Dealing with Rejection and Criticism

Rejection is not a possibility in a music career — it is a certainty. You will be turned down by labels, passed over by playlist curators, ignored by journalists, and criticised by strangers online. The question is not whether rejection will happen, but how you respond to it. The artists who build lasting careers are not the ones who never face rejection — they are the ones who process it, learn from it, and keep moving forward.

Separate your identity from your output. You are not your music. A song being rejected does not mean you are rejected as a person. This distinction sounds simple but is genuinely difficult to maintain when you have poured your heart into a piece of work. Practice treating your creative output as a product of your skills and effort, not an extension of your worth as a human being. This psychological distance allows you to receive feedback without it devastating you.

Distinguish between constructive criticism and noise. Constructive criticism is specific, actionable, and comes from someone whose opinion you respect — a mentor, a trusted collaborator, or an industry professional with relevant experience. Noise is vague, personal, or from people who do not understand your genre or goals. Learn to absorb the former and let go of the latter. Not all feedback deserves equal weight.