infact i no trust that your list, with all due respect.

Nostalgic feelings of the old music board. . .I rarely come here this days but threads like this can spark up healthy debates and all that. . .

+100000

Nice




#Javalove. . .unless otherwise stated. . .!

nice

Lmao! I knew it wld get to this. . . But @mbulela u asked for names, i gave and now u dnt biliv?
Wetin make i do again na?

U re shocked at Terry G? Am not surprised. .
At the last check, he was learning the saxophone!

M.I started from the church, so y are u shocked? During iceprince's album lauch, he playd the keyboard, Jargo playd d drums.

M.I played the keyboard on 2shotz song "i am william" infact there was a piano in the video, and mi was playn it. .

I no dey lie 4 u o, na fact i dey give u. .

NB: anybody that produces, plays atleast one instrument.

Nice one Mr Tosin,


But eLDee posted something like this, her, I mean his own tips, seems the same jare

Tosin so you get blog?
Nice! I see you!!

nice share, that is a complete guide

mbulela:

Terry G, 7 instruments?
Tosin you sure?

M.I drums and piano i hope no be all those hobbies section for CV you get that info from?

infact i no trust that your list, with all due respect.

Apparently Mbulela does no know that M.I. Produced most of the tracks in his last album MI2.

@mbuela

Please ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh stop promoting mediocrity.

If thats the way these american artists run their music, we wouldnt be celebrating them today.

Why would you say musical contents dont matter?

Just check out Jodie's kuchi kuchi and repeat that again.

9gerian Artists need to make sense in their songs mostly these rappers. Nigerian rappers are so lame.

When i heard Nas 'Be a Nigger too' Tears welled up in my eyes. I was like ' i've been listening to nonsense nigerian rap all these while'

If we have more artists with great musical contents just watch how those with just catchy beats and autotune will fade away.

The factors here are the promoters, marketers and the young people who die over these kind of music. How do we grow in music if you say musical contents dont matter. Abeg lets grow oh.

diluminati:

@mbuela

Please ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh stop promoting mediocrity.

If thats the way these american artists run their music, we wouldnt be celebrating them today.

Why would you say musical contents dont matter?

Just check out Jodie's kuchi kuchi and repeat that again.

9gerian Artists need to make sense in their songs mostly these rappers. Nigerian rappers are so lame.

When i heard Nas 'Be a Nigger too' Tears welled up in my eyes. I was like ' i've been listening to nonsense nigerian rap all these while'

If we have more artists with great musical contents just watch how those with just catchy beats and autotune will fade away.

The factors here are the promoters, marketers and the young people who die over these kind of music. How do we grow in music if you say musical contents dont matter. Abeg lets grow oh.

how could you miss the cynical sarcasm in my posts?

SpiralEx:

Apparently Mbulela does no know that M.I. Produced most of the tracks in his last album MI2.

how does that equate to him being a multi instrumentalist?