A Conversation With Nastia Barkan : Life as a Day to Day Manager, Advice for Artists, and the Future of the Music Industry

The music industry is not as big as it appears to be and there is plenty of insight to gain from those within. In a conversation with Soul Talk Magazine, 24-year-old Nastia Barkan, a day-to-day manager at Friends At Work, provides career advice to both artists and those interested in what happens behind the scenes. She has worked with artists such as Pharrell Williams, Swedish House Mafia, The Backstreet Boys, and One Republic. Currently, she is Charlie Puth’s day-to-day manager. 

Born in London, Nastia moved out to LA when she was 18 years old to attend USC where she majored in communications and took part in their music industry program. Within her last year of college she began working with Charlie Puth, amongst other artists, while interning and became his day-to-day manager shortly after graduating. From years of experience in the music industry and management, Soul Talk delves in with Nastia to reflect on her career and tips she has to offer.

What does your day look like as a day to day manager?

“On the average day, I wake up, do emails, have a few calls and meetings—some days far more than others—and then perhaps run and go to see Charlie to do a couple of things with him. There really is not a typical day though, it is so varied and generally depends on where we are at in the cycle of a project. 

“To give you an idea, when I first started as Charlie’s day-to-day we were promoting a single and I was in a different US state virtually every day. I was running various lounges and radio station visits on the artist end, his run on the iHeart Jingle Ball tour, all whilst simultaneously finding time for him to make music. I think for the first two months of my job I worked almost exclusively from my phone to the point that I actually had to re-familiarise myself with working on a computer if you can imagine that.

 “That is one side of it—the fast-paced life side. Then there are periods when there’s a lot of music making going on and things get a little quieter on the management side in certain aspects. We might start brainstorming marketing ideas, holding planning talks for various projects that are in their infancy, and then overnight we have to hit the ground running and two weeks later I’m on set shooting a music video or a brand campaign. No two days are the same and no two months are the same. That’s one of the things I love about this job: the complete lack of monotony.” 

What is your favorite thing about working in the music industry? 

“I love being so involved in the art of something; that is really, really special to me. Obviously, there’s the exciting and glamorous side: the traveling, the shows, the red carpets. But, at the core of it, you are working so closely with an art form and are surrounded by people that feel so passionate about and have a common love of music. That to me is what I enjoy the most.”

Did you always want to pursue a career in the music / entertainment industry? Or did you realize this later on in school? 

“I knew that I wanted to be in a creative environment and keep myself decently far removed from an overly corporate working structure, so I always figured that I was probably going to be entertainment in some capacity. I’ve always loved music and film. Initially when I was in college, I was thinking ‘Well, are you more interested in television and film or are you more interested in music? What is it that you spend the bulk of your free time doing?’ and it was listening to music. That was what I enjoyed doing the most. I was the kid that would walk between classes at 8 A.M. listening to some obscure Tomorrowland set. I loved going to concerts, I loved going to festivals. So, I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be so great to do that as a job?’

“If you look back at my life, I think it makes a lot of sense that I ended up working in music. I think it was something I always wanted to do but I definitely didn’t know that I wanted to work specifically in management until I’d actually been in that environment. But I definitely think that studying the music industry in school and learning what all of the different career paths look like helped me to focus my attention on where I wanted to go, career-wise.”

What tips and advice do you offer to artists who want to make a name for themselves? 

“Getting your music out there into the world is so much easier than it was ten years ago. So if you’re someone who wants to be an artist, start being an artist - you shouldn’t wait to be discovered, you should, quite simply, just begin your journey. Record your music and release it on streaming platforms, that’s the only way people will find it. You could have the best musical ideas, you could be an absolutely genius songwriter or producer or singer, but no one is going to know if you don’t take the leap and share that talent with the world. Start building a presence on social media and figure out what your identity is as an artist. These sound like the most basic tips, but I definitely think that nowadays you don’t have to be “discovered” in the traditional sense of the word if you can build a fanbase for yourself. Fans are what help propel you forward. That’s true of big artists as well, at the end of the day, a lot is driven by the fans. Fans are who buy and stream your music, who come and see you perform, who become invested in what you put out, and who share your art with others. Your popularity is driven, in part, by people’s appreciation for your music. If you start by taking a grass roots approach to building up a fan base, you’re far more likely to grab the attention of A&Rs, managers and agents who’ll want to invest in you.

“Beyond that initial step, I think that figuring out what it is that makes you unique is really important. The flip side of having music be so accessible is that everyone’s music is so accessible. You want to figure out what makes you interesting, sets you apart, and actually affords you the ability to create a brand identity and build up your fan base. If you are so lucky as to get a hit, what is your follow up to that? How do you build staying power? 

I don’t think artists are encouraged enough to have knowledge of the music industry and develop an awareness of its structure. At the end of the day, people will try to take advantage of you and your talent, or you can get stuck in deals that don’t benefit you in the long term. Having a working understanding of different elements of the industry allows you to better position yourself. If you’re an aspiring artist and you’re in college, there’s no rule that says that you can’t also go and try to get an internship or job at a record label, at a publishing company, or at an artist management company simply to educate yourself. I wouldn’t encourage someone to go down that route with the intention of getting ‘discovered’, in fact, I would actually discourage that unless you are presented with an opportunity to showcase your talent. The internship should be used solely as means of gaining a deeper understanding of the business and how to work within it as an artist.” 

