I've been collaborating with producers and artists since 2018, and though it's only been 3 years, I've got featured releases on over 100 songs internationally and most of them being with major recognized labels.
Here's a quick look at the growth I've had.
Jan 05, 2020: Iva Rii ranked in the top 250K artists in the world (CPP).
Apr 16, 2020: Iva Rii ranked in the top 50K artists in the world (CPP).
Mar 05, 2021: Iva Rii reached Spotify popularity of 35 .
CPP (Cross Platform Performance) measures reflect an artist's overall performance across multiple platforms relative to the performance of all artists in the music industry (4.5 million at the time of writing).
I've had TV show & movie placements on Schitt's Creek, YOU, Daybreak, Busy Tonight, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, to name a few.
Check out some of my songs on Spotify.
It started as a way to supplement my income and quickly turned into my full-time job. Being able to write songs with people across the world from the comfort of my own home while also generating income has been life-changing. I'm someone who suffers from extreme anxiety often, so working from home is a lifesaver.
Though rewarding as it may seem, singing for a living "singing to survive" isn't for the faint of heart. I do feel incredibly lucky though that I get to call this my full-time job and career.
Creating a song takes time, energy, and serious passion. You absolutely cannot make songs for a living without this. Each song takes incredible patience, and at times, robs you of all energy physically and mentally. And though you give it your all on each song you help to create, it may never be heard. It may sit in a catalog for years or be forgotten within a day or two.
You've got to have thick skin. You'll be told no a hundred times. I do it for the 1 yes. If 1 person felt a connection to something I've helped to create, that's all it takes for me to keep wanting to create.
I used to think I created for myself. That I created because I needed an outlet. But I've come to understand that creating is so much more than just for myself. It's for a higher purpose that I may never fully understand. When I'm creating, I often tap into some kind of channeling of sorts, to something much greater than myself. The best way I can describe this "channeling of sorts" is a connection to something spiritual, something unseen, but felt. We all have those songs that when we hear them, instantly transports us to a specific time and place. It's incredibly powerful to think of this sort of time travel that happens, but it's real, and something we all can relate to. When it happens, you feel it. This happens often when I'm creating.
I sing to survive because it's what I know how to do. I know how to sing. Singing came first for me. It's like learning how to walk, most of us don't remember when that happened but if you can walk, you walk. I've always been singing. The writing part came later with life experiences and failures. I think that's how we truly learn how to do something. Failing. Over and over again, until we get it right. I'm still learning and growing in my art and trying to not put too much pressure on myself. Creating art of any form should be fun, relaxing, and in most cases a form of self-therapy. My job is literally my therapy. Every single day. On average I'm creating 15 songs a month.
I get asked a lot if I will collaborate on a song for royalties. This one bothers me a bit because royalties seldom come, and when they do, it's maybe enough to buy a cup of coffee. It sucks because often the song sounds amazing, and the producer asking is incredible at what they do, and still I have to say no. To explain that this is my full-time job usually isn't enough, they still want me to work with them for royalties only.
It's not in my nature to say no. I suck at it. When I talk with other vocalists who do the same work as I do, collaborating with producers on instrumentals, they share their current rates which are far higher in price than I've ever charged. I usually get made fun of among my colleagues because I'm "too cheap" or that I'm "watering down the business". I feel like I have to lower my prices constantly to meet the producers where they are at, especially given the current Covid climate.
In all reality, most of the collaborations I do will get pitched to labels and generate a fair amount of money for the producer, since they are the ones releasing the song under their name. Using Spotify for example, you'll see under my artist name only a few releases, my follower count isn't high, and my average monthly listers are few compared to the producers I work and collab with. Most of the producers I work with have 50K plus monthly listeners, loads of followers, and their play counts are way up there in the clouds. Spotify pays around $1 per 250 streams. I've got millions of streams on Spotify, playlisted by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, R3hab, Austin Kramer to name a few, tracklisted by 1000's of major artists who headline festivals like Tomorrowland and Coachella, but those counts and pay go to the producer who ends up releasing the track either solo or with a label. I've had recent collaborations reach 500K streams within the first week of the release. Most of the producers I work with more than make their investment with me back within the first day of the release, so this is why I say no to royalties only. Plus, it's incredibly hard to pay the bills in the hope and chance of future royalties.
If creating music was just a hobby for me, then yes of course I would say yes every time if time allowed, but I sing to survive. This is how I live. Creating and collaborating is my way of life. This is my only source of income. I've had people tell me to get a "real" job and just do music on the side. If I've learned anything in these last 3 years, it's this. To be in the music, to create a song, you've got to give it your all. You've got to be in it 100%. If you want to create something that other people will come to appreciate and love, you've got to give everything you've got with no holdbacks. For me, that means I have to quit trying to pursue any other career on top of the music. Music has to be my career. So today, and for as long as I can, I will continue to sing and create with every fiber I have in me. This is why I sing to survive.
Comments