I’m late! For the second time this week!
I am late posting my blog (apologies) and I was late to work on Tuesday. In my defence, I have not been sleeping well at all this week!
I know what it is, but not sure if you guys are ready for that kind of revelation! See as I research the industry into which I am heading, I have come across some rather disturbing stuff. Stuff I do not know enough about to pass on to others, but none-the-less, it has caused me to have quite a few sleepless nights!
In a nutshell, I have been looking at the price of fame! What some people believe they have to do and are willing to do, in order to ‘Make it!’
I have my limits. Don’t we all? It’s just some people’s limits are further than others.
Hand on heart, there is only so much I am willing to do for my music! Only so much I am willing to sacrifice. Don’t get me wrong, I will push and kick at the doors of opportunity until I break it off the hinges, but if, during my kicking and pushing, I am offered a key by someone who wants me to lower my morals and beliefs in return, the answer is NO!
My reading did make me stop and think though! While watching the documentaries and reading the stories about this celeb and that, it made me put things into perspective. And I believe I have learnt a few important lessons. I don’t believe I would ever, ‘sell out’ for more fame, don’t believe I would take it too far, in order to be a top selling artist. But how can you truly be sure you won’t? How do you know that in that moment, when the opportunity arises, or the question is asked, how do you know you won’t take it too far?
There is a thin line between desire and destiny! Isn’t there?
What I desire; w
hat I really want may not be what I am destined to have! But I feel as long as I do everything I can, without doing anything I would be ashamed of, only then will I know if it was destined or not. For the record, I truly believe I am, in reality… who knows! Lol
So anyway.... There is the reason for my lateness. I have been pondering, researching and not sleeping! A wonderful week indeed.
The subject for this blog was supposed to be ‘Stage names!’ Thankfully, me wondering about what I am willing to do and how far I would go links to my name!
How I hear you ask? Well... my name, Yelitza, is Russian and means ‘To shine!’ Don’t you just love it? Surely that is a sign I am destined?
See I often get a lot of people asking me what my name is and then what my stage name is, clearly expecting them to be different. When I explain that they are both the same, more often than not, they seem a little surprised.
Some understand that there is little need to change it as my name is unique enough. A few feel that as it is kind of difficult to pronounce, so for that reason I should go under another name. Others think it is better to separate you at home from the, you on the stage.
This here was one of the things I touched upon while doing my disturbing research; the idea of someone else being on stage, a pseudonym, an alter-ego etc. Some celebs say that it is not them on the stage. Someone else takes over! They even use this to argue that they are not responsible for their actions and their influence over their audience.
But I feel that it is me on stage! It is me singing and performing so why not use my name! With me, what you see is what you get. Plus I have the massive bonus of having a pretty cool name anyway, so why not use it! Surely as a performer you want a name that means ‘To shine’, I already have that.
This does raise an important point though. Regardless of whether you use your real name, your tag name or nickname, your name is and should be something memorable; something that reflects you and what your music is about.
So my tip for this session is to make sure you have a catchy name! As with all of my tips, it’s not rocket science but sometimes, things are so obvious or so simple, that they go over people’s heads! I am guilty of this all of the time.
Catchy name: Give yourself a distinctive yet easily remembered stage name. Mine is not that easy at first but it is once you see it in writing. Plus it is very unique to the music world. And catchy too!
I sometimes break it down in syllables when sending out promos and letters, but that too adds to its originality. At the end of the day your name is your calling card and like a business, you don’t want to have the same name as someone else because it causes confusion. Yeah, maybe you can benefit from the popularity of someone else with the same name, but what about the negatives, any bad press linked to that name, could be linked to you. Or when people turn up expecting Jane X and you’re there, what if they kick off? Who wants to take the risk really?
You are unique as a performer, so your name should be unique too!
Let me know your views... until next time, stay distinctive and fabulous.
Don’t forget you can see me performing every month in Brum.
Tootles… Flutter
www.myspace.com/yelitzauk
www.yelitza.co.uk
