As a musician, the spotlight is usually yours. After all, capturing the full attention of the audience is part of the job, but for some gigs, you need to take a step back and provide the background music. This demands a really different way of working and of performing and can sometimes be hard to pull off. Here, Guestblogger Kevin Okkema offers some tips for getting the best out of those quieter shows.

Next to your original material, it’s often a good idea to have a few cover songs up your sleeve so, during the set, you can treat your audience to something they’re a bit more familiar with. Sometimes, it can be hard work to make a song fit with your style, so here, Guestblogger Kevin Okkema offers up a few tips on how to craft the perfect cover song.

You might know the deal. You’re at a wedding reception and an A4 sheet of paper is unceremoniously thrust into your hand. Ahhhhh … Auntie Pauline has taken it upon herself to re-write the words to ‘Your Song’ and you can only stand as witness as she very sweetly and very brutally murders one of the best love songs of all time. But, what if you wanted to offer the happy couple something even more unique? Something even more personal? Here, Guestblogger and singer-songwriter Kevin shares his tips for crafting a tailor-made wedding song.

As an artist, you naturally want to share your music with the entire world, and platforms like YouTube, Facebook and even Instagram prove that you can interest and appeal to countless music fans. In this blog, you can find out just how much it costs to produce a music video, as guest-blogger and singer-songwriter Kevin explains that no budget is too small.