Sleep Token: Major Genius or Major Flop?
- Charlotte McBride
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
By Charlotte McBride, Owner and Designer
Sleep Token has mastered the art of narrative storytelling. Here are 3 lessons you can learn from one of the fastest growing bands on the planet.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a massive Sleep Token fan. They first showed up on my radar with their hit album Take Me Back to Eden in 2023, the album that pushed them to fame. Since then, they have had a special place in my rotation and I have listened to them religiously since I found them.
But for a band whose members are named Vessel, II, III, and IV and have only ever given a handful of interviews in the band’s entire lifetime, how did they end up on the fast track to rock and metal royalty, entering into the hallowed halls of fame with bands like Slipknot, Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest?
1: It’s not about the band, it’s about the art
In a 2018 interview with Kerrang, Vessel said, “Art has become entangled with identity. The aim is to provide something people can engage with without being obstructed by the identity of the creator.”
Much like their music, the content you make isn’t about you. It’s about who you’re trying to talk to. Sleep Token writes music about love, anguish, power, desire, and death, powerful ballads and beautiful lyrics that speak to the deepest part of people’s hearts.
While a corporate conference may not go that deep, it is still very much about effective communication. So really sit and think: how can you make your content speak to your audience? How do you make it about them and not you?
2: No one is remembered for doing the same thing as everyone else
Love it or hate it, Sleep Token stands apart from the rest because of their art. Their lore, stage presence, aesthetic, and most importantly, their music is unlike anything else in the industry.
People remember them whether they like them or not.
And what about you? What about your content, your speaking style, your stories, stand out so people find you unforgettable?
3: Tell it with confidence
Sleep Token has never once shied away from the path they set to blaze and the art they create. In fact, they went even harder with their newest album, Even in Arcadia, talking about the struggles of anonymous fame and calling out people who go a little too far to find the men behind the masks.
They don’t back down. They stand on their music, they stand on their words, they stand on their message.
Do you?
Presentation is all about presence, messaging, and effective communication. When you hone in on all three of those, you're unstoppable.
Ready to find out how you too can become stage royalty?
