Storytelling for Musicians

One of the reasons we’re seeing more and more indie musicians making it big in the music industry is because of their ability to tell fascinating stories which their fans absolutely love and can relate to. So today, in this blog, I’m going to quickly run you through the steps that you need to follow to build yourself a solid and engaging story, with every release. 

We're going to talk about how you can craft a story around you and your music with just 3 simple questions.

#1: What is my story?

One of the most successful methods of making your releases stand out on Spotify and YouTube is by taking storytelling seriously. 

Let’s look at a beautiful example of Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago”:

 

 

Now, you might not have as extraordinary a story as this, but that’s not the point. The point is, you do have a story and your job is to write it down. What all happened which led you to recording your music? What was the inspiration behind that one song you’re a bit more attached to? Is there a central theme to all your releases? If yes, what made you pick that theme? Are you as influenced by Daniel Caesar as I am? Say it!

Sit down and have a conversation with yourself. Ask yourself questions.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to get the ball rolling:

• What are my influences? (Why do I make the kind of music I do?)
• What’s your origin story? (How did you end up where you are, how did you find your bandmates?)
• What challenges did you face along the way? 

So, what is your story?

 

#2: How do I intrigue people?

Your song might be entirely about you. But that doesn't mean that people wouldn’t be able to relate to it. Let me take my own example here.

I released a single Stepping About on Spotify and YouTube back in 2020, and it majorly revolved around the theme of how I needed to take a break at times instead of giving into the hustle culture 24/7. However, the way I marketed it had an increased relatability factor to it: I brought in the importance of overall mental health. And just like that, my music was so much more relatable for people.

You might think that adding that little detail might not make a humongous difference, but it might end up bridging the gap between knowing that an artist has released a new single, and actually sitting to listen to that song. 

#3: Why and How?

Don’t shy away from letting loose all the small details of how the songs you released came to be.

There are a few quirks to every song you make that you might not even consider worth mentioning, but people love to know the inner workings of their favorite artists' release.

Here’s an amazing example from Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy:

This little story did so well, and it was covered everywhere!

Make no mistake, you might have amazing music to offer to the people, but if people get the opportunity to get their hands on the inner workings of your brain behind the music, they will absolutely love it!

 

Additionally, this can include stories that aren’t strictly about your music. Stories about how you found the artist that is featuring on the track, the producer that made you do a hundred takes or the guitarist who never showed up for practice and bombed an important gig, people just like hearing about interesting anecdotes, and it helps you build a more personal connection. 

 

There’s a reason behind-the-scenes footage garners millions of views. Use this human tendency to your advantage and make the best use of the actual circumstances that led to your song in the first place! Who knows, if your story generates enough buzz, a music supervisor might want to place your music in movies.