News

11 Oct 2022

Blake Shelton Announces He’s Leaving ‘The Voice’: ‘This Show Has Changed My Life’

Blake Shelton — who has been a coach on NBC’s The Voice since it premiered in 2011 — won’t be turning his red chair around for much longer. The country superstar revealed on Tuesday (Oct. 11) that he will be leaving the singing competition after next season.

“This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me,” Shelton wrote in a statement posted to social media. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”

He continued, “I’ve made lifelong bonds with Carson and every single one of my fellow coaches over the years, including my wife Gwen Stefani!”

The singer concluded his statement by thanking the contestants and the fans. “It would not happen without you,” he wrote.

While Shelton will be departing The Voice, fans will get to enjoy his banter for a while longer, as season 22 is in the midst of its knockout rounds, and season 23 is just around the corner after that. As coach, the “Boys ‘Round Here” singer remains the statistically best coach in terms of winning seasons — having crowned a champ from his team in eight of the show’s 21 seasons.

In addition, NBC revealed its coaches for season 23, which includes Shelton and The Voice veteran Kelly Clarkson. Newcomers Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper will also join the judges panel.

See Shelton’s full statement posted to Twitter below.

11 Oct 2022

Mark Hoppus on Blink-182 Reunion: ‘I Feel Like a Weight Has Been Lifted Off My Shoulders’

Blink-182 are finally getting back together. On Tuesday (Oct. 11) the pop-punk trio announced a reunion with former bandmate Tom DeLonge for an upcoming global tour and single.

While joining After School Radio on Apple Music Hits, the band’s singer/bassist Mark Hoppus shared his excitement over the news. “Yes, it’s happening. Blink-182, world tour, new music, new album. Tom’s back. Man, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. That was a burden to carry that secret for so long,” he shared.

On keeping that secret, Hoppus also revealed a sweet anecdote from just days ago, when he was asked by a fan when a reunion would happen. “I was at the Dodgers game the other night, and a fan came up. It was a guy and his wife, probably late twenties, early thirties.” the musician recalled. “We take our picture, and he’s like, ‘I love your band. Grew up on your band.’ He’s like, ‘Dude, is there any way, any way at all?’ And I’m like, ‘Any way for what?’ And he’s like, ‘Is there any chance of a Blink-182 reunion tour with Tom back in the band at all?’ And he had such hope and desperation in his eyes, and I just wanted to put my hand on his shoulder and say, ‘My friend, just you wait. Just wait three, four more days.’”

Hoppus jokingly added, “I should have taken his name and should have just posted it on Instagram, been like, ‘This is for you Steve. Great idea.’”

Blink-182’s tour is slated to kick off on March 11 in Tijuana, Mexico at the Imperial GNP festival. They hit North America on May 4 with a show at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, and those dates will run through a July 16 gig in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena and then move on to Europe in September and Australia/New Zealand in early 2024.

The group’s new single, “EDGING,” is coming on Friday (Oct. 14), commemorating the trio’s first time in the studio in 10 years.

11 Oct 2022

Maryland Substitute Teacher Fired After Controversial Tweets Surface: “Black Women Raising Boys, Please Stop Letting Your Sons Pick Up Female Traits”

A Maryland substitute teacher was fired after controversial tweets of hers surfaced, where she told fellow “Black women raising boys (to) please stop letting your sons pick up female traits” amongst other contentious social media posts.

The teacher, who is Black and was identified on social media as Bianca Robinson, also tweeted on Thursday that “kids need to be bullied” from her Twitter handle @mostly_hated, FOX 5‘s Stephanie Ramirez reports.

Black Substitute Elementary School Teacher Fired For Controversial Tweets

“Black women raising boys, please stop letting your sons pick up female traits. I have the b****est boys in my class! I know ya’ll have some men around somewhere. This s*** is getting ridiculous!” one of the controversial tweets read.

