Lis Lewis Copyright 1990 by Lis Lewis, used with permission. Every publisher, attorney, producer and record label executive wants the artist to realize that the dollar is the bottom line. And even though you are telling your story, if you say it with conviction and clarity it will ring true for your audience. Steinbeck and Hemingway had a specific style and certain themes that reflected who they were and how they saw life.
Painters develop in a similar way.
We can distinguish a Van Gogh from a Picasso because their separate visions made their styles and subjects strikingly different. A singer, a frontperson, a songwriter or a band has to evolve this same unique persona. By trying many different musical styles, songs and lyrics to find what works, you can eliminate what doesn't suit you. It won't be enough to find or write a nice song, one you can sing easily and has a good hook. It has to be a great song, a perfect song, one that fits you like a glove.