The modern music industry focuses on chart success, data, stats, making money and fame, and, for some, that is aspirational. For me, it has always been a weird religion and one I never really signed up for.

The industry or Popstars have never mesmerised me and I don’t relate to the ethos even though I had plenty of opportunity to drink it in. When I released my second solo album, I gave the cult away so I could forge a music career on my own terms and because of this; I am content today, plus I still produce music and, being a woman of a certain age, that is success in itself.

In a musician’s perfect world, everyone would do well enough income wise to do it as a full-time job. They would enjoy the ride, retire, feeling totally chuffed with a life well lived, grateful they could follow their dream.

More often, however, that’s not how things pan out. You might get to play in a band, release a couple of songs, get an arts grant and if you have a big family (or a lot of friends), you might sell a few albums or some merch. A few years later, however, you will head off into the sunset because you will need to get a ‘real’ job and your music career becomes that story you tell when you reminisce about the good old days.

But here’s the thing; it is very difficult to make a living just from your art, any art for that matter, even though the message preached via industry organisations is that you can attain a robust career as an artist. The hard truth needs to be acknowledged; not all of us are going to be famous and rich and you may need to pivot if you want a roof over your head or to eat.

It’s OK though because this is probably true of 99.999999999% of all the musicians who had the dream to live their life as a music artist. Even those who tasted success, had a recording contract or music in the charts, may one day need to decide if they want to keep going.

For me, it was my twenty-ninth birthday after releasing my second album Tremble, with a major record label. Soon after it debuted, I was singing to a couple of people (literally) in a pub in St Kilda, Melbourne. I looked around at the empty seats and thought, “I think… maybe… I am not going to make it” and decided the next day it was time to go home.

At the time it was heart-breaking, but I am glad I did because everything turned out well because of that choice. Today I am incredibly content with where I am now, plus I learned a valuable lesson; Being famous might be amazing, but nothing beats being proud about what you produced. Would I swap anything in my music catalogue for fame or fortune? Short answer is, no.

I don’t mind that I wasn’t a global pop star, but I do care about my body work and am proud of every inch. Even better, I still get to produce music now. In 2019, I released my fourth studio album, Sportsman of The Year–A Suburban Philosophy, with an accompanying book and it was a creative career highlight and now I am lucky to be thinking; “What next?”

When you are creating your masterpieces, remember that you are the only one who cares about your work (well, your parents probably do too). The people you hope will respond to your music are at this very moment more interested in their own lives and how it’s working out for them. Nobody has asked you to create something, nor do they care if you do. All you can hope for is that someone will tune in to what you are doing one day.

And if you don’t get a huge response from your music release; does this mean the song you recorded is not good enough or you aren’t as talented as you think you are? No, it simply means the stars didn’t align this time. You are in good company because many artists work away in obscurity and some really famous people are not even recognised until after their death. If you believe it’s the best song in the world, then it is. That is your truth, and no one can take that away from you unless you let them.

You need to remember that anyone can be famous now and you don’t even need to be that clever. Most musicians will never enjoy the millions of followers a TikTok star might get for dancing to disco in their undies. Fame may never happen, so it’s best to learn how to be content with your work without the accompanying public overtures and feedback that so many artists seem to need.

The other thing to consider is that everyone, no matter how famous they are, has to watch the success tide go out one day. No one shines in the sun forever and we all face the decline when it eventually comes. It’s life. 100 years from now, all we can really hope for are a few decent lines in the annals of history. Time is a great leveller and we all greet the same destiny, no matter who we are.

In 1993 I won a song-writing award, a Tui, from RIANZ, now known as Recorded Music New Zealand. It seemed wonderful at the time and it was a great honour to receive it. Today, few people I work with were even born then, nor do they care about my achievements. Why? Because it’s 2022, it’s a new generation, and a different zeitgeist. What people are doing with their music now has a lot more appeal than my memories. It was time for me to move aside from the current trends twenty years ago. And I did.

Notice I wrote “move aside”, I didn’t say “move out”. I just accept that I am not the current generation and that is OK. I pick and mix what is happening now and add it to my creative sensibilities, if it suits. The world keeps spinning, so all you can do is concentrate on what you are doing. If you put all your energy into your art while you are in the creative zone, you will always be fulfilled, irrespective of reaching a global number one.

So why bother trying at all? Simple. Because you want to and you enjoy it and that is a substantial reason. The key is to relish success when (and if) it happens, and because this moment in time is fleeting, enjoy the sense of achievement, tip your hat towards yourself and move on.

Whether you are an overnight sensation or just play music to your cat, make sure you do the best job you can. Being totally committed to something you take pleasure in is where genuine fulfilment comes from. This is a state of mind you can achieve for life and is significantly better than chasing the approval of false gods.

If not now, when?

If not now, when?