Undeniably posting videos online won’t guarantee that they will go viral. But having a smart marketing campaign can reap considerable results and bring you closer to your objective. To illustrate, Azealia Banks racked up a hefty fan base using YouTube and Tumblr. Often compared to Nikki Minaj and Lauren Hill because of her versatility, this Harlem MC is on a fast come up since releasing ‘212’ on YouTube. The fact that the video has over 12 million views confirms that it is well executed by means of creativity and budget. Equally important, she connects with her fans via Tumblr which keeps them updated on mundane things from her hair color to sexually explicit images. Azealia’s online success is a reminder that thinking outside of the box generally works. Furthermore, being fully aware of your audience and truly utilizing online mediums is what building a strong buzz is all about. Talent is not always enough but no doubt she can rap her ass off.
- Azealia Banks was born on May 31, 1991 in Harlem, New York.
- She started acting and singing at a young age.
- When she was ten years old she began performing in off-Broadway musicals with the Tada! Youth Theater in Lower Manhattan.
- Azealia studied performing arts at LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan.
- When she was sixteen, she stared in the musical City of Angels.
- After performing and attending school for acting, Azealia wanted to be an actress and started working with a manager and an acting agency.
- After not getting calls back from casting calls, she lost hope, spiraled down into a depression, and dropped out of high school.
- Just for fun Azealia rapped for a group of people after meeting a rapper who inspired her.
- People around her began to tell her that she should pursue a career as a rapper.
- Azealia kept rapping to keep herself busy and out of trouble.
- She began recording under the name Miss Bank$ and got a job at Starbucks to pay for her recording sessions.
- To get her name out, Azealia posted her songs on MySpace and sent them to several people online.
- In 2009 she released ‘Gimme A Chance’ and then ‘Seventeen’ via the internet.
- Miss Bank$ was signed to XL Records in 2009 but the deal only lasted a few months due to creative differences.
- In 2010, she dropped the name Miss Bank$ and started recording under Azealia Banks in Montreal.
- Azealia started using YouTube to market her music.
- On her website, she released her official debut single ‘212’ as a free digital download.
- ‘212’ was selected as Record of the Week on BBC Radio 1 and #9 on Pitchfork’s Top 100 Tracks of 2011.
- The video for ‘212’ has reached over 12 million views on YouTube.
- Her video ‘L8R’ has over 1 million views on YouTube.
- Azealia is now working on her debut album with producer Paul Epworth who produced music on Adele’s 21 album.
- In February 2012 she went on her Two Door Cinema Club tour.
- Azealia is scheduled to launch the Azealia Banks Tour later this year.
Here is what Azealia Banks said about making videos in an Interview with 2nd Guess TV: “I love making videos. One thing about videos is that it’s really smart to just kind of like take into consideration what you can do and what you can’t do and then like you know just make sure whatever you do you looks… it doesn’t look like it was thrown together. Because it’s really easy to get ambitious just by virtue of having a camera. Like there are all these possibilities, but a lot of the time just because you have a camera you know what I mean….doesn’t mean you can do all kinds of crazy shit.”
Post by: Rosie J – music marketer
@StudioDiva
