Cairo-based singer and songwriter Tymour shares a heartfelt personal essay where he reflects on the trials, triumphs, and tribulations of being an up-and-coming artist. The first independent Egyptian artist to secure a music video distribution deal with VEVO, here, the 22-year-old provides a detailed exposition on some of the experiences that have shaped his career so far as he seeks to shift the world’s perception of his home-country’s pop-culture.
I used to believe in the myth of overnight success until I learned that it takes years before tasting success. Nobody could have prepared me for the fact that being an independent artist is a test of patience and perseverance. I always believed that one of my songs– which might not even exist yet– will one day capture the hearts, and of course, ears, of millions around the world, and eventually initiate the global take-off of my career. To the people who will only discover my music then, it will appear as if it all happened suddenly, when it was anything but sudden. When that happens, I will be able to write a book about how to make it big. In the meantime, I focus on my thing, chronicling all the lessons that I’ve learned since I started dabbling in the entertainment industry. And here’s a few that I’ve had to, one way or another, take in along the way.
Make Music With Purpose
In my first years of making music, I invested time and effort into creating this grandiose illusion of success in my career. I wanted it to look as though there were a lot of people working tirelessly behind the scenes when in fact it was just a few people with a lot of good luck. Eventually, I realized that the illusion of grandeur does not matter. It is great to have high production value, and I only intend to enhance the quality of my music and music videos moving forward, but quality is not the only thing that defines an artist.
I believe that what truly defines an artist is their purpose. Now, I am working on my new era of music; music that carries purpose and that is sung directly from my heart. The styles that I am exploring are new, and I will fuse lyrics in multiple languages. I have been working on this new era of music ever since I went on hiatus, having not released any new music or music videos in over a year now.
Expectations Can Kill Celebrations
It is demotivating at times to work hard without yet experiencing the level of success that you envision for yourself. Sometimes I wonder if I should call it quits. But then, I remember that every step of this journey is a step that I should enjoy and learn from, and that also makes me closer to my ultimate dream. The more experience I acquire, the more disciplined I become, and the easier it will be for me to sustain growth in my artistic career in the long run.
As an independent artist, I wear many hats: singer, songwriter, producer, manager, publicist…the list is long, and the responsibilities even longer. I used to set unrealistic expectations for myself as to how frequently I should be releasing music. I would compare myself to global superstars who have full-fledged teams dedicated to facilitating the creation and promotion of their work. The few times I actually would meet my far-fetched goals, I would often experience a burnout soon after. When I did not meet these expectations, I was destructively critical of myself. Both scenarios are unfavorable, and can almost be labeled as a lose-lose situation.
I was setting my sights exclusively on large-scale successes, which meant that I overlooked many early milestones and achievements in my career. In hindsight, I did not celebrate enough the fact that one of my songs, Memories, was played on BBC Radio 1 – the first time that any of my music was ever played on the radio. I did not celebrate enough the fact that my song Slow Down was my first song to be trending on Anghami’s editorial playlists throughout the Middle East and North Africa. By the time these milestones were achieved, my energy was depleted. Moreover, I had set such high standards of success that these achievements felt like the bare minimum rather than victories; even if they are not common achievements for an independent artist.
I was impatient with myself and my progress. The exorbitantly high expectations that I was setting for myself were taking a toll on my mental health and physical wellbeing. I had to learn to make friends with time – to be patient with myself.
Learn To Walk Before You Sprint
When I was a junior in high school, I took my first ambitious steps towards realizing my dream of being on the silver screen. I directed, wrote, produced, and acted in my first short-film, The Fools. I managed an entire film crew, organized the shooting of footage throughout dynamic locations across Cairo, and was responsible for a cast of 15 actors – including critically acclaimed Jordanian star, Phaedra, who was the short film’s lead actress. If I dedicate this entire essay to my gratitude towards Phaedra and my admiration of her unwavering dedication to supporting young talent, it would not be enough. Either way, when I look back at the whole experience, it’s safe to say that I bit off more than I could chew with this project, especially considering that I aimed to achieve a professional-standard production value without having extensive experience in filmmaking.
