YBFREE.comIn Pursuit of Human Interests
| YBFREE.com In Pursuit of Human Interests |
Archives | BLOG | Auctions | Shoppe | Message Board | Company Info | Search |
Making the Band, Pop Stars, 
everyone wants their fifteen minutes, but how can one try to make 15 minutes into a lifetime career? Is it in the stars? Is it the backing of some corporation's marketing department? Or does it take the effort of an individual to keep a career alive? These philosophical questions and more cannot be answered here, but at least YBFREE.com is giving aspiring singers a peek into how to at least start climbing the ladder to stardom. To help you, YBFREE.com has enlisted the help of an aspiring R&B singer named Mikayla, a seventeen-year-old singer/songwriter from California, to help us understand the complexities and rewards of striving for champagne wishes and caviar dreams.
YBFREE.com: What, if any, education did you receive to prepare you for a music career?
MIKAYLA: Well it would have to be Girls Chorus, and definitely English, which helps your lyrics make sense. It's like writing a story about yourself, and putting your own voice to it.
YBFREE.com: How does one find a manager?
MIKAYLA: Well you first need to get connected, basically try getting a talent agent. There are numbers in the Yellow Pages, or take acting classes, or vocal coaching, and they will usually recommend someone to you if you have what it takes, and are worth people's time.
YBFREE.com: What advice can you give on contracts aspiring singers will encounter as they pick managers, master demos, etc?
MIKAYLA: Well contracts are meant to be broken, so be careful what you sign, and do not be so quick about it (signing contracts) no matter what anyone says. Always take a contract to a lawyer to review it. You never know, you might be signing your life away-if you do, make sure it is well worth it.
YBFREE.com: Any advice on where one can get information on managers and lawyers in the music business?
MIKAYLA: Basically there are books at the bookstore that have information about that, then there are websites online like Yahoo! and Alta Vista where you can read up on managers, how they operate, and where to get one.
YBFREE.com: What are some of the scams you have encountered that others should watch out for?
MIKAYLA: Well, watch out who you give your money to, watch what you sign, and always look for references from others whom you get involved with. Make sure on the contract that it has the digits (phone numbers) and addresses of who gave it to you. Never sign a contract that has all small letters and nowhere to reach that person.
YBFREE.com: Do you have a record contract or album?
MIKAYLA: Recording contract, not yet...I'd like to think real soon though. Album, not yet. As of right now I'm working on my second demo, to expand my talent. Then I will be making a music video to shop around to labels and such.
YBFREE.com: What is needed in order for an aspiring singer to make a demo?
MIKAYLA: MONEY-TALENT-GOOD MATERIAL.
YBFREE.com: Where did you get the material for your demo?
MIKAYLA: I write my own material and have others look at it to perfect it.
YBFREE.com: Where can your aspiring singers obtain material?
MIKAYLA: I would say read up on artists in the same genre as you, and take notes from what they sing and write, and start creating your own material.
YBFREE.com: Can you give any online resources for aspiring singers?
MIKAYLA: Yes, go to Hitquarters.com. It has a list of people that have signed established acts. It also has a top list of the top A&R's(Albums and Records) that number one now, and how lots of artists got started.
YBFREE.com would like to thank Mikayla for the very informative interview. And we will be sure to keep you posted on her career. Mikayla has a very informative Yahoo! Club at http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/mikayla for aspiring singers, with plenty of information, interviews with some of today's top managers and producers, join now for free at Yahoo! If you have any further questions please feel free to e-mail Mikayla at Mikayla000@aol.com or me at Bandwidth@ybfree.com.