As an artist, writing a bio for yourself or your musical group should be the first step you focus on in order to effectively promote your music. It is a genuine prerequisite, as it is the first descriptive link between you, media outlets, and your audience.
Here are a few tips to write a good music bio as an artist:
1. Why You Need a Bio
A captivating bio is what will compel those who do not know who you are to dig deeper and listen to your music. It provides a concise yet informative overview of your background, accomplishments, and artistic journey. Crafting a good artist bio involves capturing the essence of your music and personality while showcasing highlights of your career. This can be the catalyst that turns a stranger into a fan, or leaves a music industry executive wanting to know more.
2. Types of Artist Bios
You’ll have to have an artist bio ready for a number of contexts, and each will vary in length and detail depending on where they’ll be published. If you create one full-length bio that includes everything you might need to write about, you can pull relevant sections from it to craft shorter versions. You will likely need 2-3 different versions that can be used for:
- Social media (very short)
- Emails/DMs (short)
- Streaming platforms (mid-length)
- Album/CD/vinyl sleeve (mid-length)
- Pitches to playlists or media (mid to long)
- Website (mid to long)
3. What Information Should Be Included in an Artist Bio?
We recommend that you include these essential elements in your music bio:
- Where you/your group originated from
- If you’re a band, the names of members and their role
- The genre/music style you play (include subgenres to be specific)
- How many projects you’ve released (optional)
- Achievements/accolades
- Quote journalists/publications
- Important news (e.g. upcoming concerts, upcoming or recent single/EP/album releases)
- If you’re pitching, include links to streaming platforms
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Intro
The opening sentence is what hooks your reader, so make it compelling. It can be a quote, description of your sound, or something entirely different. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s one of the more interesting sentences of your bio.
Background and Style
How did you or your band start? Where are you from? Have you been playing music for a long time? What does your music represent/what is special about it? What genres and subgenres do you pull inspiration from? Spill the tea!
Past Projects and Achievements
List any past releases and how they were received by the public. If you got a good press write-up, a mention or repost by a reputed source, an award, hit a streaming milestone, or sold out a popular venue, make sure to mention it. Show your readers that other people are rooting for your success and your career is on a major incline.
Quotes and Testimonials
No matter the size of the publication, if you’ve gotten good press, quote it! Choose the best line from a write-up or review that highlights the quality of your music, stage presence, or your journey to the top.
News
Make sure to mention any recent events that may impress, such as opening for a bigger artist or hitting a career milestone. If you have upcoming shows or releases, take one sentence to give details on where and when they’ll be happening to get readers excited.
4. How Long Should a Music Bio Be?
The more concise and effective you can be, the better. Many media outlets are inundated with emails and demo submissions. They want to focus on what’s essential: listening to your music. It is therefore better to lose the fluff and stick with the essential information, keeping it at a maximum of 500 words for pitches or a website “About” page. For social media, it can be as short as one sentence. For emails, aim for a maximum of 200 words, and for streaming platforms, 300. A short and factual music bio shows an immediate sincerity that can be more convincing to music industry professionals than one that’s overly descriptive.
Recommended word count for an artist bio:
- 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
5. Mention Influences and Inspiration
If you’re just starting out and don’t have a ton to write about yet, mentioning who has influenced you is a great way for others to understand who you are and where your musical roots source back to. In naming musical references, it is better to focus on 2 or 3 key artists who have had an impact on your sound rather than to create a never-ending list of musicians you love. Music professionals are more likely to recognize what your vision is this way.
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6. Proof-Read Meticulously
An artist’s bio is often what bloggers, music journalists, and other outlets reference when writing their own pieces, so make sure to proof-read your bio before sending it, always. Keep any stats (stream-counts, # of followers, release dates) up to date and use your bio to mention what’s coming next in your career. Press is an excellent means of promotion, so make sure writers are aware of what you’re up to and what readers can get excited for. It goes without saying that you should always double check for grammar and spelling errors before contacting professionals!
7. Avoid Being Too Complex
A music bio should be easy to read. You don’t need to pepper your bio with words like ‘elegiac’, or ‘oneiric’ — allow readers of any and all ages and backgrounds the chance to really understand you, your music, and your career by getting straight to the point. Specificity is important, but so is brevity. When describing your music, use adjectives that trigger the five senses to conjure up imagery as opposed to using big SAT words only writers will be clued into.
8. Artist Bio Example
Gracie Abram’s Spotify bio is roughly 250 words long and includes musical influences, stylistic description, past projects, accolades, quotes, and recent events.
Visit our Artist Bio Examples article for more!
9. Pro Tips and Summary
- Write in the 3rd person
- Show your personality
- Sprinkle in some humor
- Get straight to the point
- Use simple language
- Focus on imagery
- Mention accolades and quote publications
- Proof-read everything
- Keep numbers and dates updated
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Next articles:
> How to prepare your single release
> How to create a press kit
> Storytelling: make your musical project a unique experience
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