How one conversation about a new album got me thinking differently about storytelling in music promotion.
All right, here’s the starting point…
A couple of months ago, I had a quick phone call with Nils Petter Molvær about his latest album, Be Quiet.
As part of the promotional campaign for the album at Edition Records, I wanted to have more insight into the creative process behind the record, something that could bring fans closer to the music.
In case you haven’t heard it yet (it definitely goes to my best ones this year), it’s a duo-collaborative project bringing together nine brilliant collaborators, all meeting Nils’s unmistakable trumpet voice beautifully.
I was really curious to know how the music came together, and what was behind some of the collaborations. (Really enjoyed listening to Nils and the vision he had for the album!)
What stayed with me wasn’t a particular story about one of the tracks or a specific recording session. It was something much simpler.
Nils kept coming back to the interaction between the musicians.
He emphasised it as one of the core elements of his artistry, and I found that interesting.
Because I went into the conversation looking for anecdotes, but he basically gave me something much smaller: one part of the process that mattered to him.
And this gave me more thoughts on engaging fans with storytelling.
Make storytelling feel more natural
When I talk to independent musicians about promotion, storytelling often comes up.
And I think there’s a common assumption that you need to have some compelling story behind your music.
Something that sounds interesting enough to make people stop scrolling. Maybe you start looking for it:
What can I say that people will find interesting?
And suddenly storytelling becomes another thing you feel you need to be good at.
But I don’t think you need to be a storyteller. And you definitely don’t need to invent a story.
Just find something that matters to you.
There are stories already inside the process of making your music – and I’m sure there are lots!
Maybe it’s a decision you made that completely changed a track, or something you discovered about your own music while recording it.
You don’t have to explain everything. You can simply give people one small window into something that matters to you – and that’s storytelling.
To help you see more of that, here are 3 simple ways to bring storytelling into your promotion.
Talk about what mattered
Instead of trying to explain your entire album, ask yourself:
What mattered most to me while making this music?
It could be a person, a sound, a place, an idea, a feeling or even a problem you were trying to solve.
Then talk about that!
You could turn one answer into an Instagram post, a short video, a newsletter paragraph or even something you say on stage.
You don’t need to tell the whole story, just start with one thing.
Tell us about one decision
Making music (but also life in general) is about making decisions.
Think about how many decisions you had to make before releasing the track…I imagine a lot.
There are countless of them worth reflecting on.
If I ever ask you things like: why did you invite that particular musician? or why did you record it in that particular place?
I’m sure there’s plenty about your music that people would be excited to discover.
So, pick one decision and tell us why you made it.
It gives people a glimpse into how you think – and that can be much more interesting than simply telling them what the finished music sounds like.
Talk about the people
Chances are, your music didn’t happen in isolation. So talk about the people who were part of it.
What did they bring to the music or the project?
Maybe they changed the way you approached a song or heard something in the music that you hadn’t noticed yourself.
Those relationships can be part of the story too, and often they’re what make the story worth telling.
You might just need to look a little closer at the things you’re trying to understand that surprised you and (most importantly) that mattered.
That being said, I am trying to say one thing to you here: storytelling isn’t about adding a story to your music.
It’s about showing people what’s already there.
And maybe that’s a much easier place to start!
Need help with your next release?
If you’re struggling to turn the story behind your music into something you can actually communicate:
Book a FREE 30 min discovery call with me.
Let’s look at your release together and find the stories worth sharing!
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