She went on to tweet that “kids need to be bullied because bullying doesn’t stop with childhood. How will they be ready for an adult bully?” Robinson was also criticized for what appeared to be blatant homophobia when she wrote she was “sick of schools hiring flamboyant gay men.”

This “teacher” tried to delete the tweet but screenshots last forever. @Mostly_hated does not need to be around anyone’s child! pic.twitter.com/Z4FrKe5UOV

— Hari Ziyad (@HariZiyad) October 7, 2022

“Third day of school and I already made another kid cry,” another tweet of her’s read. “These 5th graders never had a teacher from the hood I see. I won’t be spoke to in any kind of way. I will gather a child quickly and respectfully and still bring them to tears.”

She had initially deleted the tweet, however screenshots were later circulated online. Her account was no longer active as of Tuesday.

Robinson was a substitute teacher at District Heights Elementary School, however she has since been removed from her post after angry parents brought the tweets to the schools human resources as well as superintendent Kasandra G. Lassiter’s attention.

The substitute teacher who tweeted, “Black women raising boys, please stop letting your sons pick up female traits” has been removed the classroom pic.twitter.com/WYF6iVv1G3

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) October 10, 2022

Detractors Criticize Teacher’s Tweets, Calling Her Mindset “Harmful” And “Not Needed”

While many parents were horrified by the comments, others took to Twitter to defend the Prince George’s County educator.

“She could have said something like, put them in mentoring programs or something like that, but for her to say something like that, it’s just atrocious,” parent Gabrielle Hill told FOX 5.

“Why y’all defending her and she talks like this?” one person on social media wrote.

Bruh pic.twitter.com/qmiNOYETsW

— Vida AKA Podcast Bae (@LifeStarMedia) October 7, 2022

“The mindset is what’s harmful. She described children with the term ‘b****est’ because they have ‘female’ traits.

Weaponizing misogyny against growing children is harmful,” one detractor noted.

“If I went by social media, I’d swear nurses, therapists, and teachers were some of the most evil and/or stupidest people on earth,” a commenter tweeted. “This isn’t the mindset needed. We are going to ensure she isn’t working around ANYONE’S child. Period,” another tweeted.

“You got to stop making excuses for these women her having a hard day don’t excuse what she said” a third said.

Why y’all defending her and she talks like this? pic.twitter.com/PO1GDxDRJn

— Suga (@_AddictedtoKayy) October 8, 2022

Others On Social Media Showed Support For Fired Substitute Teacher, With Supporters Claiming Free Speech

Others actually showed support for her. “Y’all stay tryna get people fired,” one supporter wrote.

“Where is she and does she have a Cashapp we can donate to?” one person commented. “Are we talking about divine feminine traits, right brain traits? Because males have divine feminine energy within them,” another wrote.

“Um, @mostly_hated should be mostly praised for speaking the truth!” @laire tweeted alongside the hashtag #BlackTwitter.

Um, @mostly_hated should be mostly praised for speaking the truth! #BlackTwitter pic.twitter.com/ScGtxPqDlj

— laire (@laire) October 11, 2022

“Free speech?” a third opined. “I don’t like what she said but trying to get her fired for a tweet?”

“We squash the tenderness out of boys and anyone born male then wonder why they’re such hard lovers, fathers, friends, etc. all for some imaginary gender binary that serves no one.”

What do you say, Roomies? Should Robinson been fired? Or does free speech protect her from tweeting controversial material?

The post Maryland Substitute Teacher Fired After Controversial Tweets Surface: “Black Women Raising Boys, Please Stop Letting Your Sons Pick Up Female Traits” appeared first on The Shade Room.

10 Oct 2022

Man Sues Texas Pete Hot Sauce Owners Because It’s Made In North Carolina And Not Texas

A Los Angeles man is sick of the marketing lies! And he’s taking his frustration out in court. According to Nexstar Media Wire, Phillip White filed a class-action lawsuit against T.W. Garner Food Co. He alleges the parent company deceived him when he bought a $3 bottle of Texas Pete hot sauce. The purchase took place at Ralph’s grocery store in September 2021.

