stage fright

josephine

Hi- Has anyone got some good tips for stage fright? My last performance was a lot better but I can't understand why I just buckle, despite practicing my song so many times. I look at other amateur performers and they just seem to stroll onto the stage with a overconfident demeanor (even the little kids!!).

tinaalcorace

josephine said:

Hi- Has anyone got some good tips for stage fright? My last performance was a lot better but I can't understand why I just buckle, despite practicing my song so many times. I look at other amateur performers and they just seem to stroll onto the stage with a overconfident demeanor (even the little kids!!).

Hi Josephine, lovely to meet you and thank you for posting on the KTVA forum.

First of all, it is completely normal when singing at first to be completely nervous and buckle. In fact, I believe people should stop singing when they no longer get nervous. What this tells me is you (we) have a strong desire to do our best for ourselves and our audiences and the fear of not doing so or having something go wrong is what causes performance anxiety. A lot of these feelings is about the mental state you are in before jumping on the stage. The first thing I recommend is to be aware of your thoughts, note when you are being negative towards yourself and your performance. One thing I love to do when I know I'm performing is what is known as 'positive visualisation'. I take the time to breathe, mediate, pray and visualise what's about to happen in a positive light. For example I would say to myself 'I'm going to go out there, the crowd are going to support me and I'm going to give it all I got and put on a show". Seeing yourself do that, visualising the positive outcome as oppose to the "what ifs" helps a great deal. At the end of the day every true artist has a desire to be perfect on stage, but the best performances can come from the flaws and mistakes. There has been times I have forgotten lyrics (the national anthem) in front of 2000 people! I had a giggle, shrugged my shoulders and continued singing because I accepted my mistake. It happens and it made the performance memorable. The audience cheered louder at the end because the audience is there to support you. Be confident in who you are and what you offer and accept that you'll always be learning and won't always be perfect, it's part of the journey! Deep breathing is also a great way to gather yourself. Take a moment and remember why you love to sing.

Hope that helps!

Rise above and love
Mys T
www.mystofficial.com

josephine

Hi Tina,
Thanks for the advice. I will try your approach and let you know how I get on.

Jewel142

I practice visualization. I run the song over and over in my head and I see myself singing it perfectly. If during your performance you make a mistake, roll with it and pretend it never happened. If your singing in a bar, chances are people won't even notice. I've sang the same verse twice and even my bandmates didn't notice. The key is to not beat yourself up. Just have fun with it!