A lot of people think I was an overnight success, but I was an opening act for three or four years, and then I signed my contract with EMI. Then it kind of blew up overnight.
When I started writing songs, I was doing it for myself and a small circle of friends. And gradually, over the years, an audience became involved.
I firmly believe, only because I've been doing this for so long, every show takes three years. 90% of them don't get three years. It just does. It takes a long time to build a community, build a friendship with your characters. It's hard for people to grasp on and make them care about you.
I enjoy letting my fans into my world.
As a singer, you want to connect with as many people as possible; that's my whole thing.
I want to be visible to my fans.
If you're a new artist, practice your art and share it. Set up shop somewhere, whether it's a street corner or a coffee shop. I got my start in a coffee shop that didn't even have live music. I wanted to play in coffee shops that did have live music, but I didn't have an audience.
The biggest challenge, I think for any new artist, is patience.
Devo and The Cramps didn't get big until they went to New York City. Chrissie Hynde didn't get big until she moved to London. When I was growing up, there wasn't even a place to play - just one little bar. If we wanted to have a gig, then we had to drive 45 minutes up to Cleveland.
If I write for beauty and truth, the songs will find their way to me. Then, it's the songs that speak to the audience, and they can become part of the tribe that is into what I do.
I remember the days beginning at sixteen, seventeen years old in Girls Aloud. Nobody knew us, nobody cared. We'd do university shows and people threw beers cans at us. All sorts of crazy things! We had to work really hard to get where we did.
With wrestling, everybody always asks what they can do to get signed or how can they get over. There's no right or wrong answers. That's why I think the best thing you can do is be yourself.
If only the people around you know you're an artist, then you're doing something wrong.
After you have built a fanbase, people call you to promote their films. Often, it leads to acting offers. After that, it' just a matter of your film working.
I think for new artists the hardest thing is putting the face with a name. People maybe heard our song on the radio or something but until they get several impressions of who you are - from whatever it is, whether TV or a live show, I feel like they don't quite connect the dots.
All my fans saw me as some little kid who can't even afford new jeans in his room, so they'll support me. That'll work until I become a success.
When I started out, I really struggled as a comic because no one knew who I was, and sometimes I was telling stories, so it would take a while for people to get on board for things.
Bands should definitely pay some dues and go through it, go to small clubs, build a fan base, all that kind of stuff, because it's not real, otherwise.
Do as many gigs as the good Lord sends. That's the only true training.
I was pretty ambitious as a child to want to be a star with the talent I had, but I want to finish what I started and bring the fans along with me.
I try to be respectful and talk to any fan and sign anything that anyone wants. Without the fans, you're not much. You need fans to do this job. I've got a nice little following, and it seems to be growing as each thing comes out.
I think it's important to earn your fan base and not just try to immediately advance to the top. If you ride to the top quickly, you're liable to fall as quickly. Take your time. It's a long journey ahead of you as an artist. There's nowhere that you're supposed to be other than right now living inside of your art.
This is my chance to get out there and appease the fans of my music as well as show people that I do do standup comedy because a lot of people don't know that's where I started.
With me being an artist that took over a decade to get on, there's so many different things that I have in common with artists that's struggling to get on.
I had this mentality that I had to go out to everyone's show so everyone at the end of the week would come to mine - that I had to go out and rub elbows, find exposure. A small part of that is true. But if something is good, people will notice when you put it out.
