What advice does anyone have for a teen with a dream?

Question:I want to become a singer more than anything in this world! I would give anything to make my dream come true. I know this sounds impossible, but I'd rather start going to record labels than say, go on American Idol. So if there's anyone, anyone at all, please give me a shot, give me advice, anything!!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I want to become a singer more than anything in this world! I would give anything to make my dream come true. I know this sounds impossible, but I'd rather start going to record labels than say, go on American Idol. So if there's anyone, anyone at all, please give me a shot, give me advice, anything!!

if theres a local theater nearby, perform at that
set up a youtube account with videos of yourself singing
go on myspace and make your own music account
[thats the way taylor swift did it]
send the videos to everybody you know and tell them to send them to everybody they know
perform at your school talent show
join the chorus
joini a chorus outside of school
get a voice trainer and voice lessons as often as you can
get a manager, whether its your mom or yourself

good luck in life i hope you make it big one day

i don't know much about it but i'd say practice practice practice and join a choir/ singing group

Make a DEMO CD and then distribute it. Like to some of the local radio stations in your area and ask them if they will play some local talent. You can also submit your CD to record labels.

Oh, and don't forget about You Tube and Myspace, you need to try to get all the exposure you can to get people to recognize you and your talent.

Hope that helps some.
Good luck!

yeah i know how u feel me and other people i kno have the same dream i recommend recording ur voice on voice recording and uploading it to popular websites like myspace or youtube

yes, make sure vocally your very good, record yourself and listen to it back, if ur crap then be realistic. get other people to listen to tapes of u singing but dont tell them its you to see what they really think. get singing lessons so that you can hold notes etc and know scales
then do your reasearch, ur best bet would be to find an agent as its more professional to go through an agent to a record company.
go for it, also is it really a record artist you want to be?
maybe try thearter etc aswell as this requires u to sing

Map it out for yourself. What do you really think about that pop goddess center stage with all the dancers and musicians playing on three stadium screens. Who is this person? Who are all these other people? What about the people back stage and the PR people, record production people, traveling roadies. And the list goes on as the beat goes on. Think of the talent needed and the cost! Next stop the Twilight Zone with no stops ahead, but suddenly there is a sign up ahead the Twilight Zone. Buckle up, don't break a leg and enjoy the green room. The reality is there is a lot to learn and a lot to do and it is not cheep or easy.

Ignore advice about cutting demos and forget about record deals you are not ready yet. Accept the fact that you might never be ready.

Understand this, becoming a singer and becoming a professional singer are two different things. You have to become a singer first and then, and only then will you be in a position to decide whether becoming a professional singer is realistic possibility or not.

Being a superb singer does not mean you are a commercial proposition. It's no good singing like an angel if no one wants to hear your particular vocal style.

Some people are so naturally talented that they can learn to sing superbly very quickly, the rest of us have to work hard for years to learn to sing well.

As you are still a teen I will assume you have little or no experience.

If you are still with mum and dad it would be nice if you have their support because it is their ears that will be on the business end of your practise.

The most important thing is to continue with your education and or career because the chances of making it as a singer are so small you have to consider what to do if you fail as a singer. Last year I made a business plan to get a loan for my sound system, It is very hard to get people to loan you thousands of pounds for any business connected to entertainment and I could not have done it had I not been reasonably well educated.

Now, learning to sing. This will take a long time, you need to practise, practise, practise and you need to get regular experience in front of an audience.

Singing lessons can be very good depending on the quality of the teacher if you can afford it. It can be very expensive.

Take up karaoke as a hobby and go as often as you can. Some experienced singers and musicians would scoff at this idea but it will give you immediate access to an audience. Learn the songs you are going to sing before you go out. The best way to do this is to sing karaoke on line. For about ￡6 per month (UK) you can have access to thousands of karaoke backing tracks (singtotheworld.co.uk) and this is the cheapest, easiest and quickest way to learn to sing to a moderate standard.

If you go to a lot of different karaoke venues you will get applause from people and this will encourage you. occasionally people might be rude and ignorant about your singing but you have to learn to cope with that. Most karaoke singers are amateurs but I have met several professional, ex professional and semi professional singers on the karaoke circuit. Some professional pub & club singers use karaoke venues to practice new material, these people would make ideal friends and aquantencies for someone like you because you can learn a lot from them.

When you have become competent at this level try open mike nights when you sing with a real musician, if you can find someone who will play when you sing. Singing with a piano player or a guitarist is harder than karaoke because you will need to learn the words and the phrasing of the song as well.

Consider becoming a musician yourself, you are still young enough to learn. This will help you immensly with your timeing and rhythm and eventually if you stick to it, it will mean you can go and perform any time anywhere.

Websites like youtube and expertvillage have free singing/ guitar/piano lessons etc.

The most important thing is to really enjoy what you do because then you are more likly to keep up the practise.

Van Morrison once said, "Music is very spiritual, but the music industry is not" If you follow your intended path you will meet a lot of really nice people. You will also meet a lot of real b.astards. Beware and toughen up.

Feel free to E mail me should you want further advise.

Go for it girl!

Ignore the answer above from Keith, he doesn't know what he's talking. Nor is he any where near qualified to give advice on the subject, Kareoke.....are you joking.

He obviously didn't read your question, in which you clearly stated that you wanted to pursue a professional career in singing, so if someone doesn't have any sensable or relevant suggestions to offer, they shouldn't comment at all. Especially when aren't an authority on the subject.

Since you stated that you are interested in contacting a record label, you should look into doing a demo.

Keep your dreams alive, and don't listen to the wanna be's that only want to hold you down.