Phillip claims T.W. Garner “cheated its way to a market-leading position in the $3 billion hot-sauce industry at the expense of law-abiding competitors and consumers nationwide who desire authentic Texas hot sauce.”

Lawsuit Says The Texas Branded Hot Sauce Has Nothing Texas 

The suit also details the look of the Texas Pete logo. White says it includes “the famed white ‘lone’ star from the Texan flag together with a ‘lassoing cowboy.”

But despite the down south influence, there is “surprisingly nothing Texas” about the sauce, per the suit. And White’s claims seem to be backed by the sauce’s history, as told by Texas Pete’s website.

The “tasty red pepper sauce made in North Carolina” got the name Texas Pete from a suggestion made by a marketing advisor. Sam Garner and his three sons Thad, Ralph, and Harold had invented a spicy new sauce, and the advisor recommended ‘Mexican Joe.’ But Sam wasn’t with it, instead wanting an “American name.”

“Sam suggested they move across the border to Texas, which also had a reputation for spicy cuisine. Then he glanced at son Harold, whose nickname was “Pete” and the Texas Pete cowboy was born.”

Over the years, the company produced several products, from hot dog chili and honey mustard to seafood cocktail and green pepper sauce under the brand Texas Pete. The factory producing the branded products is located in northwest Winston-Salem “on the original Garner family home site.” 

“In revealing the thought process behind its brand name, [T.W. Garner Food Co.] admits that Texas’s reputation was one they were trying to mimic and capitalize on when creating their brand,” Phillip’s lawsuit claims.

Phillip Says He Only Bought The Sauce Because Of Its Label

According to the lawsuit, Phillip wouldn’t have bought the sauce if he knew it was produced in North Carolina. The company, Phillip says, is harming Texas companies and misleading customers.

“White relied upon the language and images displayed on the front label of the product, and at the time of purchase understood the product to be a Texas product,” the suit said.

As a result, Phillip is looking for the company to change its name and branding. It’s unclear if he’s also seeking compensation. T.W. Garner Food Co. has yet to respond to the suit.

The post Man Sues Texas Pete Hot Sauce Owners Because It’s Made In North Carolina And Not Texas appeared first on The Shade Room.

09 Oct 2022

Baddie On A Budget?! The TikTok Gworlz Are Saving Money And Buying Designer Replicas

fake_birkin

TikTok is the ultimate spot for viral life hacks. With over 88 billion views, under the lifehack hashtag in the app, it seems to be the go-to place for girls to stay in the loop and on top of the trends.

BADDIE ON A BUDGET ?!

The latest hack sweeping the innanet comes from the gworlz who are saving their coint and buying high-end designer replicas.

If you spent some time on TikTok you have seen users showing off their designer finds from sites like DHGate, Aliexpress, and more. The Tiktok girls have found an affordable way to come through with the latest drip.

User @thebarbieari0 shares videos of her unboxing her replica finds. One video that currently has 3.3 million views shows several Gucci, Jordan, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton items.

“When they think ur rich but it’s all from DH gate,” they wrote in their video, which was posted in August 2022.

Another video displayed a lady unboxing a DHGate Christian Dior replica which was purchased for $60. The actual price of the bag goes for $3350.00 on the fashion label site.

DRIP OR DROWN ?!

The Tiktok girlies are living their best “luxury” lives with items from dhgate, love it

— Nads (@nadia_boheme) August 22, 2022

There was a point in time when being caught with a “knockoff”, “fake”, or “replica” was socially unacceptable and able to ruin someone’s fashion credibility. Now, this idea is not as shameful as it was years ago.

Why are they doing it ?! Well, it seems the girls are being financially responsible.

Today, designer replicas are becoming more acceptable amongst generation Z. There are thousands of youtube hauls and TikTok trends that show a twentysomething showing off their luxury knockoffs purchased at a 90% difference then the retail price.

Others believe you cannot tell the difference and the quality is just as good as the authentic item.

HACK OR WACK ?!

