Interview Questions for Singers – Songwriters

If you are an interviewer who wants to decode an artist (singer-songwriter) personal brand correctly, then they need to pick the right interview questions.

Before conducting interviews, it’s essential to research your guest and make an effort to know their backgrounds, histories, hobbies and other necessary information. Study the basics and avoid asking questions that have already been answered in other interviews or online. To help you get started, I have compiled a list of general questions for musician/ singers – songwriters that the interviewer could ask:

  1. What first got you into music?
  2. What skills have you learned that will help you in your singing career?
  3. Hi, thanks for talking to me today, how is lockdown treating you? 
  4. Who inspired you to make music?
  5. What influenced you to be a singer-songwriter?
  6. You’re a multi-talented artist; how do you manage to give your best in all of your endeavors, from acting to music?
  7. What made you decide to pursue a career in entertainment?
  8. You began playing music at a young age; what drew you to music?
  9. How would you describe the music that you typically create?
  10. Tell us about your upcoming single, ‘ABC?’
  11. What was your thought when you first started to compose ‘ABC?’
  12. What inspires you to create such classic music?
  13. In terms of the overall composition, what is your favorite song and why?
  14. What kind of singer would you classify yourself as?
  15. Tell me about your process. How do you find inspiration when working to a deadline?
  16. How have you been able to use social media during these unprecedented times? Are you finding that you use it even more to stay connected to fans and other musicians? 
  17. Thank you for your time. So given these unusual Covid-19 times, what does a typical day look like for you? How have you adjusted to these times?
  18. You have mentioned in other interviews that you began this journey writing poetry at first. When did that transition into adding music and how did you go about doing that actually?
  19. What is your creative process like?
  20. Is there another musician you’ve mentored or trained? Describe what you’ve done to help them.
  21. What has been the hardest/most challenging part about being quarantined? Is your city starting to open up more now?
  22. Have you ever taught anyone how to play an instrument? Describe this experience.
  23. Did you have a particular artist that inspired you to take the path of a music career?
  24. What’s the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
  25. What’s your process for dealing with performance anxiety?
  26. How would you handle traveling and being away from your home for an extended time period while you were on tour?
  27. What would you do if your audience looked tired or bored during your performance?
  28. What was the role of music in the early years of your life?
  29. Are you from a musical or artistic family?
  30. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry?
  31. What was your experience working with Elton John like?
  32. We discovered that your grandmother greatly helped you in becoming the person you are today. What other profession would you have chosen if it hadn’t been music, in your opinion?
  33. How did you learn to sing/ to write/ to play?
  34. What your first music teacher was like?
  35. What was the first instrument which you learned to play?
  36. Tell us something about your debut single, “ABC?”
  37. What sparked the idea for “ABC?
  38. As a kid that was writing poetry and exploring music, did you have a group of other friends and artists doing the same that helped push you at all?
