‘Tis the season of data-driven wrap-ups. Avid music consumers, regardless of their preferred streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc.), are fondly reviewing which artists, songs, and albums held their ear throughout the year. Despite the doting support verified by hundreds of streaming hours, financial security is sadly out of reach for many musicians. This is especially true for independent recording artists.
What do you do when your job no longer brings home enough bacon? The answer is simple – leave. Although “singer” is a passionate pursuit for most, it is still a job title and should be treated as such. But not in the ways you may think. In non-entertainment-related career fields, folks find ways to take inventory of the skills and then capitalize on them in order to climb the ladder, which results in pay bumps. But, in the entertainment-related career field, this also broadens your earning pathways, creating a potentially bigger payout pot. Grammy Award-nominated singer Avery Wilson appears to have discovered this.
Wilson is not solely a forward-facing solo vocalist. His resume reads reality competition television star, go-to background singer, and budding thespian. By diversifying how he approaches the job title “singer,” Wilson has rejected limits and, as a result, found glowing success.
Back on October 11, Wilson sat down for a live interview with nationally recognized writer, columnist, digital media consultant, and former arts administrator Keyaira Boone to discuss his expansive career.
The sit-down, which was curated by Daryl Stewart, founder of Daryl Stewart Productions, for the 2025 Newark Arts Festival
Moved by the hearty conversation, during the question-and-answer segment, I decided to pull at a thread Wilson almost unknowingly dangled throughout the night. Read our brief exchange below.
My question is for some of the creatives who are in the audience. One thing that really sticks out to me about your career is that you’re not afraid to tap into all parts of the ‘job title’ that come along with your creative field.
So, you are not only just [a forward-facing recording artist], you [are a] background [singer], [you dabble in] vocal producing, and [you’ve starred in a] musical on Broadway.
Can you give advice to creatives who are looking [at your career], and maybe they’re stuck in whatever title they’ve chosen for their creative path, and how to diversify that?
“Yeah. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with partially being stuck somewhere because you’ll find it. I have gotten to do many things, as you said, be a background vocalist for really big people. I mean, Usher and Christina Aguilera are two. You know, [The Wiz on] Broadway… I’ve got those opportunities to diversify myself because I never thought that if I walked into these rooms that the size that I am, [my capability should] be questioned. I feel like I’m there for a reason.
And also, with those situations, a lot of people look at it like ‘Oh, you’re a background singer.’ And be like, ‘Well, you know, you’re in the background.’ But people don’t know that every artist looks at every single person that they allow on the stage because that’s their money. So in order for me to be there, I’ve had to be approved, if you will, or have been said yes to. So, somebody saw me and said, ‘Oh, I need that.’
So when they can say they need it, why can’t you look at yourself and say, ‘Oh, well, I need that.’ I need to go up in this room. And I know I have never acted before, but like, why not try? Oh, I know I’ve never, you know, styled somebody or done this. But why not try? It doesn’t take away from you to be multi-faceted. It doesn’t take away from you to use every bit of you.
I think it’s more of a vision hold to say, ‘Well, I’m just a singer. That’s what I’m going to do.’ And it’s like, that’s cool. But then that’s cutting off a lot that you can get to. If I didn’t become a background singer, I probably wouldn’t have spent much time with Usher to be able to be up on him like this and learn what’s going on. You know, it’s like if I were too full of myself, I wouldn’t be able to be full enough to go get what I need. So, yeah, diversify, diversify, diversify.”
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