The DhGate craze has some of the world in frenzy. While some have no shame in their game, others are asking “are you not embarrassed?”

Reactions from Twitter users show a different side of this inexpensive life hack.

Idk I just can’t get with the dhgate tiktok girlies

— Jaylajoi. (@gorgeousjoi_) August 16, 2022

ppl on tiktok love dhgate, that’s so weird to me if it’s not ur time then it’s just not ur time wtf

— BADA$$ (@iamasiabanks) June 14, 2021

#TeaMates, so what’s the consensus — is designer fakes the way to go ?!

The post Baddie On A Budget?! The TikTok Gworlz Are Saving Money And Buying Designer Replicas appeared first on The Shade Room.

09 Oct 2022

Philly Nurse Harasses Expectant Mother After She Requested A Doctor’s Note For Work Due To Pain

A nurse practitioner in Pennslyvania is at the center of major online backlash after an expectant mother shared her experience with the medical professional.

The nurse, identified as Theresa Smigo by online users, appears to harass the seven-months-pregnant woman because she requested a work excuse due to pain.

Mother Visits Center For Pain; Nurse Doubts Her Story

Over the weekend, the mother named, Jillian shared three videos online. The first clip shows her interaction with the nurse at the Philly Pregnancy Center. After the video went viral, Jillian posted the other two clips explaining what happened.

Jillian said she contacted the center for a doctor’s note after experiencing pain. After requesting an appointment for a week, the center told her to come in. At her appointment, Jillian said she tried to explain her discomfort to Smigo seen in the viral video. But, per the mother, the nurse wasn’t interested in the details.

“When I tried to explain my pain and exactly what I was feeling, she cut me off, said let me examine you, I want to feel your cervix. So I got up on the table for her to examine me, she was very aggressive. She shoved her fingers, it was painful,” Jillian said.

After the exam, Smigo told Jillian she could still work, and the most she could do was say Jillian couldn’t lift 25 pounds or more. At this point, the mother began to argue her case for a work excuse, but Smigo wasn’t budging. So they make their way to the front desk, where Smigo allegedly blurted out Jillian’s information loud enough for another patient in the lobby to hear. Finally, the front-desk receptionist got a doctor on the phone.

Nurse Calls 911 After The Mother Called Her A “Weirdo” 

While on the phone, the doctor asks the mother to move to the back to explain her symptoms. On her way to the back, Smigo allegedly said, “please don’t take her to my office.” So, the mother responded, “nobody wants to go to your office, you’re a weirdo for that.”

Afterward, Smigo came to Jillian and informed her that she had called the police over the weirdo insult.

@goddess_jay_This is part 1 to the crazy karen story . Please repost keep this viral i need to bring awareness and get justice for the way i was treated . I appreciate all the love and couldn’t get to every comment . So thank you so much for all the love !♬ original sound – Jillian

In the second explainer video, Jillian revealed she suffered a panic attack after the nurse said she called the police. After calming down, Jillian said she walked to the lobby, and cops were waiting on her. The mother said the police were slightly aggressive but didn’t think to record because those weren’t her intentions.

The police told Jillian that the nurse told them she felt threatened. But the mother countered that claim by saying she was almost eight months pregnant and no threat to anyone. The police also said Smigo claimed Jillian came to the center for “a note to get a free ride.” 

The police left, and Jillian took a seat in the lobby to wait on the note, which the doctor approved.

Nurse Allegedly Calls Mother A “Piece Of Sh*t”

Not quite finished with Jillian, the nurse approached her. But the mother tried to ignore her by focusing on her phone. Still, the nurse positioned herself in front of Jillian and asked her, “what were you thinking when you got pregnant.” Jillian didn’t respond, but the nurse kept trying to initiate a conversation.

“So I finally just said, listen I don’t care what you got to say. Please get out my face, go about your day. So she goes, “Jillian you’re a piece of sh*t. What were you thinking when you opened your legs and got pregnant?” From there, I immediately hurried up and went to my camera,” she said.