  39. What is the story behind your band name/stage name?
  40. How could you describe your music?
  41. Describe your creative process?
  42. What is your main inspiration?
  43. What musician do you admire most and why?
  44. What is one message that you would like to give for your fans?
  45. How would you describe your fans?
  46. Do you create for yourself or for your fans?
  47. Did your style evolved since the beginning of your career?
  48. When was that first “Oh shit” moment when you realized that music was going to pay off for you?
  49. Who do you see as your main competitor?
  50. Would you agree that it is very important to learn, study and understand the old music and music history?
  51. Tell me what your first music teacher was like. What lessons did you learn from them that you still use today?
  52. Have you ever participated in any music competitions? Did you win any prizes?
  53. What would you do if you made a mistake during a performance?
  54. What’s your background?
  55. Which instruments did you play in high school?
  56. What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?
  57. Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
  58. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
  59. If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
  60. What is one message you would give to your fans?
  61. What is the most useless talent you have?
  62. Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
  63. What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
  64. Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
  65. How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
  66. What is your favourite song to perform?
  67. Which famous musicians do you admire?
  68. What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
  69. What is the best advice you’ve been given?
  70. What is your typical songwriting process?
  71. What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?
  72. Do you have any weaknesses that you’re actively working to improve on?
  73. Which instrument is your favorite to play and why?
  74. What is it about music that makes you feel passionate?
  75. Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
  76. Which instrument is your least favorite to play and how do you make sure you play it well?
  77. What has been the best performance of your career so far?
  78. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
  79. What made you want to become a musician?
  80. Who inspires your playing style? Which artists can we refer to?
  81. What’s next for you?
  82. Who are your biggest influences?
  83. What you enjoy most about being a musician?
  84. What skills are the most useful in the music industry?
  85. How do you handle frequent travels and being away from home for long periods of time?
  86. How do you handle working evenings and nights?
  87. Have you ever played at a wedding or a public party?
  88. When is the last time you performed in front of a huge audience?
  89. Tell me about your best performance?
  90. Tell me about your worse performance?
  91. Do you experience stress before going on stage?
  92. What would you do if the audience looked bored during your performance?
  93. How do you energize the audience?
  94. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music?
  95. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
  96. Have you ever participated in any music competition?
  97. Do you have experience in teaching the music?
  98. What are your plans for the coming months?
  99. How long does it take for you to write a song?
  100. Do you have any advice for aspiring songwriters?
  101. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans?
  102. What does your typical day look like?
  103. What does your typical weekend look like?
  104. How do you balance between the music and the other obligations — school, family, etc.?
  105. What is your opinion about the covers? 5. What is your opinion about 90s music?
  106. Is there any music style which you don’t like?
  107. Is there a link between ethics and music?
  108. What is an instrument which you like to learn and why?
  109. What is the saddest song you’ve ever heard?
  110. If you were an instrument, what would you be and why?
  111. If you were a band, what would you be and why?
  112. If you were a CD, what would you be and why?
  113. If you were a song, what would you be and why?
  114. What advice would you give for someone who just starts the career?
  115. What are your interests outside of music?
  116. If it wasn’t a music career, what would you be doing?
  117. Do you ever find yourself limited by the materials that you have available?
  118. Do you feel that you chose your “passion,” or did it choose you?
  119. Is there a particular place where you feel most creative?
  120.  If you hadn’t chosen your field, what would your alternate field have been?
  121. Now that things are starting to open back up again and shows are being booked, what are some of things you’re looking forward to about playing shows again?
  122. What is your new album called?
  123. When will be your new album be released?
  124. What was the inspiration behind this song and when did the idea occur to you? 
  125. According to you, what are the essential qualities that make a good musician?
  126. How would you describe the music that you typically create? Was this different or more challenging and if so, how?   
  127. Who else would you most like to collaborate with next?
  128. Tell us a little bit about the new label! What is it all about?
  129.  What inspired you to create the label this year? How did the pandemic affect the launch?
  130. Any secret releases or collabs you can let us in on?
  131. What is the one thing you want to achieve for the music scene in New York with the label?
  132. What’s the best way to support the label or the collective as a whole?
  133. Anything else you’d like to share?
  134. What’s the story behind that song? 
  135. Let’s talk about your brand new EP, “ABC,” that was just released. What was it like creating this collection? Did anything surprise you about the overall process? Any unexpected challenges? 
  136. Can you pick out a few of your favorite songs on this EP? How did they get written and come to be part of this collection? What was the inspiration for them?
  137. If you could get into the studio with any artist today and collaborate on a new song, who would it be and why? 
  138. What would your dream music video look like right now? 
  139. Would you like to share anything else about yourself or your music with our readers? 
  140. Do you feel like you’re ever going to leave L.A.? 
  141. Besides music, what the whole world finds unique about your band is its name. How did you come up with the name ABC for your band?
