To join the Singer career in The Sims 3, you need the Showtime expansion pack: then either pick Singer from the professions listed on a computer or in the newspaper, or ask a proprietor at a performance venue to sign you up. Your Sim starts at level 1 as a Sing-A-Gram Novice with open hours and no skill requirement. Below we cover both ways to join, how the profession actually earns experience, what unlocks at each level, and the habits that get a singer booked for bigger stages.
What You Need Before You Start
Singer is one of three performer professions Showtime added in March 2012, alongside Magician and Acrobat. Without Showtime it does not exist in the game at all, so if you cannot find it, check that the pack is installed and enabled in the EA app or Steam. Showtime is sold on both storefronts for PC and Mac, and it needs the base game plus all game updates. The Sims 3 no longer receives patches, so the version you download today is the final build.
There is no skill gate: the career panel lists no required skills at any level, so a brand new Sim can sign up on day one. The Sims 3 has no visible Singing skill (karaoke practice is tracked as a hidden skill), which is why the career does not ask for one.
How to Join the Singer Career
There are two routes, and both land your Sim at the same starting level.
- Computer or newspaper. Click a computer or the daily newspaper, open the job listings, and look for the professions list. Singer appears there alongside Showtime’s other performer jobs. Select it and confirm. The phone is not one of the documented routes for finding a profession, so older advice to “use your phone” is a dead end.
- Ask a proprietor. Proprietors are the Showtime NPCs who run performance venues. They show up in Map View with an orange icon. Walk up to one at a coffeehouse, park stage or show venue and use the proprietor’s career interaction to sign up as a Singer. If the proprietor is not on the lot, click the venue and choose Summon Proprietor.
Once hired, a Career tab appears in your Sim’s panel with a Gig Schedule, and the job is ready immediately. If you later want to switch to a different profession, our guide to quitting jobs and professions covers the steps.
How the Singer Profession Works
Singer is a profession, not a rabbit-hole job. Your Sim does not disappear into a building for a shift. You direct every performance yourself, the hours are open, and a weekly stipend is paid on Sunday that rises with each promotion. Experience comes from three responsibilities listed on every level of the career:
- Perform for Tips. Your Sim sings on any community lot and passers-by drop money. It is the fastest way to earn experience early on.
- Deliver Sing-A-Grams. Available from level 1. Your Sim performs a short song for another Sim. Level 1 unlocks the Celebration and Cheer Up Sing-A-Grams, level 2 adds Romantic, and level 3 adds You Are Special.
- Get Gigs. Audition for a proprietor to book a paid slot on a show stage. Gigs can be held at coffeehouses, small and large parks, live show venues, private venues and the big show venue.
Proprietors will often turn down a low-level singer with a line about not having what it takes for their venue. Keep auditioning at smaller spots and keep collecting tips. As your level climbs, proprietors start offering proposed gigs, and a proposed gig can turn into a steady gig that repeats on the same day each week. You can hold several gigs at once as long as their times do not overlap. To drop one, click the venue and choose Cancel Gig or Cancel Steady Gig.
Singer Career Levels
The ten levels, from the in-game career descriptions:
- Sing-A-Gram Novice
- Sing-A-Gram Pro
- Talented Amateur
- Local Favorite (unlocks Sell Album)
- Local Phenomenon (unlocks Talk about Vocal Skills)
- Rising Star (adds a Front Stage Kit)
- Headliner
- Star
- Superstar
- Vocal Legend (adds a limousine)
Every level also unlocks a new song for your Sim’s set, ten in total, plus new stage outfits along the way. The stipend grows with each promotion, and the community-maintained career tables list it rising from a few hundred Simoleons a week at level 1 to several thousand at level 10.
Tips for a Faster Climb
- Play the guitar. Singers get a Perform with Guitar interaction, so keep a guitar in your Sim’s inventory for street sets.
- Sell albums to friends. Once Sell Album unlocks at level 4, other Sims only buy from someone they like, so relationships matter. With Late Night installed, performers can also earn celebrity through career opportunities; our celebrity guide explains the fame system.
- Enter SimFests. When a SimFest runs in town, click its proprietor and choose Ask to Take Part to compete against other performers.
- Mind the bladder. A gig is a long stretch on stage, so send your Sim in rested, fed and relieved.
- Stuck on a slow start? If you would rather skip the grind, our skill cheats guide and cheats primer show how to open the cheat console.
For the rest of Showtime, see our Magician career guide, and for more Sims careers browse our Sims hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which expansion pack adds the Singer career in The Sims 3? Showtime. The Singer, Magician and Acrobat professions all arrived with it, and none of them exist without it.
Can I join the Singer career from my phone? Use a computer, the newspaper’s job listings, or a proprietor at a performance venue instead. The phone is not a documented way to find a profession.
Does my Sim need a singing skill? No. The career has no skill requirement at any level, and The Sims 3 has no visible singing skill to raise.
Do singers need to show up at set hours? No. The profession has open hours. Your Sim only has to be on stage for gigs they have booked, which are listed on the Gig Schedule in the Career tab.
Can a singer also be in a band? Yes, if Late Night is installed. Community players note that gig times often clash, so keep an eye on the Gig Schedule.