@goddess_jay_ Part two to the karen story #karen @BallerAlert ♬ original sound – Jillian

Nurse Accuses The Mother Of Wanting To Commit Fraud

Unaware she was being recorded; the nurse continued to drill into Jillian–even imposing her own experiences.

“What were you thinking about when you got pregnant? That you were not going to work? I’m just curious cause like I’ve had three kids. I worked up until the second they were born,” Smigo said.

Jillian fired back, reminding the nurse that they were different people. But, again, the nurse insisted she asked the question to understand Jillian’s mindset and repeated her “what were you thinking” statement. Jillian responded, “I was thinking ’bout having a kid,” and stated she was confused by the direction of the conversation.

Smigo then said she performed an assessment and gave her best medical advice, but Jillian “didn’t like that.” Jillian again explained her purpose for visiting the clinic–an excuse note to “take it easy” for the next two months of her pregnancy. Smigo then said she explained to Jillian that giving her a letter is “fraud” and that the content on her medical chart is false, despite the doctor granting Jillian her note.

“How do you know how I feel, how do you know how my body feels inside,” Jillian said.

“Cause I stuck my hand in there and checked your cervix,” Smigo responded with a laugh.

The mother fired back again, listing body parts and symptoms affecting her. Smigo mumbled something before starting towards the center’s front door.

Mother Reveals She’s Recording, Smigo Swings An Object At Her In Response

At that point, Jillian revealed she was recording the conversation by pointing her camera directly at Smigo.

Smigo reacted by swinging an office tool in Jillian’s direction multiple times and trying to grab the phone from the mother’s hand. To keep Smigo away, Jillian held her hand out in front of her. Smigo paced back and forth, making threats to call the police again. Finally, she walked towards the front door while loudly laughing, and Jillian panned the camera to show a sign featuring the center’s name.

This is how Black women experience maternal mortality at such high rates. And, why is this nurse second guessing the doctor? Furthermore, what business is it of this nurse IF the patient doesn’t want to work during her pregnancy? pic.twitter.com/oQSAlwAUiK

— Queen Thicktoria, Esq. Stands with Ukraine (@VeeCeeMurphy76) October 7, 2022

Center Allegedly Responds To Viral Video; Nurse Suspended

Jillian provided another update on TikTok for those following her situation. It appears that the pregnancy center responded to the incident in a comment section with a lengthy statement–placing the blame primarily on the patient. Several Twitter users have also claimed they’ve received the same information after emailing a complaint on behalf of Jillian.

“Although patients are ALWAYS right and health care providers should never conflict with patients and avoid at all costs any verbal or physical dispute–it was the patient who called the names, cursed her and used unacceptable language when she heard that the NP does not think that she need to get an excuse letter from work,” the comment said. They added, “We do not deserve this kind of treatment and harassment that we have endured by this patient and her followers on social media and beyond.”

Jillian also said she spoke to the center’s doctor on the phone after the video went viral. The doctor allegedly also blamed Jillian. However, Jillian did say the center suspended Smigo but had not fired her.

Update for the viral pregnancy center story . I am the creator of the video keep sharing follow this page for updates and keep this viral this can’t just be swept under the rug I appreciate all the support pic.twitter.com/X7ZEcyRFaw

— Jillian (@goddess_jay__) October 8, 2022

But despite the center’s position, Jillian’s story has inspired other mothers to share similar experiences with Theresa Smigo.

So I’m not the only one who was treated badly by this doctor. Keep this viral something has got to give pic.twitter.com/W2bh9NmGVB

— Jillian (@goddess_jay__) October 8, 2022

This story is still developing.

—————————————————–

Do you have a similar experience with the Philly Pregnancy Center or Theresa Smigo? Please share your experience with us at cassandra@theshaderoom.com or news@theshaderoom.com! 

The post Philly Nurse Harasses Expectant Mother After She Requested A Doctor’s Note For Work Due To Pain appeared first on The Shade Room.