What traits do you believe make a successful artist?

“I think that a successful artist is someone who is really dedicated and hardworking, as cliched as that is. Now, someone who is dedicated and hardworking isn’t always going to be a successful artist. You also have to have a good idea of who you are and who you want to be, but also not be afraid to change and evolve. Knowing how you want to tell your story to the world is what makes a really successful artist. Being a nice person as well. People like working with people who are kind and you’ll find it a lot easier to build up success if people enjoy working with you across the board.” 

What is something you wish you knew when starting your career? And what are some challenges you faced? 

“It can be a very lonely industry. This applies to anyone that works in music, though maybe more specifically in a touring capacity, it can feel very isolated. I don’t think I ever really considered that. To me, all I could think was touring was just going to be so fun and exciting. And it was, I loved it. It is something that I have missed so much during COVID. But I think most people will say ‘it can be amazing, but it can also be the loneliest thing in the world.’

“As far as challenges, I think personally for me, I was not someone who grew up being acutely aware of sexism and the challenges women face. I went to an all-girls school and we were taught that you can do anything you want. It was something that I became much more aware of when I was at university. Even through my career, I’ve been fortunate that it is only something that I have experienced from external sources, not team members, not people I work with on a daily basis. I definitely think that the challenge of being a woman and being younger is still something I grapple with frequently. As forward-thinking as the music industry is, you will still encounter people who are not quite as progressive, or maybe subconsciously not open to the change that is constantly occurring. I’m still learning every day how to deal with that challenge, and more often than not, the most effective course of action is to ignore unless it prevents me from doing my job. So long as someone else’s tone doesn’t get in the way of me doing my job, or anyone I work with doing theirs, I’m less affected. If misogyny starts to prevent me or anyone else from executing what we have to do, then I’ll put my foot down.”

What advice do you offer to people who also want to work behind the scenes?

“So much of my advice for artists and anyone who wants to work behind the scenes seems to coincide. You have to be dedicated and really perseverant in your approach. It is not something that is going to happen overnight. You have to be relentless in your pursuit of that being your end goal. Be prepared to fail, be prepared for the rejection and don’t take that as discouraging. I would also advise that if your approach is not working—be it the way your email is written, or the way your resume is structured—maybe revisit that. Understand that everyone’s journey getting into the industry is different, but the hardest part is usually getting started. Also, just because you don’t live in a major city or music hub does not mean that you cannot get as much of a head start as someone who does. Anything that you can do to build experience is really important; get a part time job at your local live music venue or your local radio station because that counts as experience. It doesn’t have to all be college internships at major labels from your sophomore or junior year onwards. I would say a big piece of advice would be it’s never too early to start learning the ropes and begin your career.”

What are some goals you have for yourself and for the artists you manage?

“My approach to artist management is that I want to make the artists as successful as they want to be. At the end of the day, the job really isn’t about you. It is about me lifting someone else up. Yes, it is about developing, growing, and becoming a successful manager, but the heart of what I do is about someone else’s success. Of course, there is stuff that I would like to see him [Charlie] achieve from my perspective. But it’s more important to me that he realises his own dreams. Be it something as crazy as ‘I want to perform a show on Mars,’ and we all have to sit there and think ‘how do we make that happen?’

 “A goal for me personally would be, at some point in the future, to find and break an act—find someone who is really talented that no one has heard of before and help build them up.”

What is a memorable moment from your career?

“I think being courtside at Staples Center when Charlie and Wiz Khalifa played ‘See You Again.’ It was the first Lakers game after Kobe Bryant passed away. Being involved in that tribute was a really special moment. It’s such an iconic song and people have so many memories attached to it. Seeing them perform that in that specific setting, to see him do that and give that honor to Kobe Bryant is probably the most special, memorable moment so far.”

Where do you see yourself after the pandemic? What does the future look like for you? 

“Hopefully there will be a lot of touring, a lot of music festivals. I imagine it will look a little bit different as it starts back up with all the considerations that will have to be taken in terms of everyone’s safety, but I think that post-pandemic we are all going to be getting back out there. I know that artists that I work with have really missed their fans and really missed being able to give back to them. It is a really special experience for artists and fans alike. Yes, we do these live streams and virtual performances but it is really not the same. It’s not the same energy, it’s not the same experience. Live music is going to come back and it is going to come back with a bang. I can’t wait to get on the road and be a part of that resurgence.”

Any last messages to the reader? 

“I think that it’s important that if you want to do something, stay true to yourself and follow your dreams. People will have doubts about you, but you shouldn’t doubt yourself. Everyone’s path to success is different but has the common factor of the pursuit of happiness. And it is okay to change your mind about what that is. Just because you put yourself on one path doesn’t mean that tomorrow you can’t wake up and suddenly go ‘hey, you know what, I actually want to try it this way.’ Be it a different genre of music, be it a different career path or approach, whatever it is. Just stay true to yourself and it will work out for you.”

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In a non-pandemic world, Nastia can be found attending live shows, traveling to see family in London and catching sunsets at the beach in L.A.. However, like most people right now, she is spending time at home. If you would like to know more about Nastia and her career as a day-to-day manager please use the links below: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nastiabarkan/ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nastia-barkan-2b7302133/