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So, you want to know what's the secret
to a long-lasting and successful career? While there is no one guaranteed formula to success, these artists share their insights
on making it along their paths to STARdom!!
SARAH BUXTON: "You've got to have
people around you who you've known from way back to really inspire you to keep going for it – because this business
can be really tough."
JACK INGRAM: "Defining success is as hard
as finding happiness. I think it's a moving target. I knew that I was a successful musician when I wrote my first song, played
my first show, made my first CD, but I have never stopped reaching for more. I heard Bob Dylan say that a successful artist
is one who is always in a state of becoming, always reaching for that which is just outside his grasp. That's what I want
to do. I want to sell as many records as possible and have my music enjoyed by as many people as possible. Then I will know
that I have 'made it.'"
MIRANDA LAMBERT: "I've learned how
to read people and discern people's character a lot more. Being in the spotlight of any kind, you have to learn who is genuine
and who only wants something out of you. It's hard to find really close friends, so when you do, hold onto them."
LORETTA LYNN: "If you put out a song
that isn't life, nobody's gonna care for it. Because if nobody is living that life, how are you gonna sell a record if it's
just 'ring around the rosy'? You gotta put your whole heart into a song. And that's what I did with every song that I wrote."
MARTINA McBRIDE: "To get the chance to be
heard in this business, it takes talent first and foremost but it also takes a lot of determination and even more luck. Looking
back, the naiveté it took for me and my husband John to move here with only a few contacts was crazy but one connection led
to another and I think you have to believe it will happen and take that chance. I didn't really have that exploding-out-of-the-box
[with a hit song] kind of thing. That is, in my opinion, so hard to keep going for a long period of time. That slow and steady
build we have had has allowed us to have longevity when a lot of people have gotten burned out."
TAYLOR SWIFT: "There are a lot of
gorgeous voices and beautiful women in Nashville, so I had to figure out a way to stand out. I thought if I could walk into
an audition and play a song that I had written, then I'd stand out. And that has really made a difference." [NOTE: Taylor
wrote the lyrics to ALL eleven songs on her self-titled debut aboutm!]
TRENT TOMLINSON: "Move to Nashville, number one. That's
the truth. You've got to be present to win. Once you move to Nashville, network. Meet someone who is in the same position
you're in and has the same drive you have. You get together, write songs, and eventually, you'll meet somebody who has a publishing
deal – that person has the means to getting your songs demoed. Now, you might have to sign your publishing over to the
publishing company in order to pay for your demo, because you haven't got enough money to pay for it. That's how I did it.
But, you have to move to Nashville to get it done. Then, just dig in! Persistence makes preparation."
CARRIE UNDERWOOD: "I know there are a lot of people who
do pack up their stuff, don't finish school, and move out to Los Angeles, Nashville or New York or wherever. I don't recommend
that. I think it's very important to have lots of things that you love to do, that you would be happy doing. Try all of them
and see where life takes you." [NOTE: After winning American Idol and between working on her first album,
Some Hearts, Carrie graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Journalism from Northeastern State University.]
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