Also called: Background Singer, Backup Singer
Sings harmonies behind lead artists on tours, recordings, and TV.
A backing vocalist learns harmonies with the musical director, rehearses choreography, and performs every night on tour. Studio sessions and TV appearances fill the off months.
Highly variable.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
No formal education, about 0 years after high school. Years of vocal training and singing in choirs or bands, then session and gig work; some TV and recording jobs need union membership.
Ways in: Self-taught, 4-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Music Performance.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). BLS projects little growth for musicians and singers.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI vocals replace some recording sessions, but live harmonies on tour and TV still need real singers.
Classes: Choir, Music theory, Theater, Piano.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2042.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.