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How to become a professional singer ?
Hi! I’m Christina (my stage name is Fancy Fox), a 16-year-old girl living in New York , and I’m dreaming of becoming a professional singer. I’m super motivated and ready to put in the work—but I need guidance from people who’ve been in the music world.
I’d love advice on a clear, step-by-step path for someone my age, including:
Daily and weekly routines to improve my singing, performance, and stage presence
Competitions, auditions, or music programs that are great for teens
Other skills I should learn, like songwriting, playing instruments, or working with sound engineers
How to start building a presence in the music industry as a young artist
Any tips, resources, or personal stories you can share would mean so much. I’m ready to start today and follow a detailed plan to reach my dream!
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6 answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Christina !
It's great that you are dreaming of a professional singing career, but since you've expressed that you do not know how to start, it is my estimation that at age 16, you may not be ready for this career just yet. There's a lot to learn and lots of life experience that helps, but taking the beneficial steps will put you on the correct track.
The best way to prepare for a future singing career would be to participate in your high school shows, graduate high school and then enroll in college as a Music Major obtaining a Bachelors Degree in Music. This will be the best way to understand the industry, sharpen your singing skills, network and get experience keeping your specific circumstances in mind. I also advise highly to not use a stage name. The stage name you've chosen will limit the type of work you can get and to be successful, you will need to be willing and able to sing many genres. Try not to be anything that you're not or promote yourself in any limiting way. By the time you've graduated college, you will have real experience, perhaps even paid gigs through people you get to know and a clear, realistic view of the industry.
Many of the performances are done at night, in places that serve alcohol and the age requirement varies from venue to venue in New York City, but you may not always get work in NYC. That means that you will have to have a car, be available for rehearsals and performances and enough money to hire musicians which is very expensive. You should not do this career on impulse, rather take a serious approach and finish school and go to college where you will learn how to be a professional. This may not sound like what you are hoping or thinking, but at 16, the business can be very confusing with many obstacles if you still have a lot to learn.
If you jump into the music industry with no experience or knowledge of the business, your parents will have to be involved in everything and they would have to approve any recording contract and would have to be responsible legally for your actions and contracts. Your contract would need to be signed with parental consent or as a co-signer and you may have to hire an entertainment lawyer to assure fair terms and that will cost money, too. As for school, your parent would need to speak with your school to see what they will allow. You will need to be available 24/7 for auditions, rehearsals and performances and be able to travel to wherever the gig is and potentially miss a lot of school.
So, for right now, I would say that it's best to use the resources you have at your high school. Join a choir or any singing class that they may offer. As for learning any other aspect of music, that's up to you. A search online can let you know who offers classes in anything else you want to learn like song writing, playing an instrument or working the technical aspects of recording and sound. That is up to you. You can easily learn this by going to college.
There are no clear steps, however and no one can tell you how your career will be nor can you pre-plan any details of it. If you take a structured, supportive and professional path like going to college as a Music Major, your chances may be pretty good. If you quit school and try to go on auditions and try to get an agent, you may face many disappointments, confusion and your path may not be enjoyable, so stay in school and take it one step at a time with education being priority. Also, you're going to have to do all of your training in person, not online.
You can inquire at Voice Academy NYC as they offer classes for teens. Also try Young Singers Academy for their in person teen classes. You are going to need to have other people let you know when you are actually ready to audition. It's a competitive business, but if you can be very open minded, have a diverse outlook and really want to entertain all types of audiences, you can enjoy the journey. Never compare yourself with anyone else. You will succeed in this business by being your unique self.
Do return here for more advice as you take the steps towards the small goals that you set for yourself which will eventually lead to your end goal as a professional singer. Be patient and become grounded in the reality of the business by being around other singers and musicians. Look for volunteer work at studios or the big music schools. Just volunteering and being around the music world will teach you a lot. I hope to see you back here again and I wish you all the best moving forward !
It's great that you are dreaming of a professional singing career, but since you've expressed that you do not know how to start, it is my estimation that at age 16, you may not be ready for this career just yet. There's a lot to learn and lots of life experience that helps, but taking the beneficial steps will put you on the correct track.
The best way to prepare for a future singing career would be to participate in your high school shows, graduate high school and then enroll in college as a Music Major obtaining a Bachelors Degree in Music. This will be the best way to understand the industry, sharpen your singing skills, network and get experience keeping your specific circumstances in mind. I also advise highly to not use a stage name. The stage name you've chosen will limit the type of work you can get and to be successful, you will need to be willing and able to sing many genres. Try not to be anything that you're not or promote yourself in any limiting way. By the time you've graduated college, you will have real experience, perhaps even paid gigs through people you get to know and a clear, realistic view of the industry.
