Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Choosing a Stage Name
• Method 2 of 4: Using Family Names
• Method 3 of 4: Formatting and Writing a Stage Name
• Method 4 of 4: Working with a Stage Name
• Tips

Stage names are not used by anyone - musicians, actors, athletes, dancers, and even ... ahem ... in general, many. A stage name will help complement your image as a performer, will allow you to build a stronger connection with the audience, and will also help to clearly distinguish between personal and stage - including your life.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Choosing a Stage Name

1. 1 What can a stage name give you? Good question. It is appropriate to consider several important issues at once.
   • Branding: a stage name can become your, so to speak, trademark - your brand!
   • Distinguishing between personal and professional life: Anything can work as a pseudonym, even the name your family calls you. However, it is much better when the pseudonym and real name do not overlap.
   • An opportunity to stand out: If your real name is very common, then a nickname will help you stand out and be remembered.
   • Anti-bias measure: in the past, pseudonyms were also used to avoid discrimination in one form or another. Fortunately, these days this reason has almost become obsolete. By the way, it is for this reason that some women at one time did not perform under double surnames.
2. 2 Choose a nickname that reflects your inner world. Actually, pseudonyms are a way of self-expression, so why not think about what could be emphasized in this way? Think about how your style of speaking with a pseudonym will intersect.
3. 3 Make sure there is some history associated with your nickname. Eventually, people will want to know why you chose to call yourself that and not otherwise. If the story is ... ahem ... boring, then try to come up with something more outstanding.
4. 4 Examine your chosen nickname. Read books and websites about the meaning of names, their history and all that jazz. Is the meaning and history of your chosen name adequate for what it should (you think) mean?
5. 5 Choose a name that you can easily find. Think about how you will be searched on the Internet. If your nickname consists of one word, and even then it is very common, then you will be very, very difficult to find on the net.
6. 6 Choose a nickname that will grow with you. Of course, it may be tempting to choose something modern and relevant right now, but you should not chase after fashion. Think, will such a pseudonym sound in 10 or 20 years? Will it suit a seasoned performer as well as a beginner?
   • In the case of children, this point is especially important. A name that works well for a child will be “cramped” for an adult. It is quite possible - and there were precedents - that the pseudonym under which the child performed will need to be changed over time.
   • Choose a nickname that won't bother you in six months. Choose wisely!

Method 2 of 4: Using Family Names

1. 1 Use your childhood nickname as a nickname. Surely in childhood you were called something else, except by your name - and this may well become a decent pseudonym. For example, Richard Melville Hall's parents called him "Moby" as a child. The guy grew up, now "Moby" is his stage name.
2. 2 Use your middle / middle name. If you have a double name, then the second component can be a decent alias. We won't go far for an example: rap singer Drake according to his passport and Aubrey Drake Graham at all. But Angelina Jolie Voight made her middle name a last name.
3. 3 Get inspired by your family tree. Maybe your great-great-grandmother's name or, say, your great-uncle's middle name will become wonderful pseudonyms, who knows. Again, the family will be pleased.
4. 4 Use your last name as your stage name. Yes, some performers do that. The reasons are different for everyone: it is difficult for someone to pronounce the name, someone simply does not like it ... In general, if anything, you know - this is an option.
   • Some performers began performing under their full names, or at least under their own first and last name. Starting, so to speak, a career from scratch may require a new pseudonym, but sometimes it is appropriate to use the reputation and recognition that are associated with your old pseudonym - in this case, you can throw the last name out of the pseudonym and act under only one name.
   • You can do the opposite - add a surname to the name, if you act under it alone.
   • You can also change the surname.Some celebrities did just that - for example, after the marriage, Courteney Cox became Courteney Cox-Arquette ... however, after the divorce, she again became just Courteney Cox.
5. 5 Choose the same nickname as your parents. If you are not the first in the family to be called by the spotlight, then it makes sense to use the pseudonym of your relatives - this will make it easier for fans and employers to recognize you.
   • For example, Carlos Irwin Estevez became Charlie Sheen to indicate that he is the son of Martin Sheen - Ramon Antonio Gerardo Estevez. But Carlos's brother, Emilio, left his real name.

