What Does It Take to Stand Out!
By Lorraine Lawson
The Biggest question for emerging artists has shifted dramatically from “How do I get the attention of the industry?” to “How do I get the attention of the right audience?”
The so called music industry ‘gatekeepers’ once carefully controlled who got signed, what songs were recorded and released, whose song got added to radio, and who went on tour. Those who made it through were few and far between.
As a coach to developing emerging and established artists, I have been sharing an important message in my artist development program’s “The gate to doing what you love and attracting your ideal audience is wider, deeper and easier than it has ever been. BUT it’s not easy!
There is an upside to this new music industry which is complete artist freedom to create what you want, when you want, with who you want and for who you want to create it for. The downside is there is an over saturation of artists all doing the same thing. Artists can write, record and release music without expensive producers or recording studios. They can plan their own shows and even tours without an agent and social media has made it easier to promote what you are doing without the expense of traditional marketing and PR.
This means all the past reasons someone “made it” have changed. Someone’s success has very little to do with how much talent they have, how much money they put into their career or even where they are in the world. The game is now an even playing field. Those who WIN are playing the game of consistency, abundance and their ability to be interesting. The artist who know you are and share with they are in a compelling way, are able to attract and keep their ideal audiences attention. There are 3 primary lanes artists are using to do this that I’m seeing work in real time.
1. Consistent Releases: Momentum Beats Perfection
We’re living in a singles-driven, algorithm-powered world. The artists winning attention aren’t waiting months or years between releases, they’re showing they are prolific by releasing monthly or even weekly.
One of my long time clients, Chris Grey, has released over 80 songs and just recently reached 1 billion streams on his catalogue. That output didn’t dilute his artistry, it clarified it. Each release became a data point, a learning moment, and a reason for new listeners to find him and early fans to stay engaged as his career has exploded.
We see this approach at the highest level as well. Artists like Drake, Post Malone, and Taylor Swift understand something crucial:
Consistency keeps you in the conversation.
Monthly releases (or faster) aren’t about flooding the market, they’re about staying present while your audience is deciding whether to invest emotionally in you and let’s face it with over 5 billion people now on social media it takes this over saturated approach to standout in an over saturated market.
2. Live Performance: Proof Beats Promises
Live performance has quietly remained one of the strongest differentiators again and again, especially when artists capture their performances and share it abundantly.
One of my clients, John Muirhead, finished a sold out a Canadian tour last year not because of viral videos or massive amounts of music being released, but because the audiences he performs for felt something at his shows and told their friends. John understood the importance of capturing the energy of his shows, documenting before each show to build anticipation and shared after to thank those who were there and create a FOMO for those who weren’t. His social media content has a focus to it where this formula of before during and after posting works!
We can see the same pattern with artists like Olivia Dean, RAYE, and Bruno Mars. Their live performances don’t just support the music. They are ageing the message of I LOVE to perform for REAL fans and those fans are LOVING it in return.
In a world full of some trying to fake it until they make it and using AI to create the perfect images. LIVE footage of an artist performing provides a discerning audience proof of concept. It shows confidence, connection, and credibility in seconds. The audience wants to feel something REAL and live performance content is a way of giving them that feeling without having to pay big ticket prices. For emerging artists LIVE performance is the BEST way to show who you are and what makes you stand out!
3. Visual Content: Choosing to Be Seen (and Remembered)
Visual content has always been an excellent tool to get the audience attention. This is where many artists shine while others hesitate because they don’t know how to make their visual content unique.
Some artists lean into controversy, humour, or shock and awe. Others choose authenticity, gimmicks, fashion, props or clever juxtaposition. What matters isn’t just the style of the content, it’s whether the visual content can complement the artists personal persona.
Another long time client Anna Sofia uses unexpected environments (like DJing in a dentist’s office) to create contrast and memorability. Another client Crash Adams built recognition through a recurring visual gimmick. WHO hasn’t seen the red couch in the intersection. These unexpected and reoccurring style content make strangers stop scrolling and keep fans impressed wanting more.
We’ve seen this lane work for artists like Roselita and throughout the career of Justin Bieber, where visibility wasn’t polished it was persistent, raw, thought provoking. Justin’s performance on The Grammys was another example of this in spades!
The goal isn’t to copy a gimmick another artist has used in the past but to be inspired by it. It’s to decide how you want to share who you are and double down on it until it produces the results you are looking for.
The Real Differentiator: Commitment to One Lane
Here’s the part most artists miss:
Trying to do all three lanes at once can be tough.
Artists who stand out choose one primary lane, commit to it fully, and let the others support it naturally. Standing out today isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing one thing well, long enough, for people to recognize you. Because in the end, attention doesn’t come from 1 viral piece of content or 1 big song. Although there are always those break-out artists whose song explodes, most artists will have a better shot at building a long career from being consistent. Success comes from repetition, clarity, and the consistent courage to be seen.
A topic of conversation often shared in my coaching and programs is how the artist craves instant validation. Anyone who has performed, and for many of you reading this, you probably are a lot like me and have been performing for much of your lives at this point, you are used to hearing applause after every song and show. It makes sense to want to know you are on the right path, doing the right things at the right time and having the recognition you crave along the way. I created my artist mentorship program for artists who want real support encouragement, accountability in order to create real momentum.
The 3 lanes we discussed in this article are just tools and tactics for you to explore. The idea is YOU get to choose HOW you want to STAND OUT in the world. And for the first time, YOU get to make up the rules of your game and as a coach, I am always honoured to help you do it!
Lorraine Lawson is one of Canada’s most sought-after vocal and performance coaches, recording artists, and thought leaders. She is the author of The Artist’s Guide to AI and Power of Performance: Becoming the Artist You Are Meant to Be.
Website - www.lawsonvocalstudios.com