ELi5 How do teenage singers actually get started in the career?

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ELi5 How do teenage singers actually get started in the career? I see all these pop singers who start there music/acting career at 15 16 or 17 years old. How do they become famous at such a young age when they cant even sign contracts? assuming I was 15 or 16 How would I get into the music/entertainment industry? I mean lets say I want to be the next idk Taylor swift or ZED How would I do that?

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3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Not many pop tarts left.

Older men would find a talented girl or boy or group and try to turn them into stars. It was very sketchy. Check out the career of Lou Pearlman.

They would cut a demo and sell the artist to record companies.

Before YouTube, they would go on mall tours. Malls were buildings with a diverse range of supplies. Singers such as Tiffany would literally perform in a common area.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Setting aside the fact that it’s all luck and there isn’t really a path to that kind of success, you need incredibly supporting parents who are willing to take you everywhere, sign things for you, chaperone you, etc. You would need that on top of all the other stuff it takes to make it if you want to make it young.

Also, they usually start incredibly young. Like, someone who gets famous at 17 has probably had their foot in the door since they were 12.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Most of them it’s connections. While the internet has indeed made it easier to scout talent, the majority of child/teen stars have a relative or a close friend of a relative in the business that helps them get their foot in the door. Having money helps with that too.

Some are also brought in as extras and someone notices “Hey, they’re pretty good.” and gives them a shot at actually making something. This used to be far more common than it is nowadays but it still happens.

A lot of older musicians like Jeff Beck and Bob Dylan are known for finding and bringing unknown talent on tours with them, which as a result kickstarts their careers because hey, they played with legends like Beck and Dylan. Must be something about them to get their attention.

I’m sure there are other ways that I haven’t listed, but those are the most common ones that I’m aware of.