- Number One, never tour Canada in the winter. Don’t do it. We played across Canada in December, and not only is it unsafe, it’s extremely cold – so people tend not to leave the house to see shows.
- The number of press requests you have is probably directly related to the amount of interest in you, and it’s how people discover you.
- Hard work, at the end of the day, totally does pay off – as cliché as it sounds.
Photo by Maoya Bassiouni
Photo by John Londono
Lessons Learned: career tips gleaned from Grimes’ success
Story by Johnson Cummins | Saturday April 20th, 2013
- A true craftsman doesn’t blame their tools – Grimes recorded all of Visions on Apple’s rather limited Garageband recording application. Boucher was able to work within these narrow parameters to achieve incredible results.
- Vive la difference – One important reason why Grimes’ music has resonated with so many people was her ability to embrace her quirky character traits and celebrate them.
- Grow a set of big ears – Grimes’ amalgamation of K-pop, J-pop, modern diva pop, harsh noise, industrial sounds and medieval music galvanized her own sonic voice. The synthesis of styles allowed her to market herself over a wide spectrum of genres.
- If it were easy, everybody would be doing it – Grimes is a self-described workaholic, and has spent the past two years on the road, honing her live show. If you want to turn your music into a career, you’d better be prepared to roll up your sleeves and give it every ounce of sweat you’ve got.
- Keep a finger in every pie – Grimes has managed to take complete control of her music, as well as how it’s marketed, by self-producing her recordings, creating her own visual aesthetic, graphics, merchandise and directing her own videos.