It only takes one listen for someone to like your music. But for someone to love your music, they want to know you. The best fans think you’re their friend. Take Taylor Swift, for example. Her fans know her so well they think they’re close to a person they’ve never met—and likely never will.
Let’s talk how to make friends. It’s easier than you think.
Tell Your Story
You have a story to tell. It’s in your lyrics. It’s in the way you perform. It’s in the social media posts you make. In those contexts, it’s easy for your story to be vague and easily misconstrued. But when the story you tell includes all that influences your lyrics, performances, and posts, it’s easier for fans to connect with your songs.
This doesn’t mean you have to tell your whole story from birth to present day. There may be things you aren’t ready to talk about yet. And you deserve privacy where you desire it. But you do need to figure out how to share enough to tell a story.
Many use their struggles with mental health as a part of their story. Is there a particular passion that drives your music? Is there a set of beliefs that you adhere to? Is there a cause or charity that you use your proceeds to help? How did any of those things develop? There’s your story.
This story can evolve over time, if for no other reason than we as people do. Maybe the focus of your story changes with every release. If your music revolves around relationships, those relationships will inevitably change—even in the tiniest way—thus changing your story.
Once the story you want to tell is established, you can tell it through your biography, song narratives, social media posts, and even your lyrics.
When your story aligns with your music, your fans feel more connected. The more you let them know you, the more you feel like a friend. You’ve given them a piece of yourself. It builds a bond not easily broken. It produces a fan that may support you for life.