Five Examples to Emulate
Learn and be inspired by other artists about their journey through music.

What do you think is my favorite reading material? If you guessed anything other than stories, you guessed wrong. I love stories. There are three things you always want to achieve with your content. You want to inspire, educate, and/or entertain. Stories can do all of the above.

In this article, I'll be telling some stories about some famous people that can help you in your journey. Most of them will be indie artists naturally, but I've snuck in one name you might recognize. In every story, the goal is to bring out at least one lesson you can apply to yourself to make things better.

Without further ado, let's meet our examples to emulate.

Five Stories

Always Ready

Thousands, maybe millions, of people enjoy Frank Ocean's music. His lyrics, voice, and style are all so unique and relatable. It wasn't always this way, though. Before he decided to rock us on the waves, he was just a kid trying to make music against his mother's wishes. But how did he become such a big name?

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck, and Frank's studio was among the casualties. Chased by the ocean, he moved to LA in search of a breakthrough. One evening, he stepped into a listening party in search of his friend. The plan was to pick up his backpack and leave. Instead, he found himself in a studio being asked to play some of his music.

And he did play some music. And they loved it. And the rest is history.

What's the lesson here? You must always be ready to show what you've got. The opportunity can come knocking anytime. You'll only get it if you're ready for it.

Hard Work and Relationships

If you're into Christian hip-hop, you've probably heard of nobigdyl., and yes, the period is part of the name. He's one of the biggest names in Christian hip-hop now, but it wasn't always like that.

Nobigdyl started making music as a child. He went to different shows and competitions, performed anywhere he could, and put a lot of effort into his music. Eventually, he got himself in the thick of the action by interning at the big labels.

He rose from janitor to merch salesman to road manager steadily but surely until he became the artist he is today. He's no longer with the label, but the relationships he made along the way have helped him massively.

In an interview on YouTube he did a few months ago, he told this story and I'll write out two lessons from there.

Firstly, success takes forever to happen overnight. Don't stop working. Secondly, collaborations are the result of relationships. Make the right connections.

Fired from Starbucks

Tyler the Creator is one of the most successful indie artists of our time. He has won several awards including two Grammys so he knows a thing or two about success. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel eight years ago, though, Tyler revealed he once worked at Starbucks.

And got fired.

After working at Starbucks for two and a half years, Tyler's luck finally ran out when a new manager named Cindy arrived. Getting fired isn't something anybody enjoys, but Tyler went on to say it was the best day of his life. That's probably because he took a different route from the day. And look where it has brought him.

If not for Cindy, some of you might have been getting your coffee from Tyler to this day. This tells me that the lowest points in your life can become the catalyst you need for some real change. If getting fired from Starbucks isn't a low point enough for you, wait till you read the next story.

Rock Bottom

After a sixteen-year hiatus, Dr. Dre was about to release an album and the entire hip-hop world was hyped for it. Upon its release, however, everyone was in for a shock. Six of the sixteen songs on the album featured an upcoming artist who had no right to be so heavily featured in such a monumental album. And so we were introduced to Anderson .Paak, our next example.

He has since gone on to form one of my best-ever music groups, Silk Sonic, with Bruno Mars, and the duo swept the Grammys last time out. It wasn't always this way, though. Anderson .Paak had a fluctuating childhood. The lowest point of it all was probably when he was homeless with a wife and child. Extraordinarily, that experience is what changed everything for him.

In that mess of a situation, he decided things had to change. So he cleaned up his act and started taking his life seriously. Four years later, he had his name next to Dr. Dre's. What's the lesson here?

Sometimes, it's at your lowest point that everything changes for you. So no matter how you go, that can be where you launch from. All it takes is a realization that the situation must change, and a decision to get up and change it.

Lone Wolf

For a long time, there has been one shadow over Messi's career, his international record. After losing finals with Argentina in 2007, 2014, 2015, and 2016, it seemed an international trophy would always elude the incredible footballer. Messi even retired from the national team after the fourth heartbreak.

In 2021, however, Messi led his country to the Copa America yet again. He was unplayable, almost dragging his team with him to the final. It was his fifth final with Argentina and a chance to finally win something. On that day, Messi disappeared. He had almost no effect on the game, a stark contrast to every game before the final.

His teammates, however, refused to be beaten. They fought on the field and in the end, then won. Messi carried his team to the final with superb performances, but he was carried over the finish line in the end. He has since gone on to top that achievement with a World Cup, but there's a lesson here.

No matter how talented you are, you can't do it alone. Surround yourself with people you trust, people who understand your vision, and work with them. A lone wolf can't succeed in today's world.

Final Thoughts

Five very long stories, but I hope you enjoyed them. More importantly, I hope you learned a thing or two from these stories.

You'll need these lessons if you want to enjoy success as an indie artist.