“Eventually as a teenager, I was pulled up on stage by James Brown's saxophone player, Maceo Parker, during one of his concerts and scatted on his stage for 20 minutes. After I was done, Maceo's bass player got down on one knee as if he were proposing, took a string off of his bass guitar and coiled it up around my ring finger. He hushed the crowd and said into the microphone, "Wendy, from this day forward you are married to music. You have a gift from God. You must devote your life to using this gift or else you will deprive the world of something so special." I got the chills.” IfsWorldSaidDonePlayerMinutesSpecialStageMarriedFingersGuitarCrowdsRingsTeenagerKneesBrownStringsThis DayConcertsChillBassGift From GodMicrophonesSaxophoneWendyBass PlayersBass Guitar Author:Wendy Starland
“Always have clear lines of communication and be open to trying new ideas. Being open to new ideas is crucial to growing as an artist. If you always have the same creative habits, how will you ever excel to the next level? The answer is, you won't. Taking those creative risks reaps the most incredible rewards.” IfsTryingIdeasArtistNextLinesAnswersLevelsCreativeClearGrowingRiskCommunicationHabitRewardsIncrediblesCrucialNew IdeasReapNext LevelLines Of Communication Author:Wendy Starland
“There is a lot of incredible talent out there, however, talent alone is not enough. Being a great singer does not matter, if you are not singing great songs. Having great songs will not be obvious to record executives if they are not professionally produced. Consistently performing those songs extremely well is essential.” IfsWellsDoeMatterEnoughSongRecordsTalentEssentialsSingingIncrediblesObviousSingersPerformingExecutivesConsistently Author:Wendy Starland
“Every artist that becomes famous has a team, and needs to convince someone to believe in them enough to have others rally around them to achieve stardom. If I can be that person, then I am happy to do it.” IfsNeedsBelievePersonsI CanEnoughArtistTeamAchieveConvinceStardom Author:Wendy Starland
“There is no question that the US market is the hardest to break into. I believe that the reason for this primarily has to do with the fact that the majority of the most powerful radio stations in the US are owned by Clear Channel. They are massive and have the ability to break artists worldwide. For the most part, they are dealing directly with the major labels in the US, with whom they have had long relationships. If you are an artist that is not being pushed by Clear Channel radio in the US, your chances of becoming a household name are slim.” IfsBelieveLongReasonFactsArtistNamesI BelieveChanceAbilityPowerfulBreakClearBecomingMajorsMajorityRadioHardestLabelsMost PowerfulMassiveStationsHouseholdSlimRadio StationsLong Relationship Author:Wendy Starland
“If you follow a trend, by the time it is released it will sound like the same regurgitated music that the public has been hearing for the past eight months (at least.) I am not referring to genres or production that is considered to be timeless or "classic" sounding.” IfsHas BeensPastSoundMonthsProductionsEightHearingGenreClassicTrendsTimelessReferring Author:Wendy Starland
“If you want to be a songwriter and place a song with a popular artist, then it's ok to follow the trends. This is mainly because many labels are afraid to take big risks on something that sounds too different than the status quo.” IfsWantDifferentBigsArtistSongSoundRiskLabelsTrendsSongwritersStatus Quo Author:Wendy Starland
“Write great songs that sound amazing if sung and played on the piano or acoustic guitar. Always encourage sing-alongs! Be prolific! Say "Yes" to new collaborations because you never know where it could lead.” IfsKnowsWritingSongSoundGuitarPianoCollaborationAcousticsAcoustic Guitar Author:Wendy Starland
