Prompts to help you tease out information to incorporate as you begin to write out your bio.
Answer these prompts simply and directly– do not try to sound like a publicist/marketer right away. Don’t feel obligated to answer the questions in order, bounce around the sections as the answers come to you. Some of the questions may not apply to you, but I suggest trying to respond to as many prompts as appropriate. Feel free to add more subtopics as they come to you.
This is an exercise to jog your brain and find those nuggets of information that you may have taken for granted or overlooked otherwise. Your narrative will unfold as you flesh out these ideas.
NAME (Stage or Real Gov't Name):
What does it mean?
Who gave it to you?
Any other significance / uniqueness?
WHERE & WHEN DO I LIVE?
Where did you come from? (Hometown, home country, etc.)
Where do you live now?
Or what area of the universe do you represent? (E.g.: If you are writing about an alter ego, you may be living in Burlingame but in your heart, you are truly from Mars. Or you may be a German band in Berlin that “lives” in the Bakersfield of the 1960’s.)
When were you born?
When did you grow up / “come of age” with the music that you play?
What era do you most identify with? Especially musically? (Have you ever felt or have people said “born in the wrong decade” about you?)
PHYSICAL TRAITS:
What do you look like? Height / weight / eye color / hair, etc.
Unique / notable characteristics? (Whether you like them or not.)
On the flip side: Any characteristics that are just like a certain group of people? (E.g., average height, wear Buddy Holly-style glasses, etc.)
LOOK:
Colors (Do you have favorite colors? What color is your instrument? What colors do you tend to wear on stage? What colors are in your logo / business card / website and why did you choose them?)
What types of clothes/costumes do you wear when performing? Super casual / formal / flamboyant?
Movement / Energy (Do you sit on a stool? Do you dance with your fellow bandmates on stage? On the floor with the audience?)
Audience interaction
ACTUAL ENVIRONMENT:
What types of venues do you typically play?
Where do you rehearse/practice?
What does your stage look like? (E.g.: Bull horns on your amp, part of your set dressing.)
SOUND:
What instrument(s) do you play? Do you specialize in? Are you refining?
What types of songs do you prefer to play?
Describe each “genre” you think you can be categorized in.
What are the unique characteristics of each niche?
Explain it to me like I’m a 6-8 year old. (E.g.: What does “outlaw country” actually sound like? What instrumentation is typically used? Do you use the same or did you add something new/different/unusual to this niche?)
What bands / musicians do you sound like?
What specific traits about each do you sound like?
Do you have a unique sound? How did you create it?
If _____ & _____ had a baby…
MUSES / INFLUENCES:
Who were your musical heroes growing up? Why? What about them resonated with / inspired you?
Who did you learn from directly? (Or where / what institution)
Who did you learn from indirectly? Did you copy their technique, performance style, etc.? How?
Who / what moves you to create the music that you do?
Non-musical heroes? (E.g.: Dad was a mailman who was diligent and proud of his job, committed to giving the best service to the people on his route and his coworkers. This influenced the way I approach learning my craft and how I work with my bandmates, promoters, and audience.)
PERSONALITY TRAITS:
What you think about yourself
What others say about you
FAMILY & PERSONAL HISTORY:
Anything notable about your family / past?
E.g.: Come from a musical / performance / entertainment “legacy” family?
Or perhaps the opposite, e.g.: “Despite having no access to…” / “Self-taught…”
NOTABLE EXPERIENCES:
Personal
Professional
ACCOLADES & AWARDS:
Nominations and/or Wins
Local awards / Industry awards / Mainstream awards (Grammys, Tonys, etc.)
Audience reviews
PROJECTS:
Current (bands you play in, works in progress)
Upcoming (Single? Album? Festival? Other projects?)
Something from the past you’re really proud of
NAME DROP(S):
Mentored by
Shared the stage with
Opened for
Toured with
Played with/for (backup player for)
Played in front of (audience)
CONTEXT:
Why am I doing this?
What drives me?
How do I want the audience to feel?
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