Not touring & family friendly touring
With
Katie Melua
What's in the course
40 lessons (2h 33m) · 1 free
01. Getting started, open mics and unpaid gigs
2:52
02. Becoming local heroes and booking tours
6:12
03. Getting creative about gigs
3:44
04. Stagecraft – Jeremy from Everything Everything
2:21
05. Capitalising on your audience
4:50
06. Engaging Direct to Fan
7:41
07. Knowing your online audience and using data effectively
7:25
Lesson transcript
Rethinking the Touring Model
But then there comes a point where, you know, some people don't want to tour, and that should be okay.
The Reality of Touring
You know, I don't think you should have to tour if you really don't want to. It's not for everyone, especially if you've got a family; it's quite hard to tour.
I'm actually having to rethink and make a new model for touring because I have a daughter and a partner, and we want to go on tour together. However, I can't do it in the traditional way of:
- One song
- A night
- Another night
- Another night
- Another night
- A day off
- A night
- Another night
- Another night
You just can't do that with a kid.
A New Touring Approach
So, yeah, I'm having to rethink those patterns. I think we will start to see more of this kind of model where:
- You go as part of a traveling festival, like a music conference festival.
- You spend a different week in a city, maybe for three and a half nights.
- Then you have three and a half days where you can either work or spend time with your family.
You want to connect and reach all those people, but you don't want to do it relentlessly every night.
The Importance of Connection
It can get a bit wearing.
In the beginning, it's fine because it's all new and great. You're just learning how to be on stage and how to be that performer that you are. But maybe you haven't explored that yet.
After a while, you're like, "Okay, I need to do things a little bit differently."
I need to stay a bit longer and really connect with my fan base.
Exploring Alternatives
I want to share all the other things I'm also involved in, like:
- Giving talks
- Hosting Q&A sessions
- Doing acoustic performances
- Playing gigs in someone's lounge
I also aim to meet universities and align with charities.
So, I think, yeah, it can be quite relentless.
40 lessons
2h 33m of structured video lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Katie Melua is one of the UK's most successful recording artists, with more than 11 million albums sold worldwide and a string of multi-platinum releases. Born Ketevan Melua in Kutaisi, Georgia, in 1984, she moved with her family to Belfast as a child and later studied at the BRIT School in London, where she was discovered by songwriter and producer Mike Batt.
Her debut album 'Call Off the Search' (2003), released when she was 19, spent six weeks at No. 1 in the UK and went six-times platinum, driven by the hit single 'The Closest Thing to Crazy'. Its follow-up 'Piece by Piece' (2005) topped charts across Europe and featured her signature song 'Nine Million Bicycles'. In 2006 she earned a place in the Guinness World Records book by playing the deepest underwater concert ever staged, 303 metres below sea level on a North Sea gas platform.
A remarkable run of top-ten albums followed — 'Pictures' (2007), the William Orbit-produced 'The House' (2010), 'Secret Symphony' (2012) and 'Ketevan' (2013) — as Melua refined a sound that moves effortlessly between jazz, folk and classic pop songwriting. 'In Winter' (2016), recorded in Georgia with the Gori Women's Choir and produced by Melua herself, revealed a new depth to her artistry.
Her recent work is her most personal: 'Album No. 8' (2020) and 'Love & Money' (2023) drew some of the strongest reviews of her career, and 'Live at the Royal Albert Hall' (2024) celebrated two decades at the top of British music. She remains a captivating live performer, touring extensively across Europe and beyond.
