Whether you’re an established artist having performed hundreds of times or looking for your first gig, performing in front of a live audience can be nerve-wracking. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help ease those nerves and give you the confidence you need for successful performances.
Practice. And Practice More.
Practicing gets your confidence up. Be sure to practice along with your instrumental track or a metronome – so you are practicing at the proper tempo. The more you practice, the less likely you will mess up. The more you practice, the more likely you’ll come up with new ideas for your performance.
Avoid Booze and/or Drugs
While “courage juice” might get you in a loose and carefree frame of mind, remember that the feeling isn’t real, nor is it permanent. Plus, you risk dependency, which is far too common with creative musical artists. Allow yourself to naturally and genuinely feel all your victories (and fails) so you can productively improve your showmanship. Hip-Hop needs more role models. Be one.
Facial Expressions
With enough practice, it’s easy to mindlessly rap your verses forgetting about the emotion of your lyrics. Don’t forget your message. Show your passion. Express it with corresponding facial expressions and eye contact so the audience can feel it too.
Signature Moves
This should come naturally. You’ve got a little dance move or some little thing you like to do while performing. Don’t leave it out. But recognize the fine line between overdoing and giving it just enough to define you and please the audience.
Enough Sleep, Food and Water
It’s really about having a sharp mind, memory and focus. Don’t be tired. Don’t be hungry. Don’t be thirsty. You shouldn’t eat within 2 hours before a show for max energy. Make sure you’re hydrated! You’ll want your mind right and ready! PEAK ENERGY TIME. This is about taking care of yourself as much as your performance and skill.
Show Appreciation
Thank your audience. Do it at the beginning of your performance (“Thank you for being here tonight”) and do it at the end (“Thank you for listening to me tonight. I appreciate you all.”) Courtesy goes a long way. And don’t forget the staff. Music directors, lighting crew, soundcheck people – they are there to be sure your performance is its best. Show gratitude.
Mistakes
Even Grammy winners have messed up the National Anthem at a major sporting event. The point is to give it your best, move on quickly from mistakes and take it as a learning lesson. A mistake does not influence your chance for success. If you are a new artist and performing an original song for a new audience, chances are they won’t even be able to tell.
Visualize and Self-Talk
You will have an amazing performance. The audience will love you. You will kill this performance. Take a few minutes before your turn to visualize an amazing performance. Tell yourself that you will rock this performance without any expectation from the crowd. For all you know, you may have a crowd full of hip-hop haters. Imagine that? It doesn’t matter. You’re gonna rock it anyway.
We hope these tips will help you improve your performances and prevent any mishaps. We’d love to hear from you. Any tips that we didn’t mention that you’d like to share?
This article is written by NYC SHOT staff. Please do not reproduce without credit. This article can be re-blogged, re-posted and printed with credit to nyc-shot.com.