Everything Will Be Alright: Alfred Nomad on How to Be an Independent Artist (Episode 108)

Everything you do is an audition.

Alfred Nomad got on The Career Musician the way more independent artists should try: he pitched himself. One email, a sharp press kit and a strong social presence, and Nomad sent it straight to his team. "We got to have this guy on the show."

Alfred is an artist and activist from Indianapolis, now based in Los Angeles, who started as a poet before he ever rapped. He has released several independent projects, toured on his own, opened for acts like Big Boi and T-Pain, and runs his own LxVE Fest. In Episode 108, he talks about how to be an independent artist with no label and no manager, and the mantra behind his album Everything Will Be Alright.

Your pitch is part of your art

Nomad led with the thing that caught his eye before he heard a note: the professionalism. Alfred reached out with his stats and materials, all on point, with no manager behind him. Alfred said it came from years of trial and error, going back to the blog era when blogs were the gatekeepers and he had to learn how to pitch himself.

That's the point for every indie artist. The email, the press kit, the way you follow up: all of it is part of how people judge you. Everything you do is an audition.

Structure is a skill you can learn

So what does a day look like when you are your own label, manager and booking agent? On a good day, Alfred gets up, meditates, writes something, records, then works through email and his lists. He calls himself a Google Doc king, with a doc for every idea and every media list, because, in his words, he has a horrible memory and has to write things down. He also exercises a few times a week, and works with a community of artists who help him plan what's next.

"I pride myself on executing an idea... What are the steps needed to take to do that, and literally breaking it down into steps and crossing those things off."

Alfred Nomad, 24:53

Nomad's point for listeners: if organization is not your strong suit, treat it like any other skill. If you need better keyboard chops to write better tracks, you study keyboard tutorials. Same with managing yourself. The methods change, but the principles remain. That is Make Music Your Business in real life.

Music you can live to and grow with

Alfred came up on Common, Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco and The Roots, and he believes artists have a responsibility for what they say, no matter how big or small the platform. He doesn't love the "conscious" label. To him, it's about telling more sides of the story.

"You can actually grow with it. That's the type of music that I strive to make: music you can live your life to and grow with."

Alfred Nomad, 11:19

He also draws on visual art, like Banksy, Gordon Parks and Jean-Michel Basquiat. He loves that a musician can get people lining up outside a venue, and a painter can get people from all over the world lining up at a museum.

Everything will be alright

Moving from Atlanta to LA was hard. Alfred had a network in Atlanta. In LA he had very little, and at one point was working four jobs, driving for a rideshare company and doing marketing work just to make rent. He had to sell the microphone he recorded his first two solo albums on. Through it all, he kept repeating one mantra, a faith his mother instilled in him: everything will be alright.

His writing started to reflect it, and that became the album. The cover shows him smiling with a beat-up face, because that's how a lot of us feel: smiling on the outside while hurting on the inside. The project was tied to a campaign to raise money for free therapy sessions for Black creatives.

Be your best, not "the best"

Alfred is competitive. He'll bring his best to any cipher. But he is not chasing the title of best rapper alive, because ask ten people and you'll get ten answers. The compliment he values most is someone saying they can hear the growth from his last release.

Nomad shared his wife's line: comparison is the thief of joy. And he reminded listeners that a small number of views is not a verdict on your music. Keep doing the work. That is Humility and Objectivity from the ETHOS code, working together.

The takeaway

Alfred's advice for young artists: work at your craft. Learn as much as you can about the business of it, too. Keep ownership of your work at all costs. Find people who know more than you do. Don't get caught up in likes and comments, and make sure your music means something to you. Then keep learning and keep building your team. If you want to pitch yourself for your next opportunity like a pro, start with the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

Watch on YouTube or find every episode on the TCM Podcast page.