Social Media Musicians
Did you know that many famous musicians started off like normal people on social media? We all like to hear success stories and well theirs is just that – previously unknown but talented people discovered on the same platforms that we use everyday.
We live in a time where it seems like if you don’t have a presence on social media, then you just don’t exist at all. Social media includes websites like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok and countless many more. They all work to create an avatar of who we are to display across the entire internet (and subsequently, the world).
Without a doubt, social media has taken over our lives. Now, whether that’s a good thing or bad thing, that’s not the purpose of this blog. I’m here to talk about how social media has given a platform to many previously unknown people around the globe. In a way, social media has made the world a smaller place, where we can be introduced to different ideas, people and art from all over. And not just introduced, but also interact with and even contribute to their popularity.
Below are a few famous artists who got their start on social media.
I remember being in ninth grade when I started hearing about this little Canadian boy with a bowl haircut named Justin Bieber. At the time he would play acoustic guitar and sing sweet songs. Perhaps his fans at the time, which were more than likely young girls, knew that Justin Bieber would one day be rich and famous. It was those “Beliebers” that secured the fame for Justin. What made Justin Bieber unique was that most of the videos he uploaded were of him playing in public.
Billie Eilish was only 13 years old when she uploaded the song “Ocean Eyes” to Soundcloud. The song was produced by her brother Finneas O’Connell. It was uploaded for just their friends to hear, but soon after, it caught people’s attention and Billie Eilish was suddenly an indie artist.
Soundcloud is a free platform where people can upload their own personal music. The website is very easy to use and one can discover many new artists on there that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.
From her humble and semi-private upload to SoundCloud, Billie Eilish has won an Oscar Award for her song titled “No Time to Die” for the new James Bond film in 2022.
Although Ed had been making music since he was 13 years old, it wasn’t until he started uploading his music to YouTube that he started gaining a following. People were awestruck by this pale red-headed English boy’s ability to sing.
As of today, his song “Shape of You” is the fourth most popular video on YouTube with 5.7 billion views.
Not only did YouTube make him a very successful musician, with that fame he has also appeared in several movies and TV shows.
The story goes that there was an account on YouTube by the name of “xoxxxoooxo” with only one video, which was the song titled “What You Need.” There was no other information on the account except for a misspelled “The Weeknd” as a band name. A few weeks later the song was featured on Pitchfork’s “New Best Tracks.”
The Weeknd has won many awards including: four Grammys, 19 Billboard Music Awards, six American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards and 15 Juno Awards. He has even performed at the Super Bowl.
Pentatonix sounds like a speed metal band but in reality they’re a five-person acapella group. Though they started making music as a trio in high school, it wasn’t until they uploaded a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” in 2010 that got them on the map. Since then they’ve been awarded many
Strangely, all Carly Rae Jepsen had to do was release her song “Call Me Maybe” on YouTube to go viral. It’s not hard to understand why though, as the song is very catchy and well produced. Upon being uploaded, the song went viral and other musicians started making parodies of Carly’s song, which in turn only made her more famous.
Soulja Boy
Most famous for his 2007 song “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” DeAndre Cortez Way is perhaps the first artist to get started on YouTube. Before he came along, it was almost unheard of (literally because YouTube was so new) for someone to go viral from posting their stuff on the internet.
Final Thoughts
We ought to give credit to the ease in which a person can put themselves out there with modern social media. Before this, if you wanted someone to listen to your music, you would have to pass out CDs, perform in public or know somebody in the industry. With modern technology and the way things are headed, anyone can produce their own music, publish it, and wait for talent scouts to find them.