i am 13 years old but i want to start my singing career anytime now, if anyone knows how to start or someone who is an agent that can help me, please email me at

That would really help me a lot thx
Danielle

babybeth07

Hey Danielle!
I know how you feel. I want to become a singer, too, and I'm also 13 years old. I've looked at lots of sites, but they ALL want 14 and over!!!! (either 14 or 18 and older!!!) This really frustrates me, and I dont know what to do!

Bethany J.

Danielle

Zipper

I guess I'm too late with any kind of answer for these "girls in a hurry" - but I'll point out for any other girls with this "plan" that wanting to sing professionally has nothing to do with succeeding.
Apart from talent and determination you would increase your chances by taking singing, dancing and acting lessons. Join a local amateur dramatic society, go to karaoke nights, if you start winning you are doing the right things.
The bottom line is you need to WORK HARD, success didn't drop into Britney, Lindsey and Hilary's laps they had to fight for it.

Fr_Chuck

Ok, the main thing is that no one ( at least in the US) that are under 18 can sign a legal contract, so your parents have to be invovled in all contract and choices.

Next there are a dozen people in every city in every nation that want to be a singer.

What you need to do, decide first what type of singer you want to be opera, country western, rap or what.

Next you want to take voice lessons to learn to control your notes, proper breathing and also how to read music.

Next ( and at the same time) you will need to perform any and everywhere you can. Go out and sign at some of the nursing homes, if your music is ok for them, gangster rap may not work at most of them.
Look up vetern groups and offer to intertain at various meetings.

Now that signing will be free of charge and often you will sign for free or at a loss for several years just to get known. Also many areas have open mike nights and/or karoke nights ( simular system)

You need to work on about 30 minutes to 60 minutes of songs that you know by heart and have the music to ( or can play the music to)
It will have to be a music only CD or tape that you sign to.
Practice talking to the people between the songs, practice in front of a mirror thinking of stage presence.

Next after you get good, got your pitch and tone down great, got your breathing down good, you cut a demo CD at a recording studio. It can be from taped music as long as there is no copyright or if you have paid the fee to use the music.

Most modern music has a copyright so if you use it professionally, you will have to pay the orginal artist for the right to use thier music. If you record thier music, you have to agree to pay a set fee per CD you make.

With a CD in hand, you submit it to dozens and doznes of recording studios. You may never get one to use you.

You will get a dozen offers for people to "record" you if you pay them a fee. One of those in Nashville will cut your record but you have to pay about 10,000 dollars. They offer to submit it to big name labels, but often can never tell you one perosn that actually made it big using them.

Now you will often want to go to "showcases" these do cost often from 10 to 100 dollars, they normally do have various recording people there that are looking for new talent.

So this is why your parents have to be invovled, getting into this will cost money, take alot of time, They will have to drive you and drive you every few days somewhere to do something, and often this will cost gas, maybe eating out a meal and you will have to have back up tapes, a player you can sing to, a amp, mikes and so on.

Zipper

Gee Whiz Chuck, you mean you expect these girls to WORK for success?

Next thing you'll be telling them to get an education.....

(anybody smell irony in the air?)

Fr_Chuck

Ok, I guess they could go out and rob a local store, shoot up a few store windows, get pregnant from a NFL football player, go to jail, and come out and become a famous rap singer. The more perfered method it seems today.


My wife and I operate a music school, when we were in Atlanta we sponsered the John Lenon Bus and our school was highlighted on the CNN national news. We even had Star Search call us ( I did not believe it was them when they called the first time, like yeah, Star Search is calling me on the phone) but they called and specifcily asked us to send them our students for the tryouts. We also do alot of coaching ( well did, only do a very few select people now adays) for people wanting to get into college music programs on scholarships, or even get in to the programs. Music programs are select and you have to be at the top of the game. My wife who is more music trained than I am, also helps people working on thier Masters or Doctors in Music on the therory study. These have been private tutoring that she does with them.

Most people don't think about it, but even top stars have dance and voice coaches that travel with them that help them keep at the top of thier game.

OK, I will admit sometimes it is blind luck, you are singing at the street corner and a music ex hears you and calls you in, but in most cases record labels don't even open the 1000's of CD;s they get sent. They trash them all, they only listen to those sent to them by thier own scouts or by people they have professional dealings with.

Only after a few years of singing for free, do you hire a booking agent, and then you will almost be singing for free, by the time you drive 200 miles, get a motel room and buy food, you often get paid less than it costs you to sing. But that is the life of a singer.
And then about the best you will get is a medium carrerr singing at county fairs, small clubs and some mall openings. Very, very few ever make it rich.

But a few do, and many who are on top today with one or two hits, are back in the small clubs in a few years, reliving the year or two of fame.

Most people have never heard of Tommy Cash, he is ( was) Johnny Cash's bother, Tommy sounded alot like Johnny, but never got famous, he played small clubs and county fairs and mostly that only because of his famous name.

I don't want to destroy anyones dream, but going from playing in your bedroom or shower to singing in public for money, has alot of steps that most people don't want to do.

Zipper

I'm wittchoo on this. Here in Breda there is a very active music scene of all types, R&B, Jazz, fusion and pop (not much rap I'm relieved to say!!).
We have a circle of friends who are pros and with few exceptions they struggle to make a living.
The whole Star Search/Pop Idol phenomena thang has been very destructive IMHO to the music business. The (false) idea than hair gel, straight teeth and dressing like a gangsta or a ho is all that's needed to make the big time leads too many of these kids into early disappointment.

Fr_Chuck

Not to say that the people who do the rap music don't have a tough road, there are dozens of wanta-be rappers. Even Chrsitian rap. And honestly after looking at some of the stupid songs we had in the 60's and 70's
( You can't roller skate in a Buffalo herd) comes to mind. And so much of our music in those years dealt with drugs and sex and anti police in our own ways. So while I don't like the content and the langauge or really any of the rap, I do understnad that each generation and culture has its own music.
It is a tough

Zipper

We have to differ. I see rap as talking to a drum machine, sure, rhyming on the fly is a neat trick but I doubt any of the lyrics will stand the test of time.
I except Eminem from this as his lyrics are often witty and show an excellent vocabulary.
For the rest? Anybody that earns millions but still wants to dress and act like a street thug is a poser and not a musician - and their homophobic and misogynistic slant are a total turn off.

Each to his own!