Life outside the lens Pushing the boat out: When musicians try other careers

It’s important to stay active. This is true whether you’re a normal person who isn’t important, like you or I. It’s also true if you’re a musician. Being ‘active’ doesn’t just mean keeping busy in a respective field, but it’s planting the seeds of activity in other mediums. For example, if you’re a model, why not also be a champion cyclist? If you’re a sailor, why not also be a fantastic painter? The world is full of options. It doesn’t matter if you’re particularly good at one thing, really, as some of the featured personalities in this article will show you.

An example of this being a good thing is Detroit rapper Danny Brown entering the world of literature. Inspired by Dr Seuss’ rhymes as a youngster, Brown, now the father of a 13-year-old girl, wants to let his daughter know that the anxieties and expectations of modern teenage life are unrealistic and distorted by celebrity, so self-identity is important. This is, we can agree, “a good thing”. But what about the others, the artists who don’t fancy writing a book, but maybe want to protect people from STDs? What about non-musicians who want to try their hand at playing music, singing, or even making noises in a melodious nature?