Stay Ready: Belle Johnson on Staying Employed as a Musician (Episode 164)

Reliability beats virtuosity.

In Episode 164 of The Career Musician, Nomad catches up with an old bandmate. Belle Johnson is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and artist with credits including Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera, George Duke, Eric Benét and Idina Menzel. The two of them met in Eric Benét's band, with Thundercat on bass.

The big question: how do you stay employed as a musician for the long haul? Belle's answer is a mix of focus, attitude, readiness and a few side hustles most players never think about.

Say yes to the call

Belle was born and raised in Watts. She says her father was the lead singer of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, and that the gift ran through the whole family. She did talent shows from childhood and planned to be a solo artist.

Then came a call: we need a girl to fill in, here is what it pays. She said she was on her way, and only found out at the gig it was Eric Benét. That same day her mother had a medical emergency. Her best friend told her to go, that this might be once in a lifetime. Her mom was fine a couple of days later, and that gig changed Belle's life.

She has a lot of stories like that. She didn't know she was singing for Christina Aguilera until the band started playing at rehearsal.

"Half the people I worked for, I never knew I was going to even be working for them, because I just went."

Belle Johnson, 23:46

Focused, ready and easy to get along with

Ask Belle how to land gigs like hers and the list is clear. Be focused. Be ready. Be versatile, have really good ears, and be a team player. Do not be a headache. Do not come in with your opinion first. Your time will come.

"You have to be easy to get along with. You have to work well in these environments. Do not be a headache."

Belle Johnson, 7:27

Focus, for her, meant she did nothing but sing. Every ten-dollar or fifty-dollar gig as a teenager got the same professional attitude and the same level of talent. Nomad's version: jack of all trades, master of some. Be versatile enough to cover the styles, but go deep on your one thing.

And leave the ego at the door. You will work with people from different cultures who believe different things, and some of them become family. If iron sharpens iron, why would you want to be the best in the room? That is Humility, and it is why low maintenance / no drama keeps people working.

Keep a bag packed and your passport current

Belle's practical rule: keep a bag packed and a passport ready, not expired or close to it, because you never know when the call comes. If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready.

She and Nomad also shared a hard lesson from his years as music director for Babyface. A singer Belle recommended landed the gig and was days into rehearsal when it came out that his passport had been blocked over unpaid child support, so he couldn't travel internationally. Belle's advice to the men listening: handle your responsibilities and set up a plan, even a small one, so it never costs you the work. Reliability beats virtuosity, and reliability starts off the stage.

Build your own safety net

Musicians don't get a steady salary, health benefits or a 401(k). Belle became a life insurance broker during the pandemic after seeing GoFundMe campaigns everywhere. Her point for working players is about planning: when the money is good, consider paying ahead on things like insurance so you are covered when work slows down. She talked about policies such as an indexed universal life policy as one option. As always, do your own homework.

She also runs an Amazon storefront sharing travel deals and tour essentials, and has booked national commercials as a talent manager after her sons started acting. Nomad loved her multi-dimensional thinking. That is Savvy, and it is the heart of Diversify or Die.

Don't box yourself in

Her favorite story: while singing background for Jennifer Lopez, Belle decided she would write J.Lo a song. She teamed up with a fellow background singer, wrote a song called "Hurricane," and nervously played it for the manager. Thirty seconds in, his smile told them they had something. They ended up writing three songs for her.

Belle has also sung with the Sunday Service Choir, including the album Jesus Is Born, and says she is now the newest lead singer of La Bouche, bringing her childhood love of dance music full circle.

Your only competition is you

Belle went five years thinking she was quitting, watching friends gig, and rooted for every one of them anyway. Someone else's success takes nothing from you.

And one boundary every side player needs: when you work for a high-profile artist, you work for them, not with them. It is business. Know your boundaries, do your job, and enjoy the journey.

The takeaway

Stay focused, stay humble, stay ready. Say yes, figure out the rest when you get there, and build a safety net for the slow months. Want to be the call when that fill-in spot opens up? Start with the free Get the Gig guide.

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

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