Stage Fright

How to Overcome Stage Fright and Performance Anxiety While Singing

There’s no doubt that stage fright is a form of anxiety, and it's the one thing that all musicians fear. We constantly see many remarkable artists rise and sing fearlessly on stage, while others surrender because the "voice in their heads" tells them they're not good enough.

As a result, when singers step on stage, they may lose their confidence, their throat may dry out, and they lose that high tone in their voice, even though it was never an issue during practice.

Types of Stage Fright

Irrational Anxiety:

This is fear without a direct cause, and if you're well-prepared, it will be easier to overcome.

Rational Anxiety:

This is a result of inadequate practice and preparation.

What You Feel From Stage Fright and Performance Anxiety Before and During Singing

Let’s talk about the physical symptoms resulting from your stage fright: sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, and a sensation of a pang in the pit of your stomach.

This is your body preparing for fight or flight, increasing your “cortisol and adrenaline” levels, making you feel like you want to disappear and escape as quickly as possible.

This leads to a rapid increase in your heart rate, and your ability to breathe seems to cut in half. You might even shake and suffer from a dry throat. These symptoms cause panic because none of this is supposed to happen. You should be calm, but instead, all you want to do is hide until people forget you were supposed to perform on stage.

Here are some tips from Funank to help you overcome stage fright and performance anxiety while singing

1. Try to Understand the Biological Process of Your Stress and Change Your Perception of It

It's essential to understand what your feelings mean when you experience stage fright or performance anxiety. Let me explain it in the simplest way possible. There’s no doubt that some artists have overcome their stage fear in a short time once they understood this.

2. Acknowledge Your Stage Fright

Believe it or not, simply acknowledging your stage fright can turn into something positive. It’s a good step towards improving your stage performance. Instead of feeling helpless or adopting a victim mentality, you now know you can control its power and channel it for a powerful performance.

If you step on stage and never feel nervous, the audience won’t get the best performance you can give. Your fear of the stage and the "adrenaline" that pumps through you give you a big burst of energy that helps create the right buzz for your audience.

3. Stay Calm, Take Deep Breaths

You must take some time before stepping on stage to perform deep breathing exercises. Here's how:

• Breathe slowly in for four counts, and exhale through your nose for four counts.
• Try to relax each time and control your breath so that you can take more breaths in each time.
• Practicing focusing on your breath not only relaxes you but also helps distract your mind from the stage and banish the stage fright feeling.

You may feel the need to drink stimulating beverages to focus and boost your performance, but this is the exact opposite. These caffeinated drinks increase your heart rate and make you feel more tense and anxious. Be sure to drink plenty of water on the day of your performance so your throat doesn’t dry out and your voice doesn’t crack.

5. Practice and Rehearse

The more you practice and prepare for singing, the more confidence you’ll gain in your vocal abilities, and the less fear and stage fright you’ll experience. You must get to know your songs inside and out. The lyrics are the first thing to forget if you're nervous. Additionally, spend at least a quarter of your time on activities related to performance.

6. Know Your Music, Know Your Audience

Make sure to get familiar with the pieces you’re performing. Know the history, the message, and any details related to the singing. All of this helps you form an emotional connection with the music and transfer it to the audience.

Do your best to get to know your audience, and choose pieces that stir emotions in you and suit your audience.

7. Do Some Yoga Exercises

Yoga exercises help relax your body and refresh your mind in a calming way. Moreover, they help you not focus on things you can't control, like anxiety and tension.

8. Be Positive with Yourself

One of the most effective ways to overcome stage fright is to be positive with yourself. Talk to “yourself,” tell yourself you can do it, that you’ll do great, and your audience will love you. Praise yourself for the hard work you’ve put in to get here and believe in the moment.

If you're confident in your performance, your audience will believe it too, and you’ll begin to believe in it as well.

9. Practice the Law of Attraction

Many of our issues during singing stem from personal fears. Anxiety, nervousness, or stage fright might be amplified, for example, if you know your parents are coming to see your performance, or if you’ve associated performing with a memory of a bad performance. The law of attraction is one of the best self-help techniques I've seen.

In short, you start living a life where you expect good outcomes. For example, in a situation where someone is anxious about parental criticism, the idea is to shift their thinking from criticism to praise.

10. Use Energy for a Present Performance

Now that you’ve calmed your breath, removed your stage fright, and focused your mind, you should feel more prepared to face your anxiety and let loose in your singing.

All you can do is step up and sing as best as you can in that moment, and allow yourself to take a break from that.

11. With Practice Comes Mastery, and You Get Rid of Stage Fright

You can practice regularly and add visualization. Once you reach the place where you'll perform, you’ll have become familiar with your songs, your music, and your audience. You’ll have already succeeded in performing with your mind through visualization.

You’ll be happy to find yourself connecting with the audience, and you'll feel satisfied when you know you're giving them something of unforgettable value.

After all, performance isn’t about you; you’re just the link between the music and the audience.

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