To anyone who knows me, you are well aware of my passion for music. It's no secret that I spend countless hours practicing my singing or searching the World Wide Web for new songs to sink my teeth into. With that, I stumble across a few interviews. These interviews aren't from the big names on the Billboard Hot 100, they're lesser-knowns trying to make a name for themselves. But I hear in quite a few of these interviews that even though these musicians are trying to make a name for themselves, they still find a way to squeeze in something along the lines of "I don't want to be famous."
That sounds reasonable, right? Not many people find being bombarded by the paparazzi or being without privacy to be luxurious. But then I got to thinking: the musicians that have been saying these comments are also the ones putting music out there in the hopes of people listening and buying. And if enough people were buying, wouldn't that come with some degree of fame?
Here's the thing: if you truly didn't want to be famous, you would not be putting your music on the internet. You wouldn't be trying to promote yourself through interviews. You wouldn't go on tour. Because whether you like it or not, you are trying to get mass amounts of people to listen to your work, and if people know who you are but you have never heard their name in your life, that's a level of fame, And if you strive to be able to live comfortably off of your earnings as a musician, fame is practically a requirement.
The point of this article isn't to negate anyone. This could be complete bologna for all I know. But I sit at my laptop today to figure out why it's been a taboo to want fame. Is it self centered? Is it obnoxious? Is it dangerous? Well, it most certainly can be. Let's get into a brief Marilyn Manson history lesson. Did you know that Marilyn Manson is not, in fact, Marilyn Manson's real name? The previous Brian Warner created the stage name Marilyn Manson by combining the names of starlet Marilyn Monroe and murderer Charles Manson. Even though these two seem like exact opposites, they did share one thing in common: being famous around the same time. Marilyn Manson created his stage name on the basis that fame can be both beautiful and ugly. So yes, fame can be a bad thing. but like most things, it can come with something positive.
To musicians specifically, being famous for your music shouldn't be a bad thing. If large amounts of people got joy out of appreciating your hard work, wouldn't that make fame a positive thing? Not just for you. but for everyone listening as well? It's human nature to want to be appreciated. And if you are participating in the previous practices of going on tours and scheduling interviews to promote your work, you obviously aren't just doing music for funsies. Because let's face it, the music industry is no walk in the park.
So don't limit yourself! Music is an art form that has been flowing for generations. It may not always be the best thing, but it's okay to want to be famous for the right reasons. And as an aspiring singer-songwriter, I will openly express that, yes, I want to be famous to an extent.
