An artist or band always has a story to tell – a story about how and why they got from A to B. This is what compels those who aren’t familiar with one’s music to give it a listen. The ability to communicate who you are in a few hundred words is a necessary skill, and one that independent artists can greatly benefit from to open up doors and explore new opportunities.
If you make music, you’ll be asked to write an artist bio in many different contexts. Let’s take a look at how artist biographies differ per platform and how to tweak yours to be most effective.
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How To Write a Good Artist Biography
You don’t have to be an expert writer to nail a bio. Getting it right is like following a cake recipe. With all the right ingredients, in the right order, you’ll have a top-class piece of writing.
Prepare Multiple Versions
Different contexts ask for different lengths and level of detail, so you’ll need to prepare multiple versions of your bio. The best way to make the most of your time and efficiency is by writing one full-length, in-depth bio that includes every career detail you could ever need to present to someone. Don’t worry about how long it is – it’ll only function as the blueprint as you only pull only the most relevant details for your shorter versions. Here are the various types of artist bios you’ll be writing and how long they should be:
- Social media: 5-25 words
- Emails/DMs: 50-200 words
- Streaming platforms: 5-300 words
- Album/CD/vinyl sleeve: 100-300 words
- Pitches to playlists or media: 100-500 words
- Website: 50-500 words
Stick to the Point
The quality of the writing does not have to be at academic level, it just has to get the point across. Avoid being overly complex with your descriptions and instead be concise and direct. Make sure every sentence serves a real purpose in telling your story and is not there to hit word count. We have a full page dedicated to explaining the nitty gritty of bio-writing here. Check it out for more extensive writing and structure tips.
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Biography Structure
The following is the more standard structure of an artist bio. You can absolutely switch things around and include more about one section than another, but it’s important to at least touch on each point. If you have a lot of recent achievements, you can go light on the history, and if you’re just starting out, you can focus on musical influences and description. Mold it to fit your needs.
- Intro
- Background and History
- Past projects and Achievements
- Quotes and Testimonials
- News (recent and upcoming)
Find more details on what each point should include here.
Artist Biography Examples
Every artist approaches bio-writing slightly differently. Here are a few examples of how successful artists have chosen to present themselves in their Spotify bios.
RAYE – 250 words
Maggie Rogers – 150 words
Shaboozey – 140 words
IAMNOBODI – 190 words
| Also read: How to contact music media outlets, blogs, journalists with Groover
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