One bad interview can follow you for years. Clips live forever, and a careless sentence becomes the headline instead of your music. Media training is not about being fake. It is about knowing your message before someone puts a microphone in your face. Every artist who deals with press needs the basics, whether you are doing local radio or a national show.
Start with your three talking points. These are the messages you return to no matter what you are asked: the project, the story behind it, and what is next. Practice bridging — answering the question briefly, then steering back to your points. You are not dodging. You are doing your job, which is promoting your work while respecting the interviewer’s time.
Learn the danger zones. Never trash other artists on record. Never announce what you cannot confirm. Never speculate about business you are not part of. If you do not know, say so and move on. Silence beats a guess every time. And assume every microphone is hot and every camera is rolling, because eventually one will be.
Record yourself and watch it back. Most artists have never seen how they look answering questions, and it shows. Fix the filler words, the fidgeting, and the answers that go nowhere. Ten practice runs with a friend asking real questions will put you ahead of ninety percent of artists doing press. Preparation is the difference between a moment and a mess.
Train under pressure, not just in the mirror. Have a friend rapid-fire unexpected questions while filming you. The discomfort builds composure faster than any theory. Review the footage together, fix the filler words and the fidgeting, then run it again. Two hard sessions will prepare you better than months of casual thinking.
About the Author – Ruben Burgos: Ruben Burgos brings over 25 years of music expertise and more than 15 years of model guidance to the table. He is the indie major pinnacle to retaining credits for musicians and helping them navigate this wicked industry without the fuckery.