How To: Craft the Perfect Artist Bio for Spotify and YouTube

Writing music and lyrics is one thing, but writing about yourself is a whole different ball game. Talking themselves up is something that a lot of musicians struggle with, but crafting a compelling artist bio for Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms is vital.

Aside from how your music sounds, it’s one of the things that shapes how new listeners form their first impression of you. It gives you the opportunity to share your story, stand out from the crowd, and connect with your audience in a way that feels authentic.

But writing a bio that truly captures your essence and engages potential fans can be a tricky thing to master. In this guide we’ll cover tips for writing a musician or band bio, as well as how to optimise it for two major platforms: Spotify and YouTube.

Making the Most of Your Bio and About Sections

Both your Spotify bio and YouTube About section are prime real estate. As one of the first things listeners see when they land on your artist profile, you want to make it shine. And as you’ll see below – we’ve got plenty of examples of interesting bios further down the page – there are lots of different ways to do that.

Some artists choose to talk up their awards, influences, or musical heritage, which is a good way to convey what listeners can expect. Others opt to direct readers to their website or social media links, where they can tell their stories in a different format.

The “one sentence” bio is another popular format, often a joke or a surreal comment, but it goes without saying that it doesn’t give you much of an opportunity to tell your story. Get it right, though, and it can capture people’s imagination in a different way.

Genre can also play a factor in how to write your artist bio – hip hop heads and EDM fans might want to hear about collabs and production values, whereas rock fans tend to engage with longer, more historical narratives that go into your influences. Country artists, meanwhile, might opt to highlight interesting or unique instrument combos.

Oh, and don’t forget to add links to your website, socials, and other music streaming services. Where appropriate, include contact information so viewers can get in touch with you about business enquiries or collaboration opportunities.

The ‘Do’s and ‘Don’t’s of Writing Musician Bios

There’s no science to writing a great musician bio. In fact, most bands and artists will inevitably chop and change their About sections and bios as they evolve and put out new releases. With that said, there are various best practices (and “no no”s) to consider when writing a bio: 

The ‘Do’s:

Introduce your music
It might sound obvious, but make sure you actually describe your sound and/or themes.

Tell your story
Share your journey as an artist, highlighting key moments and influences.

Keep it clear and concise
A good rule of thumb? Aim for 2 or 3 paragraphs with no more than 4 sentences each.

Use a conversational tone
Write as if you're talking directly to an interviewer or one of your fans, and keep it authentic.

Build credibility
Mention notable achievements, awards, or collaborations.

Add personality
Create your own playlists or suggest videos that will help new viewers get to know you, and use emojis (sparingly!) to add character or formatting to break up long blocks of text.

The ‘Don’t’s:

Make typos or grammatical errors
Proofread everything carefully before you hit Publish.

Forget to update your bio
Keep things fresh for returning visitors with news and announcements.

Lose focus
Stay on topic and avoid rambling endlessly.

Overdo the self-promotion
Focus on connecting with listeners, rather than just listing achievements.

‍Examples of Great Musician Bios (Spotify/YouTube)

Don’t be afraid to get some inspiration from artists you admire when you’re writing your own artist bio. Check out what similar bands or musicians are doing in your niche, and factor that in. Here are a few bios on Spotify and YouTube that have caught our eye recently:

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It’s clear from his bio that country artist Morgan Wallen isn’t afraid of a little self-promotion, highlighting his success at the Billboard Music Awards and quoting The New York Times, but he does close things out by highlighting his philanthropic efforts.

Nice Peter, best known for his Epic Rap Battles of History series, sums up his aims in a single sentence – “Music and humor to distract you from the trials of life.” He follows that up with a call to engagement: “Please subscribe, leave a comment, let me know what's on your mind.”

Blink 182, on the other hand, keep it light and self-deprecating – “Crappy Punk Rock since 1992 🎸” though they follow that up by promoting a new release – “ONE MORE TIME...PART-2 OUT NOW!” – and add a link to their website. There’s a lot to be said for keeping it short and sweet.

That’s an approach that a lot of artists take for their bios on Spotify too, from Yung Lean’s “I am nothing and everything.” to TRSH’s – “trash from the midwest.” There’s something about this understated approach that seems to work for scrappy bands and artists with a DIY ethos.

At the other end of the scale, we have established artists like Hozier and Tame Impala, whose Spotify bios are still effective but read more like press releases. They remain evocative, however, with Tame Impala’s bio describing Parker’s music as “a deep dive into the oceans of time, conjuring the feeling of a lifetime in a lightning bolt.” We can get down to that.

Of course, at the end of the day, there’s no right and wrong when it comes to writing artist bios. Like your music, it’s all about self-expression. Your bio and About should always feel like you.

Ready to create bios that captivate?

Head back to the un:hurd app to explore more tools and resources for optimising your artist profiles and engaging with your audience.

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