How To Write A Bio
Okay, truth be told, there are an infinite number of ways that you can write a bio. Over the years, I have written several dozen bios for various artists. Sometimes I start with an artist quote. Sometimes I start with a famous quote. Sometimes I start with a made up unattributed quote. More often than not, I jump right into the story. I have produced bios as comic strips and bios as a series of questions. The point is that a bio, like everything else in an artist's career, is an opportunity to be creative.
Where should you start? My suggestion is to start at the end. By that I mean decide how you want the reader to feel about you after reading the bio. Maybe you want them to feel like you write and perform a particular style of music. Maybe you want them to have a sense of the struggles you've endured in your life. Maybe you want them to feel that you are particularly approachable or aloof. Your bio does not necessarily need to be a line list of all of your accomplishments unless it serves a greater purpose.
What should you include in your bio? Basic information about who you are and some background about the music and, if applicable, the recording will be useful in all circumstances. There is no need to include your age or where you live unless that is important to the story you are telling. For newer artists, without much of a track record, I always try to slip in some influences (they don’t have to be musical influences) for context BUT I would never suggest including a direct comparison to another artist (that's for the reader/listener to do). I would always try to include relatable references. That would be references that the reader and the artist's desired audience could relate to. And here’s a big one that I got once from Bryan Adams’ manager Bruce Allen “No mystique, big mistake.”
How long should the bio be? You know the saying "Keep It Simple Stupid," this is where it comes in handy. Do you remember when you had school assignments that had to be a particular length and you ended up writing a bunch of bull just to meet the word count requirement or to try and sound smarter? Well, this isn't that assignment. For your first draft, you should vomit out everything that you can think of and then try to be as brutal on yourself as possible and cut the crap. A good story in fewer words is more powerful than a bad story in many. My mother is a 93 year old Russian immigrant who has never been confident with the English language. I always try to write so that she will understand what I am saying.
The one universal truth is that your bio should be your story told the way you want the audience to experience it. Your bio is the opportunity to put the reader on the road you want them to travel with you on the journey of your career.