Three strategies to finding your niche as a singer:

1. Specialise in one area of your genre

Rather that ‘just singing jazz’, specialise in one specific area of the genre instead. I get a lot of work for ‘Great Gatsby’ parties because I focus on 1920’s style music. You could do ‘New Orleans 1920’s Swing with a tuba rather than bass’ or Gritty Rock and Roll swing for example.

You could cater specifically for swing dancers and do swing dance tempo songs from the 1930’s/40’s. You could do electroswing, or be a bluesy/ jazz singer people would book for a sultry night of low key saucy songs. You could do more cabaret style jazz and sing songs with constumers or get together with a Burlesque act. There are loads of ways to dig deep and make one specific area of your musical genre into ‘the thing you’re known for’. 

2. Go original

Do you love to write your own songs? Then do that instead! This is how I made a name for myself in my local area. I’m known more for my big 8 piece original band and our upbeat style of 1920’s fusion than anything else.

Sure I still do some ‘Great American Songbook’ style jazz cover gigs, but I get paid a LOT more to do the original stuff.

3. Use branding

The power of branding my friends!  You could be different through your branding alone. For example, instead of being ‘another sultry jazz singer in a gown’, be a gothic eerie vampire-esque jazz singer and pick darker songs to sing or do cool arrangements of songs and change the lyrics to be darker/ add some distortion guitar instead of jazz guitar. 

The ideas are limitless (and sooo fun!)

Did you like this video?

If you did, let me know in the comments below, which of the three strategies you think you may try first!

Nicola xx