How Can I Feel More Confident When I’m Singing?
Confidence in singing and in our voices in general can be a huge thing for singers of any level.
Whether you’re a hobbyist just starting out or a professional who’s been performing for years, there will always be times when we feel nervous about a performance or less secure in our voice than we’d like. Most of us have been there – I know I have! So in this post I’d like to share my thoughts, tips and tricks on how to feel more confident when performing.
Know Your Material
This sounds obvious, I know, but it really is important. Give yourself enough time to really get to know the material you’re singing.
A lot of times, lack of confidence comes from the fear that we’ll make a mistake or be judged for not being good enough, but the more time you spend learning the lyrics or familiarising yourself with the melody or the accompaniment that you’ll be singing along to, the less likely it is that those mistakes will happen, and you’ll naturally feel more secure and relaxed when you come to perform.
Think about how you learn best and use those strategies as soon as you know what you’re going to sing.
Does it help to stick post-it notes up on your bedroom wall and read the lyrics while you’re getting ready in the morning?
Do you prefer to sing along to the original recording or a backing track?
Maybe you learn best with the sheet music in front of you, note-bashing at the piano or learning two lines at a time and chunking them together?
Don’t be afraid to play to your strengths and figure out your favourite strategies – we all learn differently and there is no “right” way.
But what if I don’t have time?
Sometimes we get hit with a last-minute audition or we’re asked to step in for someone else at a performance. If this happens, give yourself a break. Understand that there’s only so much you can do in a short amount of time, and do your best with what you have.
Most people are not expecting perfection – they’re looking to see if someone is right for a part, or someone is the right fit for their school, their company or team. Show up, and do what you can. Showing them what you can offer does not have to mean delivering a perfect performance.
Embrace The Nerves
Nerves before a performance are never fun, and of course, feeling nervous can really cause our confidence to take a hit, but they are a totally natural part of the process.
Most singers – and I hold my hands up to this one as well – try to fight the nerves, push them away or pretend they don’t exist. But if we can learn to embrace that nervous energy and learn to work with it instead of against it, it can be surprisingly freeing.
Reframing what those nerves mean for us when we perform can really help us to accept them and even use them to our advantage. Excitement shows up in the body in very similar ways – those butterflies in the stomach, that heightened awareness and a sense of energy? The same. So what if, instead of I’m really nervous about this, I have to do well, we say “I’m really excited about this! I get to show what I can do!”
A shift in perspective can change everything.
That spike in adrenaline we get when we’re about to step out on stage, that sets our heart racing and gets us super alert, can actually help us to focus on what we need to do out there and be more present in the moment.
Of course, if you find that nerves become debilitating and detrimental to the point where you can’t perform, there are definitely things that can be done to lessen performance anxiety, but a little nervous energy is a perfectly natural thing, and embracing it can really help to release its power over you and boost confidence in your voice.
Reframe Your Self-Talk
I’ve been there – about to step out on stage and absolutely terrified I’ll forget the words, come in too early or crack on that high note.
But one of the most freeing things that one of my teachers said to me was this:
So. What?
Two simple words, but they really stopped me in my tracks, because really, I thought as I stood in the wings about to go on – what is the worst that can happen? No one is getting hurt, I’m not ruining a career if I fumble a lyric, the world is not going to end if I mistime my entrance.
As performers, we’re often our own worst critics – we hold ourselves to impossible standards we would never expect anyone else to maintain, so why do we do it to ourselves?
Ask yourself: if you were watching a friend perform, and they cracked on a high note, would you judge them? Would it ruin the evening for you? Would you tell them they could never sing in public because of it?
Of course not.
So why would we do it to ourselves?
Everybody is human. We can all make mistakes, but they don’t have to define us. If we can start to embody that, and shift how we look at things, it’s so much easier to feel comfortable in our ability when we step out on stage.
Invest In Coaching
Have a think about why you don’t feel confident when you sing. Once you can identify the aspects that stop you from feeling like you can do your best job out on the stage, look for someone who can guide you.
Is it technique? If your voice isn’t doing what you need it to do, find a teacher who can work on vocal technique. Booking some singing lessons and having someone identify problem areas and provide practical, applicable solutions will quickly build trust in your voice. The knowledge that it will do what you need it to, and when the trust is there, the confidence follows.
Is it performance anxiety? Do you need help understanding how to regulate your body’s response to the stress and stimuli of performing in front of crowds? How to regulate your nervous system to leave you calm and clear-headed as you go out on stage? There are many coaches out there who specialise in the body’s response (both physical and mental) to the pressure of performing and can help design strategies to help you manage those nerves.
Having a trusted teacher, coach, mentor or even a friend to work you through the challenging aspects of performance confidence can make a world of difference. Trust me, if you’re going through it now, someone has been there before you and can help you get to where you need to be.
I hope these suggestions have helped you. Let me know your favourite strategies for increasing confidence in singing.
To work on this together, and let me help you feel more confident in your own voice, you can book your lesson HERE
Happy singing!
P.S If you enjoyed this article, why not check out my previous blog entry Debunking 5 Common Singing Myths & Misconceptions