  142. How does it feel to be releasing “XYZ”? Personally, I feel like when any artists exposes their work it’s like revealing their soul to the public. I have mass respect for that and I’m curious how you feel when putting your music out there for people to judge. 
  143. Can you talk to us more about your latest single “XYZ”?
  144. How excited are you about releasing a new EP? It’s been a minute since your last release,  so how excited are you to be bringing some new body of work into the world?
  145. Can you talk about crafting these songs and why you grouped them together in the way you did?
  146. Can you tell me about the story of that song? What it was like crafting it and writing it? Are you singing to yourself or are you singing it to someone else?
  147. Do you remember the first time you ever saw yourself, someone like yourself, on stage or on screen, and do you remember how that made you feel?
  148. Are there people who you still want to work with and collaborate with soon? Producers or any other artists that you’re dying to get in a room with and create?
  149. How did you first start producing the style of music that you are releasing today?
  150. Tell me more about your new EP ABC. How do you feel the tracks fit together lyrically and sonically?
  151. Why did you decide to call your EP ABC?
  152. As a producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist involved in all aspects, can you tell us more about your songwriting process? Do you usually start with a melody and let the lyrics come to you? Or is it the other way around?
  153. In the wake of the current pandemic, what are some ways you are practicing self-care? What advice would you give to fans experiencing anxiety and mental struggles through this time?
  154. What’s your mission as a music artist?
  155. Who or what are some of your greatest influences and how have they inspired the music you create?
  156. You have a new Ep coming out called ‘XYZ’, what made you choose that name as the ep name? 
  157. You began to write this new Ep, when you were touring Europe and missing your friends/family, what made you decide to write this new EP? 
  158. Did you find any new inspiration in Europe for fresh ideas?  
  159. I have listened to the EP and the songs are very catchy and upbeat, was this always your vision for this new EP?
  160. If you could one song off of the Ep, what is your favourite song from it, and why?  
  161. After this new EP, what are your next plans? 
  162. Any plans to release a video for the single?
  163. Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
  164. How did you guys meet and how did you know that yes we four can rock together?
  165. Crazy things keep happening, especially when you perform. Tell us about the craziest thing that happened to you while performing.
  166. Your band is very new, what do you think is the future of your band during COVID19?
  167. When did you first realize that there is a musician hidden within? 
  168. We are curious to know your reasons to say that you come from “all directions.”
  169. What is your creative process like?
  170. How do you feel being one of the keynote speakers in the upcoming live stream festival and conference? 
  171. What would you like to suggest to the budding musicians out there? 
  172. When did you first realize that its pure devotional music that you born to give life to? 
  173. How does it feel to be known as “Yoga’s Rock Star?” 
  174. What captivates you the most about Hindu devotional music?
  175. What is your creative process like?
  176. What would you like to suggest to the budding musicians? 
  177. You are known worldwide for introducing Sanskrit mantras into the mainstream; when did you realize your fondness for Sanskrit mantras? 
  178. How would you define spirituality in simple terms? 
  179. What would you be doing right now if it wasn’t for your music career?
  180. Tell us something about your professional journey so far?
  181. When and how you began your journey as a musician? 
  182. How is it to travel far and wide for music? Is it your love for music, or do you want to change society through your music that makes you give the best piece of all time? 
  183. Why songs of redemption and transformation?
  184. Tell us something about one of the best experiences of your life?
  185. What would you want to convey to the people worldwide?
  186. You’ve made a significant name for yourself in the entertainment industry. How does it feel to be so popular at such a tender age? What influenced you to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?
  187. How has your life changed since you were selected as a semi-finalist on The Voice Kids? Has it changed your life for the better or for, the worse?
  188. Tell us a little bit about your upcoming EP. What motivated you to create this EP, and how do you believe it will affect your target audience?
  189. In one of your interviews, you stated that you want to make music to inspire kids of your age to pursue their passions or do what they love. What is it that motivates you to do what you enjoy or are passionate about?
  190. Before we wrap up, is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?