From Open Mic, To Slam, To Features: Learning When To Ascend Pt.1- Featuring.
- El'Ja Bowens, contributing writer
- Sep 4, 2017
- 3 min read
So. this could easily start with open mics; but I felt that we could wrap up this series with that at the end (only because of the special meaning behind it). This part will focus on what most folks feel could be their next step after doing open mics and getting great responses for their work...featuring at events. Now, some people think that as soon as they get a whole bunch of cheers and friends saying, "You should be featured on Button Poetry or Verse & Flow", that they are ready for the big leagues. Well, let me be the 1st to tell you that YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS AHEAD. So, before you look into doing a feature or demanding features, here are some key things that you need to be aware of:
1. What do you bring to the table- When looking to feature, it will take a lot more than just having poems. It takes stage presence, how to engage a crowd, poem selection(depending on the event you're trying to feature at), how to transition between poems when doing a complete set, and above all else, NOT RAMBLING through the whole thing. The last thing you want to do is ramble and do poems and your set not make any sense to the audience
2. Build a resume- Simple enough, the more work that you do out in the area like participating in community events, festivals, and obtaining features helps build up a good list of references when asked," Where all have you performed". These things add up in the long run because it's better to have a few spots that you've rocked then not have any and then expect folks to flock to you because you have no performance paper trail.
3. Build up a social media presence- make sure that all the poems that you do, the poems that you write, gets placed on social media to help create a fan base. Post videos, a few quick poems, hell, follow people to have them follow back. Think of the internet as a barter system at times. Get people to appreciate your work and in turn, appreciate theirs with a follow.
4. KNOW YOUR WORTH- Once you have a great base established for the artist that you are becoming, you may be asked to be a feature. But what is your talent worth? What value have you put behind your artistry? Some promoters will ask you to do events "for the exposure' while others are willing to pay you for your time. Remember that depending where you are at in your career that exposure events are not bad if you are able to get something out of it. But when it comes to paid events, don;t be demanding $500 or more pay days if you don't have the work to back up that price. People like Ed Mabrey Jr., Dominique Christina, Rudy Francisco, and more have worked hard to make their brand and get paid the amount that they get paid.
There are a lot more that can go to this, but these are some of the basic things that an artist can research and do before going for those features and shopping themselves out to the world. Just make sure to look closely to what is happening because every feature is not for you and all shows may not be the demographic you need to tread in.
El'Ja Bowens is a poet, author, and motivational speaker. He is best known for his work, So Many Things to Say: A Collection of Poems. Bowens has performed in poetry slams across the nation. He has been recognized as the first North Carolina poet to compete and win three poetry slams in three different cities (Fayetteville, Charlotte, and Durham). He was been nominated as the Spoken Word Artist of the Year. He is the recipient of the 2016 Rising Star Male Poet Award for North Carolina and the 2016 GANSPA award. Bowens is one of the founders and the director of the Southeastern Regional North Carolina Festival held in Fayetteville, NC.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eljapoetry/
Twitter & Instagram: @eljapoetry
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