Having a bio is a vital asset to have as an artist. Until you are signed, where generally your manager/booking agent can handle your press kit, the task of writing a bio is on you! It can feel weird to write about yourself, especially when you are (sort of) bragging about yourself. But having a well-written bio is important to have when you start getting bookings and start signing releases. It’s an easy way to let new and potential fans get a glimpse into your life and work as an artist. Here is our guide on how to write your own bio, take notes!
1. Introduction
Getting started with a bio can be the toughest part. Start by jotting down some notes about yourself: where you are from, what your music sounds like, your name, etc. You should also take into account your personality/brand when writing your bio. Are you a funny, carefree type of person whose music reflects that? Or does your brand image and music portray that you treat your music and your career with a more serious tone? Having these things in mind will help you get started in writing your perfect bio.
2. Background information
Give some background information about where you come from and some of your musical influences. Keep it relevant and keep it short! You want whoever is reading this to be engaged. You don’t want to lose them in a large paragraph about your life story. Just a sentence or two about what makes you the artist that you are.
3. Description of Your Music
Though most of your fans will know what kind of music you are releasing, some promoters or booking agents might not be so familiar with your sound. If you find it difficult to categorize your music by a specific genre, use some familiar and snazzy words to describe your sound.
4. Career highlights and achievements
Here’s where you can really get the interest of the reader. Not everyone follows your musical journey so closely, so use this space to remind or inform people of some of the great things you’ve done.
You can use this space to share how your track did really well in Beatport or Traxsource’s charts. Maybe your music was played on BBC or another high-profile radio station.
5. Events Played
If you have some big shows under your belt, write them down! Let people know about the festival you got to open up or the special clubs you’ve been able to perform at.
Some artists will share how they opened up for or shared the stage with bigger artists here. In our opinion, this information is better suited for a one-sheet to share with booking agents and promoters. Unless you have been asked to go on tour with a big artist as their official support, the truth is: people don’t really care who you opened up for. They care about the venues, promoters, and brands that you are associated with.
6. Press Quotes
Rounding out your bio with a quote from a press write-up is a nice touch that will say to your readers that others are talking about your music. Whether it’s a quote about you as an artist or a quote about a release, make sure you include it!
If you don’t have anything, don’t worry about it. But keep it in mind for the future, you can also come back and add things to your bio later.