Spotify Bios
I’ve been reading a lot of Spotify bios as of late. Mostly, I find them entertaining, but I also wanted to see what artists are writing about themselves. Of course, there’s plenty of legacy acts and pop superstars whose marketing teams are using the Spotify Bio space to document all the achievements of an artist up to this point. The Bios for Nina Simone and Etta James read like eulogies or obituary announcements. That said, artist bios from up and coming acts have a bit more excitement.
The Spotify Bio for newcomers is an amazing space for a future fan to make initial contact with an artist. Some fans will migrate to us from TikTok, some fans discover us through a friendly recommendation, and some fans will latch onto us after learning a bit about our personal history or vibe. Think of your Spotify bio as another place on the internet where fans can be actively captured.
The bio for artist Remi Wolf stands out in a sea of lackluster bio writing. Whether it was written by her or a label suit (more likely) is unclear, but it does ring through with her voice. Her music is ecstatic and eclectic making use of funky guitar and belted vocals. The bio’s lang verbiage - “Remi Wolf is a crazy bih” - and outright lies - “Remi also occasionally hosts The Steve Harvey Morning Show” - impart a sense of chaotic humor that runs through her songs. The bio reinforces the character of the artist and makes for a rip roaring good read.
Joy Oladokun’s bio manages to accomplish a similar feat. From a 1st person perspective, Oladokun narrates highlights from her life: “I’m currently trying to amass a pretty impressive arsenal of pokemon” and “I live in Nashville with my girlfriend and my dog.” Whereas Wolf opts for chaotic untruths, Oladokun’s bio pulls us into a space of intimacy with disparate details about her life. Again, the bio reflects the nature of the art we are actively consuming. Oladokun’s songs provide a space where her audience feels deeply connected to the artist’s personal story just like the bio.
My big takeaway from these artist bios is that the tone matters. When you’re reading a long five paragraph summation of someone’s career, you kind of lose interest. When you’re reading something that feels direct from the artist that reflects the music you’re hearing, you really feel like the bio increases your intimacy with the artist in question. I think these are things worth thinking about as you go and pen your own artist bio.
