Singer Chloe Bee breaks down how she has been able to land some big opportunities… from performing with former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell to building a residency in LA, to landing paid gigs in Vegas and Hawaii. We get into how to use your views and streams without becoming obsessed and spiraling, and why you shouldn’t be afraid of being “cringe.”

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One of the best ways to sharpen your skills in any arena is to get around the people who are already at the top of their game and learn their methods. Our guests have been in the rooms with huge names like Sza, Akon, Chaka Khan, Angela Basset and many more. They share the lessons they learned from these titans in entertainment. 

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Tia Simone shares the real story behind building a lasting music career — from singing on Lady Gaga’s Chromatica and the film Sinners to performing on Jimmy Kimmel and touring globally with Postmodern Jukebox. She describes how she's been able to get big opportunities, the lessons she's learned from her experiences, and the mindset that helped propel her forward. A powerful conversation on purpose, resilience, and staying in the game.

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Juliette Irons shares how she built momentum as an independent artist – using Meta ads to trigger Spotify’s algorithm, how she managed to get 7000 streams in a day, and the mindset required to keep pushing when nobody’s listening. She also shares how a sync placement turned into a check big enough to pay her rent for a year, plus wild creative production stories (how she went all the way to Iceland to shoot a music video with only a $5k budget). Finally, we talk about relentless pitching, and how tagging Machine Gun Kelly for months led to a public reply and even a brief FaceTime moment.

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Anne Reburn has over 380,000 YouTube subscribers and 10 million views on a single cover. In this episode, she breaks down the real economics of cover videos and talks about how Patreon became a financial game changer.  We get into converting viewers into paying supporters, using Discord for real community, and even how she gets people to pay her $100/month.

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BodaciousThang breaks down how she earned 800+ sync placements across major platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, BET, and national commercials. We talk relationships, briefs vs pitching, being “one-stop ready,” joining a PRO, avoiding perfectionism, and the real systems behind getting your music licensed consistently.

What's The Key? is a podcast for musicians, powered by your peers who've unlocked some of the doors.

Connect with BodaciousThang: https://www.instagram.com/bodaciousthang/

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Kofi Agyei joins What’s The Key? to break down what it really takes to build a sustainable career in music. From winning a Grammy early in his career to landing major sync placements with the NBA, NHL, and top TV shows, Kofi shares lessons on collaboration, urgency, automation, and using AI to scale your music business. Kofi has worked with Chaka Khan, Ciara, Brandy, Nicole Scherzinger, Shinee, and countless more legends across all genres of music. He’s recently launched a service called Artist Choice - letting YOU pick your budget when you want to work with him. This episode is packed with real-world strategy for artists, producers, and creatives trying to last in today’s industry.

What's The Key? is a podcast for musicians, powered by your peers who've unlocked some of the doors.

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Connect with guest Kofi Agyei: https://www.instagram.com/kofiagyeimusic/

https://kofiagyeimusic.com/

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In this episode of What’s The Key?, host Broadway B sits down with Brenda Carsey — independent artist, curator, and talent buyer — to demystify some of the most misunderstood parts of the music industry.

Brenda shares her firsthand experience submitting her own music for Grammy consideration, becoming a Recording Academy voting member, and what artists actually need to qualify. She breaks down why the Grammys are far more accessible than most musicians think — and where the politics and rules really come into play.

We also dive deep into NextFest, one of the largest indie music festivals in the country, hosted at the LA County Fair. Brenda explains how artists are selected, what talent buyers actually look for, why live performance videos matter more than streaming numbers, and how paid festival gigs really work.

Beyond festivals, this conversation covers ethical booking, building real-world music community, avoiding common mistakes when pitching yourself for shows, and why Instagram alone won’t fill a room anymore. Brenda offers honest, practical advice for artists trying to build sustainable careers — brick by brick.

If you’re an independent artist trying to book better shows, grow your audience, or understand how industry institutions really work, this episode is required listening.

What's The Key? is a podcast for musicians, powered by your peers who've unlocked some of the doors.

