“As artists, we’re always pushed to be ubiquitous… be one-size-fits-all. What do you think about that? Because having a brand means that you can’t be for everybody.”
That’s the big question we tackled on our podcast with branding and marketing experts Nyambura Ngumba and Muthoni Maingi.
Many music professionals struggle with balancing authenticity and the desire for success. How do you stay true to your unique brand while appealing to a larger audience?
perFORM Music Incubator Podcast: Episode 1, Part 1 (Branding)
“Your brand is what people say about you when you aren’t in the room,” Nyambura reminded us.
For most professionals in music, passion drives what we create. It shapes our identity and the way people see us. It shapes the brand.
But turning your passionate personality into something marketable can be tricky. Mass appeal often requires playing it safe—creating a neutral, relatable brand that avoids polarizing topics.
Doesn’t trying to appeal to everyone clash with building a curated brand?
It’s a tough balancing act, but Muthoni and Nyambura shared a roadmap to help artists, producers, artist managers, and other music professionals navigate this challenge:
“Brand is about telling a story that is distinct and relatable. Not just to anybody but to your target audience,” says Muthoni Maingi.
So, where do you start?
- Start with your audience. Who are they? How much career impact and success can I realistically achieve with this audience?
- Set clear expectations. Decide if you want to tweak your niche or grow to reach a broader audience.
Take a genre with a dedicated but limited audience, like Soukous. Your audience may be small but loyal. That means being intentional about your marketing and realistic about income and opportunities.
Similarly, a sound engineer specializing in sound design may have fewer projects than one skilled in live sound or mixing if they don’t focus on finding the right clients i.e. the core audience for their skill set. Choosing a niche creates more room for authenticity and puts the artist in front of the exact target audience. The game then changes from chasing reach to deepening the connection, and building more of the right audience.
One of the pros about being a niche artist or music professional is that you get to curate a brand that is authentic and more true to self and true to message.
If you’re happy staying in your niche, lean into it and get intentional.
Take classically trained musicians, for example. Our podcast guests suggested a strategy for them: lean into the luxury appeal of your genre and make yourself a part of a high-end experience. This could mean targeting exclusive gigs in private clubs or being part of elite classical music productions
But does this approach work in the real world? Absolutely—and we’ve got an African example to prove it.
Meet Pretty Yende, a critically acclaimed, classically trained African vocalist. Early in her career, she built her brand around the niche and luxurious allure of opera, and actively found ways to associate herself with these productions. Although opera’s audience is small, it allows artists to experience both career impact and commercial success. Pretty’s strategy allowed her to thrive in the smaller classical music scene, and opened doors to high-profile performances and major mainstream brand endorsements.
Pretty Yende at the Metropolitan Opera, New York.
As Nyambura puts it, when you build a strong, distinct brand, your audience will find you. Even better, they’ll become your ambassadors, recommending your music to others like them.
But what if you’re going for mass appeal?
If your target audience is broad, you can tap into the mass pop market. Sauti Sol, for example, is a Kenyan band that appeals to diverse audiences without losing their unique sound.
Sauti Sol: A popular Kenyan band with mass appeal
Our podcast guests shared a few tips that many artists use to build mass-appeal brands:
- Avoid controversy and focus on your music
- Create a distinct brand that resonates while steering clear of divisive topics
As digital strategist Muthoni Maingi says, “Even in popular culture, you need distinction. Your stance drives the conversations and content you create.”
Start small. Experiment with your authentic style for a smaller audience. Over time, your brand can evolve to reach the masses.
A great example is US-based pop/rap artist Doja Cat. She started out with a quirky, niche style that eventually propelled her to mainstream success. Early on in her career, she leaned into her eccentricity by sharing bold and sometimes controversial opinions, which occasionally upset her fan base. After multiple attempts to "cancel" her and lower-than expected sales for Scarlet, her 4th album, she shifted gears. She now adopts a more persona-driven approach and crafting a pop-friendly public image.
Doja Cat’s journey shows how evolving your brand often means adapting to reach more people.
What if I lost my authentic voice in the race for reach and commercial success?
The final stage of branding for mass appeal is finding your authentic voice again.
After earning your stripes, it’s easier to shape your image however you want—like Beyoncé a US-based pop artist whose brand remains iconic regardless of her genre.
After achieving mainstream success, Beyoncé's career evolved to provide her with greater artistic freedom.
She first gained fame with Destiny's Child and early solo hits that catered to popular tastes. However, with her 2013 self-titled album, she took creative control, breaking industry norms and exploring deeper themes. Lemonade (2016) further showcased her artistic evolution with personal and social narratives. Her latest album, Cowboy Carter (2024), represents the latest peak of this journey, exploring and blending new genres, while pushing the limits of her creative freedom.
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for success in music — but these tips can nudge you in the right direction. Whether you’re owning a niche or aiming for mass appeal, what matters most is building your brand and audience with intention.
Start with the end in mind. Define what success looks like for you, then shape your brand to grow in that direction — authentically and strategically.
Want to go deeper? The perFORM Music Incubator Podcast is packed with real-world insights to help you build a music industry career that lasts.