09 Oct 2022

Nicki Minaj Reacts To UC Berkeley Course Based On Her Career That Will Be Offered Next Spring

UC Berkeley will soon offer a lil’ something for all the super freaky scholars on their campus! But before your mind tours the gutter, the news is about a course based on the career of Super Freaky Girl mastermind Nicki Minaj.

And it looks like the rapper is down to pop in for a visit when the course begins in the 2023 spring semester. On October 6, a Twitter user shared the news and tagged the mogul. Less than an hour later, Nicki responded, “I’d love to stop by.” 

Later that same day, the professor leading the course chimed in to thank Nicki and welcome her gesture.

“Awww, thank u so much for sharing this @tcmccr,” the professor replied to the tweet thread. “I’m so excited to be teaching AAS 140.2: Nicki Minaj: The Black Barbie Femmecee & Hip Hop Feminisms.” This spr 2023 @UC Berkeley. We would be hella happy & honored for u to stop by.”

aww, thank u so much for sharing this @tcmccr. and thank u so much for responding @NICKIMINAJ. i’m so excited to be teaching AAS 140.2: “Nicki Minaj: The Black Barbie Femmecee & Hip Hop Feminisms” this spr 2023 @ uc berkeley. we would be hella happy & honored for u to stop by!

— peace and love el henson, PhD (she/they) (@dr_peaceandlove) October 7, 2022

Barbz Offer Their Support, Professor Thanks Them

According to the professor, whose name remains unclear, she created her Twitter account to respond to Nicki’s offer.

“p.s. I ain’t got no social media, BUT I hella just started a Twitter as soon as I heard about this thread,” the professor wrote.

And it appears that the Barbz, Nicki’s loyal fanbase, are just as excited about the course. In the thread, multiple accounts requested that the professor post the syllabus, record the lectures, and offer an online version of the course to the public. Others even shared coursework suggestions.

Can you post the syllabus when it starts so we can do the readings? I wanna follow along. I nnow this may be a bit much but feel free to record the lectures too

— D ︎ (@nickixdestiny) October 8, 2022

You should do an online version available to the public or even let us apply to take the class online

— #TeamMinaj (@ImMinajin) October 8, 2022

Also, if you haven’t seen her already, the youtuber Blessing Mukosha has the most intellectual nicki minaj content ive ever seen. Specifically this video https://t.co/NNERKNPCJK was so eye-opening for me, i highly recommend

— Alec Minaj (@alec_minaj) October 8, 2022

The professor responded to the requests and suggestions with gratitude for their support.

“Barbz: thank y’all so much for the love & interest in my class! Words cannot capture my excitement & appreciation for y’all support. I feel so encouraged & I’m looking forward to sharing more details as they’re finalized,” she wrote.

Professor Asks Nicki Minaj For Her Insight

In addition to thanking Nicki and the Barbz, the professor also took the opportunity to see how else she could get Nicki Minaj involved. She asked the artist for her insight into the coursework.

“This class is interested in thinking critically about u and ur productions w/in the context of broader historical-social structure & hip hop feminisms. So having yo personal insights would be AMAZING! I’m finalizing things this fall & would love to talk more details w/u via DM,” she wrote.

At this time, it’s unclear if Nicki and the professor have touched base privately. But at least students can look forward to the possibility of meeting Nicki, along with producing work about her!

The post Nicki Minaj Reacts To UC Berkeley Course Based On Her Career That Will Be Offered Next Spring appeared first on The Shade Room.

05 May 2022

The Subways Tour Diary: Days 6-10 the adventure continues

The Subways were kind enough to chronicle their North American tour for us, and we’ll be running their tour diary in several installments this week. Billy Lunn will be our guide, and as he writes, “Because so much usually ends up happening on our tours, we thought that this time round, whilst we’re on our exciting US/Canada tour, I’d keep a diary of all our happenings.

As well as being a nice little insight for you guys into our daily lives, it’s also a nice way for me to recap and relive the days as they happen!

