How to start a singing career?

You start a singing career by creating a long-term plan and defining your success. The path to a successful music career is different for everyone. Some go viral on TikTok, and others spend years (maybe even decades) going on tours and playing local gigs. Before you get started, you need to define what you want your career to look like.

How To Become A Vocalist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a vocalist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Geoffrey Stephenson Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a vocalist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.72 an hour? That's $57,656 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a vocalist?

Geoffrey Stephenson Ph.D.

Teaching Professor, Musical Theatre History and Vocal Performance, Bowling Green State University

If there is anything else that you could do as a vocation, do it. (Oddly enough, that is the same advice I got when I briefly considered the ministry! Ha!) Seriously though, it is a terrific idea to have something else that you love doing while looking for a performing job. I have students who now teach dance classes, work as personal trainers, write and direct in addition to performing, teach acting and professional management workshops, even editing podcasts. The industry has changed a lot since I was there in the late 80s/early 90s: everyone has a side hustle. Gone are the days of just working as a waiter or in catering.

Beyond that - and I can't emphasize this enough - a young performer needs to have faith in themselves and know in their heart that they belong in that audition, whether they're what the casting folks are looking for or not (and a lot of times you go to those auditions just to remind them that you're there, you're skilled, you're friendly, and you're a professional). One of my biggest mistakes when I was in New York was that I became so desperate to get a performing gig, I became a nervous wreck - and the casting folks can smell that desperation on you - and it isn't attractive. No one ever performed well with a loaded audition held to their head.

ScoreVocalistUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,656

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.2

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 5.56%

Black or African American 11.14%

Hispanic or Latino 13.34%

Unknown 5.11%

White 64.66%

Gender

female 57.72%

male 42.28%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

4.2

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.6

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a vocalist

Explore vocalist education requirements

Most common vocalist degrees

Bachelor's

69.0 %

Associate

10.1 %

High School Diploma

9.1 %

Start to develop specific vocalist skills

Skills	Percentages
Wedding Ceremony	20.41%
Corporate Events	13.43%
Singers	7.85%
Songwriting	6.43%
Chorus	5.79%

Complete relevant vocalist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New vocalists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a vocalist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real vocalist resumes.

Research vocalist duties and responsibilities

Achieve desired tonal and harmonic balance by communicating clearly with singers.
Self-Employ internationally known opera singer, award-winning cabaret singer, actor with off-Broadway credits.
Self-Employ internationally known opera singer, award-winning cabaret singer, actor with off-Broadway credits.

Prepare your vocalist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your vocalist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a vocalist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable vocalist resume templates

Build a professional vocalist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your vocalist resume.

Apply for vocalist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a vocalist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do vocalists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Vocalist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2021

Pros

Being an inspiration for other people who are interested in the music industry.

Cons

there's nothing .

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2021

Pros

Well I love singing a lot because I am so happy and proud to become a famous singer one day and I get so excited about things that are coming my way and music is my favourite hobby it’s and I love my music because I am in to the 60s and the 50s and the 40s so I would love to be rich and famous singer and to get married to my gorgeous partner one day and to move house in the future

Cons

I don’t like people telling me off all the time and when they are being sneaky and lurking behind your back and to get out of of my house and to get out of derby all together for good

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

i get to express myself

Cons

well some times for my age i get teased people say that i'm to young to sing and singing isn't a real job

What is a vocalist and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a vocalist?

Vocalist career paths

Key steps to become a vocalist

Explore vocalist education requirements

Most common vocalist degrees

Start to develop specific vocalist skills

Complete relevant vocalist training and internships

Research vocalist duties and responsibilities

Prepare your vocalist resume

Choose from 10+ customizable vocalist resume templates

Apply for vocalist jobs

How did you land your first vocalist job

Average vocalist salary

How do vocalists rate their job?

Vocalist reviews

Vocalist FAQs

How to start a singing career?

Search for vocalist jobs