Eventually, I knew deep down that I would never release this short film. Nevertheless, I was adamant to complete it– which I did. I refused to give up, and thus, I benefited from the opportunity of learning firsthand about every aspect of filmmaking. It is only from this determination to complete the short film that I understood how the best way to learn anything in the creative industry is by doing it. That said, another big realization I had from The Fools, although it may seem obvious in hindsight, is that I had too much on my plate. It was unrealistic to attempt to fulfil every aspect of a short film, or a similar project’s requirements, if I am the only person that has his hands on deck. From there, I decided that I must learn how to delegate tasks to make sure that I can bring my vision to life, the way I want it and see it.
Communicate Without Compromise
The biggest privilege of being an independent singer is the freedom to create music that sounds exactly how they want it to. However, as a songwriter who does not have any background in music production, I needed to learn how to articulate to music producers precisely how I want my music to sound.
I cannot emphasize enough the critical importance of effective communication between artists and music producers. When I first began making music, I was timid and naïve. I compromised on a lot of my creative ideas during the production of my earlier songs. Inside the studio, I rarely disagreed with music producers; it took me time to learn how to say “no.” This came at the expense, for example, of me never releasing the first song that I ever created as it did not align with whatever I had in mind back then. From there, I learned that it is my responsibility as an artist to express my intentions clearly and confidently, without compromising on my creative vision. Failing to do that, I’d forever be disappointed and unsatisfied.
Love Your Music, Then Market It
The most valuable resource at the disposal of an independent artist is their sweat equity, read: how much energy you are willing to invest in promoting yourself. With my own music, I find that there is a direct correlation between the time I’m willing to put in when promoting a new song and how well a track ends up doing. From experience, no amount of marketing can supplement a lack of passion between an artist and their music. This is why I stress the importance of effective communication with music producers for instance, in order to create music that I love and which will make me want to defend it as much as possible online, on stage and on streaming platforms. Put it this way: the more I love my music, the more that I am inclined to invest more time than usual to make sure it’s heard.
To me, independent artists are like CEOs who are tasked with safeguarding the integrity of their creative passion with limited financial resources. This means that there is a financial bottom line that I must consider, which is to be cost-efficient. Whether it is music production, recording studio fees, music video production, or marketing, every cost that an independent artist must incur is most likely out of pocket. Therefore, to be as efficient as possible, and not break the bank too much, while making sure you maximize a song’s potential, loving your sound is quintessential as it keeps you motivated the most while spending the least.
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Protect Your Legal Interests
A paramount consideration that is frequently overlooked by independent artists is the protection of their copyrights. Independent artists often know nothing about their intellectual property rights. Unfortunately, I cannot blame them. Understanding the world of copyrights is complex and extremely confusing. I spent four years obtaining my undergraduate dual degree in Law and Business from The University of Edinburgh, where I specialized in intellectual property law and the business of creative industries, and I still find copyrights in the music industry baffling. Nevertheless, it is crucial that independent artists safeguard their legal interests in their creative work from the start. Doing so ensures that there is unambiguous clarity amongst songwriters, music producers, and artists themselves, regarding each contributor’s share of the royalties that a song could generate.
Moreover, understanding the legal intricacies in music will empower independent artists as it becomes harder to be exploited. Being based in a country like Egypt– where the legal landscape for independent artists remains unclear– it was necessary for me to take matters into my own hands. I am the one who wrote the contracts between myself and the various stakeholders with any vested interest in my sound. While I do not recommend that all independent artists write their own contracts, I implore them to seek legal advice from professionals, or at the very least, read up on the nuances of their copyrights, or find a template contract online which they can tweak– after doing their research– to protect their interests with everyone and anyone who might have a reason to say that they want a cut of the royalties once a song becomes a hit.
