How To Rock At Starting Your Own Band

Micappella is arguably Singapore’s biggest vocal band. It recently clinched top prize at a competition in Moscow, got 1.5 million views on a video, and even gets flown around the world to perform – a big leap from the days when they had practically nothing. The band shares what it takes to become that good at what you do.

1 Put yourself out there

There’s zero point in making good music if no one’s going to listen to it. The band, even in its amateur stages, signed up for international a cappella competitions to build its brand. Peter Huang, Micappella’s vocal percussionist (he makes all the drum noises), says the members initially had to fund their own trips. But it paid off when they started winning. Grants started coming in, which allowed them to travel more for gigs and become well-known enough for concert promoters to engage them.

2 You gotta hustle, and hustle hard