An Opinion Kerkula Blama
MONROVIA – Liberian Blogger Kerkula Blama has listed out five unique steps that upcoming artist in Liberia need to prioritize when they’re certain to make an amazing entry into the spotlight.
Usually as an upcoming artist, you are always on the look out to follow your dream of becoming a sought-after musician.
It’s very necessary you learn a few necessary tips and tricks that will bring your dreams to reality. And if that is what you want, then this article is for you.
This case is relatable to all upcoming artist from every part of the world who’s interested in seeing themselves elevating in their musical career. So let’s dive into these six simple steps process that will not only help make your dreams come true, but also give you an edge and better insight on how to group as an up-and-coming musicians.
Preparation: Every successful musician you see out there, was in one way prepared before becoming who they are today. Being prepared can be by recording your music and developing your own sound, or it can even be as simple as practicing for hours on end. This will guarantee that you are working and will soon be ready to discover your true potential that’ll subsequently bring you success.
Small Beginning: From the start, a lot of upcoming artist usually make the mistake of thinking, they should immediately be on the big stage. You have to start small and work your way up to the top. You got to start from somewhere, be it your community, school or even local pubs or bars in your area. Its always good to start somewhere, but you’ll have to think about what’s best for you.
If you feel better in a smaller setting, then please don’t waste your time at a larger venue. Starting small also have to deal with releasing your projects. It’s always good to start off with a single so that you understand what the fans love and based on that you going be able to get as many people into your fanbase because you know how to deliver. It’s okay to work on an EP or album while doing that. But start small and understand yourself and the industry for a blossoming future.
Persistence: One of the most important things in life is determination. So Never give up! You can be very talented and hardworking as everyone in your niche, but if you give up after a little bit of failure, then you’re done forever. Know this today! Most successful musicians you see out there have either been booed off the stage, laughed at by millions of fans or bullied online, but still they kept going. If you are in a slump, refocus your efforts and be sure to be the best at what you do. Always remember never to drop your head when these circumstances come your way. You can be the greatest in what you do, if only you refuse to give up on yourself and your dream.
Connections: For every music industry, making connections is a very necessary and vital part of building a career. You definitely have to make connections for networking purposes. Always go to as many shows as possible, even if you’re not performing yourself. You should look to hook up with as many people as you can during the show, and you should even approach them, talk to them about who you are and ask if you can exchange social handles or contacts. If accepted, make sure to share your projects with them and ask for review. Priotize every industry person you meet whether at a show or somewhere else. You never know what connections can get you to the right position.
Future Plan: Now that you have prepared yourself and decided that this is what you want, spend sometime laying out plans about how your future successes. To be honest, this is perhaps the most important part of being a musician. You need to think about what steps you will take once your name is out there. You need to set long-term and short-term goals for yourself. You should have a plan ready and waiting at the snap of you finger. Those plans might be, when you’re going to release a single, EP or album.
As it is important you feed your audience when they thirst for something new. Some other things that may be included in your plan are; promotions, collaborations, outreach, concerts, traveling and so forth. Just do as much as you can to have a layout of how you will have things going, the moment the spotlight shines on you. A future plan should also consist of recognizing your support system and utilizing it for maximum impact.
Humbleness: Always, stay HUMBLE. Most successful musicians you see out there today have always stayed humble and remained considerate of others.
These little things like welcoming new fans to your area, replying DMs, comments, tags, mentions and thanking patrons for their support, will make you look like a professional and show that you’re serious about what you do. And yes, this is the best way to get people to recognize you not just a humble musician but a determined one for that matter. Don’t forget to also share the works of others thus remembering that you’re in competition with any yourself and supporting others only means you’re a great person in your space.
Its obvious that these six steps are not easy to follow and that many up-and-coming artists don’t even get past the first step. But if you want to be one of the few that is serious and willing to grow, then you have to be committed and ready to work extra hard to attain immense success. Interestingly, these steps above will not only help you grow as a musician, but it will also help you grow as an individual.
Kerkula Blama, popularly known as Aketella, is one of Liberia’s best and most followed bloggers on social media. He is a vlogger on YouTube and a Playlist curator on Spotify and Instagram, using his platforms to promote Liberia Entertainment.
Aketella started as an upcoming producer in 2016 when he first moved to the Kpelleh Town community, on SD Cooper Road in Paynesville. Using only a laptop and earpiece, he and his friends downloaded free beats from the internet to use in their production. As time went by, a friend of his introduced him to real music when they first visited a studio owned by Santo Music in the same community. After the completion of the project, it was time to get the songs uploaded on some downloading platforms, and that’s how Aketella got in contact with PlusLiberia. Based on the caption he provided as was requested for the uploading of the song, PlusLiberia got interested in his writing skills and signed him up as a writer and web manager (to upload songs and write articles). Hence, his blogging career began in 2016.
In 2021, Aketella started vlogging and created a YouTube channel where he discusses hot in-depth topics about the entertainment industry. His vlog Kerkula Blama (Aketella) on YouTube now has 853 Subscribers and has acquired the total of 71,008 organic views as of the time this article was written.
Quickly into 2022, he started his journey as a radio personality when he began hosting an entertainment radio show, “The Weekend Exclusive,” on Kool FM in Liberia. Aketella is also a certified web designer with a certificate in Website Design from the Orange Digital Center.