Check out entries for Days 6-10 below.

Early start today for a Converse live session, but it was a great excuse to get in a cab and see the sights of beautiful Boston. The wealth of redbrick buildings reminded us of the redbrick of Manchester in our own U.K., which adds a natural autumnal look to the city, and this wonderful quality was compounded by the blue skies and soft, orange sunlight! On our way we passed Harvard Business School on our right, and I wanted to take a detour over the bridge to Harvard Square in Cambridge so I could get a nice feel of what it’s like there. All of a sudden I felt pangs of wanting to study a postgraduate at a Boston uni after I finish my BA at Cambridge—assuming I graduate, of course! Haha! We didn’t take the detour; we like to be punctual!


03 May 2022

The 5 Elements Needed For Music Industry Success

https://youtu.be/F82W3tKtr8c

You are about to learn the five critical elements that have fueled the success of all great musicians’ careers. Until you possess these key elements for yourself, it will be nearly impossible for you to reach your musical dreams and build a successful career in the music business.

Read below to discover these five key elements and take action on the information you learn:

Music Career Success Key #1 – Don’t Set Realistic Goals

All of the most well-known and successful musicians did not achieve their goals by thinking realistically about what seemed possible. On the contrary, they focused their mind like a laser ONLY on what they truly wanted. When you make your goals in line with the things you want most, you will be much more motivated to actually achieve them. More on this in a moment…

Think about this – out of the following choices, which choice would inspire you to put all your time and energy into growing a music career?:

Making a recording of a demo with a band and possibly playing a few shows around town.

Writing chart topping songs for a killer band, then promoting your music by going on a massive world tour – playing to stadiums full of fans, earning tons of money from music sales alone and never working a regular job ever again.
Even if your goals in the music business are entirely unrelated to releasing music, the point still applies: don’t let yourself accept anything less than what you truly want in your music career, just for the sake of being realistic. Life is too precious to live it by not doing the things you really desire. When you set goals for yourself that do not inspire you, it is nearly guaranteed that you will NEVER achieve the things you truly desire in music.

All the biggest rock stars are people just like you. They began small – whether it was broke without any idea how they’d make it in music, lacking in musical talent or not having a band to play with… Just imagine where they would be now, if they would have told themselves that their music career dreams were unrealistic or didn’t seem possible. Well, of course they didn’t… they followed their dreams and went on to achieve them!

You must do what they did. Start building your music career by focusing on what you WANT, not what seems possible.

Music Career Success Key #2 – Manifest Your Musical Dreams Into Reality Before They Actually Are Reality

Musicians who never achieve anything significant in this industry, build paths to their goals by starting from where they are in the present moment.

On the other hand, musicians who achieve great success do something completely different. They plan their music career by beginning from the end point of achieving their goals, and work backwards to the present day. They imagine themselves having already accomplished their major goals, then build their lives around this vision. This is a much more effective way of accurately determining the actions required for putting together your music career.

Music Career Success Key #3 – Start Living Or Start Dying

The two keys I mentioned above are critical for building a successful music career. With this in mind, you need more than just goals and a plan of action to realize your musical dreams. You have to take action each and every day to bring yourself closer to your goals. You might think this is common knowledge, but you would be shocked at how many musicians give up on their musical dreams simply due to lack of effort (in terms of taking physical action).

Visualize this scenario (I use this as inspiration for the professional musicians whom I mentor): You’ve just found out about a disease you contracted that requires major surgery. If you don’t get this surgery, you are guaranteed to die in no more than half a year. To make matters worse, the surgery is extremely expensive and cannot be covered by your insurance company (also you can’t borrow money to pay for it). So you have a decision to make: You can allow yourself to die, OR you can take whatever action is necessary to get the money needed for the surgery.

Certainly this example is extreme, but it is a perfect illustration of the kind of mindset you need to have in order to build a successful music career. Making big moves (by taking action) in your music career is completely different than sitting around waiting for things to happen for you (allowing yourself to ‘die’).