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Connect with host Broadway B: https://linktr.ee/thebroadwayb
Connect with Brenda Carsey: https://www.instagram.com/brendacarseyart/

Chapters
00:00 - Intro & Brenda’s Grammy Consideration
02:20 - How Grammy Submissions Actually Work
04:10 - Becoming a Recording Academy Voting Member
07:05 - Choosing the Right Song for Grammy Consideration
09:40 - Music Video Concepts & Visual Storytelling
12:45 - Inside the Recording Academy Events & Panels
15:10 - What the Grammys Are Really Like (Televised vs Non-Televised)
19:30 - Lessons Artists Can Learn from the Grammys
24:30 - Why Every Song Isn’t for Everyone
27:45 - Getting Involved with NextFest
29:50 - What Makes NextFest Unique for Indie Artists
32:10 - How Artists Are Selected for Festivals
35:00 - The Importance of Live Performance Videos
37:50 - Pitching Yourself to Curators (Dos & Don’ts)
41:30 - Why You Have to Show Up IRL
44:15 - Not Taking Rejection Personally
47:30 - Building Successful Shows Without Oversaturating
49:45 - Why Instagram Doesn’t Fill Rooms Anymore
54:20 - Active Effort vs Passive Promotion
56:10 - Playing Outside Your City & Final Advice

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Actor and musician Glenn Stanton (aka Six String Guillotine), has acted alongside Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, and appeared on The Walking Dead. But after the Hollywood strikes and a self-discovery journey, he found himself staring down the darkest moment of his life… and choosing between a 9mm and a six-string guitar.

In this episode of What’s The Key?, we talk about:

• What it’s really like acting with Angela Bassett on 9-1-1
• Shooting on a mega-yacht with Morris Chestnut and finally feeling like “I belong here”
• Landing a 5-episode arc on The Walking Dead and the weird reality of “hurry up and wait”
• The mental health crash after the strikes & tying your identity to bookings
• The night he chose guitar over a gun – and found his real voice
• Creating Afroindigenous Hillbilly Music and why he refuses to “fit” country stereotypes
• Branding, outlaw archetypes & wearing black and gold as armor on stage
• Representation, permission, and why seeing someone like you doing the thing changes everything
  
  
  

If you’re an artist, actor, or musician wrestling with identity, purpose, or belonging, this one is going to hit deep.

If this episode resonates, please like, comment, and share it with a friend who needs to hear it.

Subscribe for more deep-dive conversations with working artists, songwriters, and creatives.

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Maddi Fraser has lived multiple artistic lives — The Voice, America’s Got Talent, touring the country with Tom Sandoval, singing on stage with Dave Chappelle, writing comedy musicals, going viral on TikTok, and building a real career in Los Angeles.

In this episode of What’s The Key, Broadway B sits down with Maddi for a brutally honest conversation about the realities of reality TV, surviving hostile crowds, finding your voice, protecting your mental health, and leveling up your artistry in a competitive city like LA.
Whether you're a singer, songwriter, working musician, or just love a good behind-the-scenes story… this one is packed.

🔥 In This Episode:
- Surviving the pressure of The Voice
- Why The Voice rejected her — then invited her back
- Being on America’s Got Talent with Tom Sandoval
- Touring the country during the Vanderpump scandal
- Getting yelled at by angry fans
- Going viral on TikTok unexpectedly
- Singing “Creep” on stage with Dave Chappelle
- Moving from comedy → musical theater → pro touring singer
- Why EVERY singer should take lessons
- How to stop sabotaging your voice
- Why 12% of your output determines your success
- The mental game of performing in LA
- Balancing stage fright, comparison, and confidence


What's The Key? is a podcast for musicians, powered by your peers who've unlocked some of the doors.

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whats_the_key/
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whats_the_key
Connect with host Broadway B: https://linktr.ee/thebroadwayb
Connect with guest Maddi Fraser: https://www.instagram.com/themaddifraser/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whats_the_key/
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Connect with host Broadway B: https://linktr.ee/thebroadwayb

Support Broadway and this podcast on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/theBroadwayB