Q & A
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Crash Course in Band Bio
Writing 101
Q. What are
some things I need to mention when making a band bio?--Jeff, Strictly an Accessory
A. Here's a Crash Course in Band Bio Writing 101.
The main thing to remember is the purpose of an artist biography (band bio). The two main
purposes for an artist bio are: 1. To get people interested enough in the band to make
them want to listen to--and hopefully buy--your music and 2. To assist the media in
writing articles about you. (Many artists and unskilled bio writers forget this last part,
and few things are more frustrating to a writer on deadline than tearing open a Fed-ex
package or logging on to a website to find a useless bio for a new artist.)
As to how to do this...
First the basics, which the media use to tell a story: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and
How, aka the "5 W's and an H." In the case of a bio, some things that will help
the media are: "Who" is the band? "Who" are the band members?
"What" kind of music do you do? "When" did you start playing together?
"Where" are you from, and "Where" do you play? "Why" is the
band special, "Why" did you want to get into music, and "Why" should
people listen to your music? "How" does your writing/recording process work?
"How" did you achieve success, if you're starting to achieve it? "Who"
are your supporters in the industry? "What" are your accomplishments?
"What" are some funny things that happened along the way?
At the same time, you have to make it interesting and bring out what's unique about the
band that will make the industry and the public want to hear (and buy) your music.
Old-school journalists have a saying: "Everyone has a story." Here are some
things to look for in your own story, along with examples from old celebrity bios. Note
that all these tidbits occurred long before they were famous:
Do any of you have unusual hobbies or collect anything unique? (Example: Rosie O'Donnell
collected Happy Meal Toys.)
Were you born in a different country from where you live now? (Race car driver Mario
Andretti is originally from Italy, his family having fled during the war.)
Did you have an unusual job, or did you make a drastic career leap? (Jon Bon Jovi
swept floors and fetched coffee at a famous recording studio, The Power Station. Whoopi
Goldberg worked in a mortuary. Sting was a teacher.)
Is there anything unusual about the road to achieving your dreams thus far? (Ryan Seacrest
had his first radio show at age 16 and hosted his first game show at age 19. When Jon Bon
Jovi was in high school and playing clubs in New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen jumped onstage
with Jon's band one night.)
Notice that these biographical tidbits also fit how we think of the celebrity's image:
Rosie O'Donnell= quirky, fun, loves kids
Mario Andretti = suave Italian who dreamed of winning the Indy 500 as a kid.
Sting = intellectual rock star
Jon Bon Jovi = hard working guy with a glamorous-looking job
Whoopi Goldberg = offbeat but serious comedian
Ryan Seacrest = young guy with big accomplishments
That's exactly what a good bio should do, and it's best to define your image before the
media defines it for you. (Example: the image most people have of Jennifer
Lopez has to do with her
marriages and engagements instead of her work).
A well-written bio tells a story, avoids too many adjectives and superlatives when
describing the artist ("amazing", "fabulous", "best", "most"), and is
sprinkled with quotes by the artist to make it interesting. In fact, well-written bios are
often used verbatim--sometimes even in their entirety--by harried writers on deadline when
an interview subject can't be reached.
None of this is easy, and it takes time and many drafts to get it right. I strongly
recommend having a publicist or media-savvy writer do your bio so they can interview you
and pull out interesting anecdotes and quotes the media would be interested in.
If this isn't financially feasible, you can sometimes barter for your bio--you play for
free, give music lessons, or do whatever your day job is in exchange for a bio--or hire a
college student majoring in PR, journalism, communications, or even marketing. But keep in
mind that a good bio can help you earn tens of thousands of dollars, so spending a few
hundred dollars for a professional's time can be well worth it...especially for the
experienced regional-level artist with a fan base, whose next goal goal is to get signed.
Two last tips: Be sure your contact info is clearly on the bio, and end it with ###
centered at the bottom of the text, as below.
###
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Answers in the MBADC Q&A are to be taken as general advice only and are not intended
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