With this in mind, hard work/consistent action does not necessarily equal music career success, when you don’t know exactly what you should be doing to reach your goals.

Music Career Success Key #4 – Have MASSIVE Reasons For Achieving Your Musical Goals

No matter what you do, something will always go wrong in your music career plans. Whenever you are faced with unexpected events in your music career, this is the time when your commitment will be put to the test. For instance, here are some challenging situations you could face:

Working at a day job you hate while regretting the fact that you never developed a music career backup plan to help you make a living doing what you love.
Playing at crappy bars all the time with your band because you don’t know how to move to bigger venues.
Trying to record an album, but doing so at an extremely slow and frustrating pace because you never practiced developing your recording skills.
Working with unmotivated band members who are bringing you (and the entire band) down.
Not understanding how to attract more music fans to listen to the music you worked so hard to create.
Here is what you need to do in order to maintain your commitment and dedication to achieving your music career goals:

Take out the piece of paper you have that contains the list of your written goals (that you put together in key #1 above). Then beside each one write down the big REASONS you have for pursuing them. For every musical goal you have, answer this question: “Why do I want to achieve this?” Spend a lot of time thinking about this for each goal before you write down your response, and look over your goals/reasons two times every day.

When you do this, you’ll develop the ability to maintain motivation and stay focused on the major reasons you have for reaching your goals. This will help you move forward in the difficult times when your dedication is put to the test.

Music Career Success Key #5 – Don’t Try To Build Your Music Career Blindfolded

Once you are in possession of all 4 keys mentioned above, it’s still possible that your music career will go nowhere. This occurs when you lack certainty about what to do to achieve success, are (unknowingly) sabotaging yourself or lack effective strategies to help you reach your musical goals. The last key required for building your successful career in the music industry is to train with a mentor who has experience helping musicians take their careers to the highest level.

A truly effective mentor will not simply tell you what you need to be doing in order to succeed in the music business. He will help you utilize all of the strengths you built while developing the first four keys and will keep you heading down the right path toward success, while preventing you from making the same mistakes that unsuccessful musicians make. Without this kind of training, you are essentially trying to build your music career with a blindfold on – completely oblivious to the best ways to succeed using your current skills and knowledge.

Now that you’ve learned the five keys that build the foundation of a successful music career, these are the steps you should take right now:

1. Focus on getting all the missing keys you do not currently possess.

2. Being working with an experienced music career mentor to quickly achieve your greatest musical goals.
Tom Hess is a music career mentor, touring musician and guitarist. He teaches online guitar lessons to musicians all over the world and mentors musicians on how to build a successful music career. Visit his website for music instruction to get many free musician resources to help you start a career in music and learn about the music industry.

01 May 2022

Does A Woman Help Progression In Music?

As festival season rapidly rolls in, we’re constantly being reminded of the continuing lack of diversity on our lineups. With a recent study indicating 86 per cent of the lineups of 12 major music festivals last year including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds and Creamfields were male, it seems that the ears at the top are still unwilling to break up the boys club that makes up our live music industry.

Without music, life would be a mistake.

That’s not to say the diversity – and demand – isn’t there. With collectives such as SIREN and Discwoman championing female talent in the electronic music scene, and artists such as Björk, Grimes and Kesha speaking out in defence of women’s rights in the industry, there’s never seemed a more appropriate time to shake up our lineups. One group unwilling to wait for the wider industry to take note is Sad Grrrls Club. Originally founded by Rachel Maria Cox as a record label and booking agency in order for them to support non-binary and female acts and challenge Australia’s male-dominated live music scene, Cox has grown the organisation from it’s DIY roots to fully fledged music festival taking place across two cities.

Inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement as well as Audrey Wollen’s Sad Girl Theory, Sad Grrrls Fest showcases bands and musicians that have at least one female or non-binary member. But are all-female lineups breaking down the gender divide, or widening it even further? Below we caught up with the festival’s founder to discuss safer space policies, reverse sexism and the power of expressing our emotions.