Many of the performances are done at night, in places that serve alcohol and the age requirement varies from venue to venue in New York City, but you may not always get work in NYC. That means that you will have to have a car, be available for rehearsals and performances and enough money to hire musicians which is very expensive. You should not do this career on impulse, rather take a serious approach and finish school and go to college where you will learn how to be a professional. This may not sound like what you are hoping or thinking, but at 16, the business can be very confusing with many obstacles if you still have a lot to learn.
If you jump into the music industry with no experience or knowledge of the business, your parents will have to be involved in everything and they would have to approve any recording contract and would have to be responsible legally for your actions and contracts. Your contract would need to be signed with parental consent or as a co-signer and you may have to hire an entertainment lawyer to assure fair terms and that will cost money, too. As for school, your parent would need to speak with your school to see what they will allow. You will need to be available 24/7 for auditions, rehearsals and performances and be able to travel to wherever the gig is and potentially miss a lot of school.
So, for right now, I would say that it's best to use the resources you have at your high school. Join a choir or any singing class that they may offer. As for learning any other aspect of music, that's up to you. A search online can let you know who offers classes in anything else you want to learn like song writing, playing an instrument or working the technical aspects of recording and sound. That is up to you. You can easily learn this by going to college.
There are no clear steps, however and no one can tell you how your career will be nor can you pre-plan any details of it. If you take a structured, supportive and professional path like going to college as a Music Major, your chances may be pretty good. If you quit school and try to go on auditions and try to get an agent, you may face many disappointments, confusion and your path may not be enjoyable, so stay in school and take it one step at a time with education being priority. Also, you're going to have to do all of your training in person, not online.
You can inquire at Voice Academy NYC as they offer classes for teens. Also try Young Singers Academy for their in person teen classes. You are going to need to have other people let you know when you are actually ready to audition. It's a competitive business, but if you can be very open minded, have a diverse outlook and really want to entertain all types of audiences, you can enjoy the journey. Never compare yourself with anyone else. You will succeed in this business by being your unique self.
Do return here for more advice as you take the steps towards the small goals that you set for yourself which will eventually lead to your end goal as a professional singer. Be patient and become grounded in the reality of the business by being around other singers and musicians. Look for volunteer work at studios or the big music schools. Just volunteering and being around the music world will teach you a lot. I hope to see you back here again and I wish you all the best moving forward !
Hello! Thank you so much for your advice. I really appreciate your tips about school, lessons, and gaining experience. I also wanted to share that I already have a YouTube channel called Fancyfox, where I post my singing and performances. I hope to continue building my skills both online and in person, and I’m excited to keep learning and growing as a singer!
Christina
You're Welcome for the advice.
Michelle M.
Updated
Doran’s Answer
Hi Christina,
I listened to your music on youtube. I like the Full Fan Song for LOL Podcast. Thats' nice how you featured different people and sang a little about each one.
I'm a musician who like to practice music so I thought I would give you some tips in this area:
1) Playing piano goes hand in hand with singing. Playing piano and/or singing with a piano can help you sing in tune. There are twelve major scales that you can practice up and down to warmup your voice and practice singing in tune. You can practice them with the piano at the same time.
2) Know your strengths and weaknesses. I'm a saxophone player who had trouble playing in tune in my earlier years. Now I play along with digital recordings of music to help me play better in tune. This also helps with the style and groove of a song or style of music. Reading music was always a strength for me. Being able to read music well helped me play lead parts in both classical and jazz bands during college. I noticed you have trouble singing in tune as well so that is a weakness you can work on. Your strength is your songwriting. You write nice meaningful lyrics that make your audience feel good. Don't forget that.
3) Study with a voice teacher. I have studied with many saxophone players over the years and each one improved my playing and concept of music.
4) Listen to other singers and sing a long with their recordings. This may be hard to do but I encourage you to find a singer that sings in your vocal range and sing a long with them.
5) Have fun with your practice routine. Don't practice the same way each day. Change it up. I usually start off my practice routine with scales. I always change the way I play the scales each day. I practice piano and saxophone six days a week and I rarely play a song the same way twice. It is important to keep things interesting to keep you motivated.