Method 3 of 4: Formatting and Writing a Stage Name

1. 1 Think about whether it makes sense to change the spelling of the alias. If you have a name that you like, you can play a little with spelling, if, of course, your language allows it. English, for example, allows (the group Gotye, whose name is pronounced "Go-ti-ai", is named after the French surname Gaultier).
   • Sometimes, however, this is unnecessary, especially when it comes to adding extra letters. If your nickname is difficult to pronounce, it won't do you any good.
2. 2 Don't use characters in an alias. Yes, replacing C with $ or something like that might sound like a cool idea, but think about how to pronounce it ?! How to record ?! Even if you know successful examples, it is still better to refrain from such an undertaking.
   • Singer Prince changed his nickname to symbol to end his contract with Warner Bros. in 1993. The symbol turned out to be unpronounceable, and then Prince began to be called The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. You understand that this trick will only work if the performer is known. In all other cases ... there will be little benefit. And yes, Prince became Prince again when his contract with Warner Bros. ended.
3. 3 Add some exoticism. A different pseudonym will only benefit from this, which is especially true for performers in the style of burlesque or pin-up. Particles "yes", "background" or "la" are what we are talking about.
4. 4 Think about how people will pronounce your nickname. If you choose a very unique pseudonym, it may turn out that people would rather break their language than pronounce it correctly. Quvenzhané Wallis, Saoirse Ronan or Ralph Fiennes seem to be quite simple names only for the Russian eye - in their native languages ​​the situation is fundamentally different, sometimes even without separate prompts about pronunciation!
   • Consider if you can write your nickname in some other way so that everyone can read it.
   • However, if you are world famous, then this will no longer be a problem.
5. 5 Think about how your nickname will sound in other countries. Actually, won't it sound strange, funny or even rude? The Internet gives you the opportunity to check everything in advance.
6. 6 Be consistent in your nickname. You should not change the spelling at the first whim - let everything be constant and the same. The scheme is as follows: once we have chosen and write like this to the end.

Method 4 of 4: Working with a Stage Name

1. 1 Try your nickname. Perhaps you really like the pseudonym, but it is not a fact that it will sound as good when the entertainer announces your exit. Think about it well and in advance, think of it as a kind of market testing of your nickname.
2. 2 Don't change your name! We mean, you don’t have to go to the registry office and apply for a name change, unless you were already going to start everything ... ahem ... with a clean slate. Remember, name and nickname are two different areas, personal and work.
3. 3 Register your nickname with the appropriate industry organization. For example, in a federation of musicians, artists, performers - in that spirit. This is necessary in order to ensure that two or more completely different people will not act under the same pseudonym!
   • If you have not yet joined such an organization, then it is high time to think about joining. It will be appropriate to indicate your real name and nickname.
4. 4 Update your bank details. You may also want to add your nickname to the data describing your bank account. This is especially true when you have a business bank account to which you transfer funds earned under a pseudonym. But, of course, here, too, it will be necessary to indicate both the real name and the stage name.
5. 5 Register on social networks under your chosen pseudonym. You need an online presence, don't you? Create a non-personal page on a variety of social networks.
6. 6 Register a domain. Actually, why not, if you have already chosen a nickname? This is useful both for promotion and for security purposes - you do not want a site that violates the law to be available under your pseudonym?
   • Use domain registration services to find out if your chosen domain is free.
   • Register the site. Choose for how long you register the site and pay the invoice issued by the registrar. Prices vary, if anything.

Tips

• Choose a nickname at the same time you take your first steps into the art world. A good nickname will help you communicate with your fans and promote yourself.
• Don't think that a nickname is required! You can also perform under your real name - however, it will be more difficult to separate the personal from the worker ... But if you have a very unusual name (like Benedict Cumberbatch), then it will do just fine. In general, remember - there is nothing wrong with real names.
• You shouldn't choose a name that your friends or family like, choose what you like and make you feel comfortable.