Ever since its release in 2018 for iOS devices, BitLife has been a huge hit among mobile gamers and is quite possibly the most popular life simulator game regardless of platform — as you may know, its Android version has been out for quite some time as well. And while the user interface remains largely unchanged, it has gained tons of new features through various updates and expansion packs, and it remains extremely replayable thanks to one feature in particular — the weekly challenges, which ask players to complete a series of tasks based on the week’s given theme.
This week’s challenge draws from pop culture as many great BitLife challenges have, and it is inspired by none other than R&B superstar Beyonce, who recently made a big splash by switching genres and recording a country album that’s been doing pretty well so far and getting a lot of attention from music lovers and casual observers alike.
The Urban Country Challenge will have you doing something similar by recording a platinum album in both R&B and country, and if you’ve played other music-based BitLife challenges in the past, you should expect nothing less than a grind-heavy challenge that’s not particularly easy to complete.
Fortunately, we have completed the challenge, and this BitLife mini-strategy guide is here to help you through each of the five requirements, including those tough ones where you need to reach platinum certification for at least one of your albums.
Get Started on Those Music Lessons As Early as Possible
It should go without saying that the first thing you need to make sure of when creating a character for the Urban Country Challenge is that you’ve selected Music as a Special Talent.Of course, you’ll also need to create a female character from Louisiana (New Orleans, in this case, is the most notable, if not the only city represented in BitLife), but aside from that, it is paramount that you’re setting her up for stardom by choosing the right Special Talent. It should also help to have good Looks, though that’s not as important as having a good head start with Music as a Special Talent right off the bat.,
The only important thing to remember when playing out your childhood and teen years in the challenge is that you should ideally have your Skill bar for your instrument of choice completely filled up by the time you turn 18. You can start learning musical instruments from age 6 onward, while voice lessons become available from age 8 onward. You don’t necessarily need to opt for voice lessons, but if you’re opting to master a musical instrument, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards (or Piano), and Drums are the only ones you should be focusing on.
Keep on Grinding — It’s the Only Way to Reach Platinum
We’ve noted this before, and we have to admit it’s one of the more frustrating aspects of BitLife’s expansion packs. But there doesn’t seem to be any surefire, guaranteed way of earning a platinum album. Having a 100 percent Skill bar for your instrument of choice (or vocals) is not enough, but unfortunately, the secret sauce of platinum success is just that — it’s a secret.
With all that said, the key to getting your first Platinum album in the Urban Country Challenge is patience. Don’t get discouraged if you release a “moderate” success or worse than that — as long as the album’s Popularity bar isn’t red or orange, you should keep pushing forward. It also helps to choose popular sub-genres and avoid the more niche ones. For example, during your career path as an R&B musician, Contemporary R&B is always a good choice, while more old-fashioned sub-genres like Doo Wop, for instance, might be too niche to generate the attention of consumers.
After releasing a new album (or single), make sure to go on tour and add another separate concert or two. Make full use of the Fame options, such as doing a sexy photoshoot, publishing a book, or starring in a commercial. Be active on social media — it isn’t necessary to have a social media account in this challenge, but if you have a couple, don’t forget to post.
It helps to do at least some of these things before releasing an album, and just as an added bonus tip, if your album goes Gold and sells around 700,000 copies in its first year, there’s a good chance it will go Platinum in a few years as long as you keep yourself busy. But don’t spam your discography by releasing new music twice in the same year, or releasing albums in consecutive years — that could saturate your market and compromise your album sales.
Following the pointers above should increase your chances of going Platinum, but once again, that won’t guarantee instant Platinum success.
You Can Also Get Credited for the Platinum Album Requirements if You’re in a Band
Although much of Beyonce’s success has been as a solo artist, you have to remember that she was part of a massively popular singing group in Destiny’s Child before she went solo and became an even bigger superstar. So with that in mind, the Urban Country Challenge won’t absolutely require you to record your Platinum albums while you’re performing on your own.
You can join a band if you wish, and you don’t even have to be the lead singer. Just as long as you go Platinum while with that band, you’ll see a check mark just as you would had you achieved that milestone while a solo artist. Also be sure to be on good terms with your bandmates to increase your chances of going Platinum — compliment them and befriend most, if not all of them, as that will help you make beautiful music in the studio.
After you’ve gone Platinum, you can leave your band, preferably by using the Quit option, and move on to the next phase of your career, which is shifting to a completely different genre and becoming a million-selling success all over again.
Changing Genre And Going Platinum as a Country Artist Also Takes Patience
We were extremely lucky to have completed the challenge right after joining a country band and getting prompted to record a new album with them, but it took us a while to join that band after splitting from the previous R&B group. Why is this the case? For one, if you quit your band and audition for another one, you’ll get invited to audition for a band of the same genre about 75 percent of the time.
The remaining 25 percent will be split across the other musical genres in the BitLife universe, and as you may have guessed by now, Country will be especially elusive due to the fact it’s the genre you need to switch to. And it won’t even be guaranteed that you’ll pass the audition, or that you’ll be offered a job by a super popular band — take note that bands whose Popularity bar is red or orange will be much less likely to go Platinum.
As for auditioning for a label as a solo artist, that would only be a plausible option if you’re still in your 20s — regardless of your previous success, the unfortunately ageist record labels won’t give you the time of day if you happen to be in your 30s (or especially older than that) at the time you’re switching genres.
All told, it won’t be an easy road to country stardom, and it will definitely be much harder than it was for Beyonce in real life. But if you end up with the right band, maintain a solid relationship with its members, and follow the tips above for Platinum success, you should ultimately get that elusive certification and complete the Urban Country Challenge, thus allowing you to unlock yet another accessory for your characters and in-game NPCs.