As far as a stage presence, your voice teacher can help you with that.
Good luck with your singing and songwriting. You are young so be patient and find a good teacher to study with. Work on your weaknesses and capitalize on your strengths.
Sincerely,
Doran
I listened to your music on youtube. I like the Full Fan Song for LOL Podcast. Thats' nice how you featured different people and sang a little about each one.
I'm a musician who like to practice music so I thought I would give you some tips in this area:
1) Playing piano goes hand in hand with singing. Playing piano and/or singing with a piano can help you sing in tune. There are twelve major scales that you can practice up and down to warmup your voice and practice singing in tune. You can practice them with the piano at the same time.
2) Know your strengths and weaknesses. I'm a saxophone player who had trouble playing in tune in my earlier years. Now I play along with digital recordings of music to help me play better in tune. This also helps with the style and groove of a song or style of music. Reading music was always a strength for me. Being able to read music well helped me play lead parts in both classical and jazz bands during college. I noticed you have trouble singing in tune as well so that is a weakness you can work on. Your strength is your songwriting. You write nice meaningful lyrics that make your audience feel good. Don't forget that.
3) Study with a voice teacher. I have studied with many saxophone players over the years and each one improved my playing and concept of music.
4) Listen to other singers and sing a long with their recordings. This may be hard to do but I encourage you to find a singer that sings in your vocal range and sing a long with them.
5) Have fun with your practice routine. Don't practice the same way each day. Change it up. I usually start off my practice routine with scales. I always change the way I play the scales each day. I practice piano and saxophone six days a week and I rarely play a song the same way twice. It is important to keep things interesting to keep you motivated.
As far as a stage presence, your voice teacher can help you with that.
Good luck with your singing and songwriting. You are young so be patient and find a good teacher to study with. Work on your weaknesses and capitalize on your strengths.
Sincerely,
Doran
Thanks for the tips I posted recently too
Christina
I agree with what Doran said, valuable advice!
Colleen Farquhar
Updated
Charles’s Answer
Alright Christina, firstly what you should understand is there is no age restriction in acquiring knowledge, knowing something or having knowledge of something that might occur in the future now is really beneficial to everyone, now going back to your question how to become a professional singer.... But Note becoming a professional singer is different from becoming a popular singer, now becoming a professional singer depends on efforts you have applied in building your (vocals, rhymes, lyrics, words abbreviation, word flows) and so more, when you put this into practice with consistency and guidance from someone higher than you in the industry you will make a better and professional singer.
Updated
Ani Chacko’s Answer
I agree with Michelle and what she has outlined is very detailed, expressing her experiences. Nothing is easy and the first few steps will be unsettling. Perseverance is the mantra.
@Ani Chacko Varghese ~ Thank you for your comment. I am not a singer, rather in the entertainment business as an actress, so I have some insight on the performing careers and that's what my advice was based on. Acting is quite similar, however.
Michelle M.
George F Spicka
Compose Music \ Play Jazz Piano \ Curator of Paleontology
27
Answers
Updated
George F’s Answer
Hi Christina, now is a great time to work on your voice and treat it like an instrument. It's also important to start networking. I strongly suggest learning how to sight-read music. Sometimes, you'll need to sing a piece at an audition without any practice. Music biz can be really tough sometimes, so a positive attitude will help. Best of luck with everything ahead. George
Updated
Millan’s Answer
Yooo, Millan jay from Uganda! 🔥 Setting goals is definitely the first step to becoming a pro in anything, including music! 🎤 It sounds like you're on the right track by thinking about what you need to do to reach your goal.
So, you're looking to become a professional musician? What genre are you vibing with? And have you thought about what makes you unique? What's your style? 🎵 Christina, let's break it down and make a plan! 📝 Am Millan jay everywhere
So, you're looking to become a professional musician? What genre are you vibing with? And have you thought about what makes you unique? What's your style? 🎵 Christina, let's break it down and make a plan! 📝 Am Millan jay everywhere
Hi Millan! 🙌 Thank you so much for replying—it really means a lot!
I’m into pop music, with a dreamy teen-pop style and heartfelt lyrics. I love writing my own songs and performing them. I think what makes me unique is my voice and the way I mix storytelling with my songs.
I’d love your help breaking down a step-by-step plan for improving my singing, stage presence, and building a music career at my age. Also, any tips on competitions, programs, or resources for teens would be amazing.
I’m ready to start today and follow your guidance! 🎤✨
Christina