For many singers, singing at home for yourself can be extremely satisfying. But as enjoyable as singing can be, the fear of being on display in front of other people and their opinions can debilitate many singers. Fortunately, there are many steps to solve the problem of how to get over the fear of singing in front of people.
Wondering how to get over the fear of singing in front of people? To overcome the fear of singing in front of audiences, use these nine steps:
- Be over-prepared
- Sing in front of the mirror
- Sing with others
- Visualize the audience enjoying your performance
- Adjust your mental approach
- Focus on your breathing
- Learn proper singing techniques
- Find a Song that’s Right For You To Sing
- Overcome your fear at a karaoke bar
It is not an easy task to focus on singing correctly and dealing with the anxiety that comes with large amounts of people gazing at your every move. You have to worry about the techniques of the song, and the quality of your voice, with an overwhelming amount of judgment and attention focused on both your person and your voice. This article will provide an in-depth look at how you can overcome this fear and let your gift truly shine!
1. Be Over Prepared
Every singer knows that the art of singing is not just as simple as letting your voice turn lyrics into melodies. Singing is about memorizing every note and matching the sounds to your unique singing style. Preparation is the key to inspiring confidence within yourself and having your voice sound it’s absolute best.
According to a 2012 article in Music Educators Journal, singing with more gusto and taking vocal exercises higher in the range each time can improve the quality of your singing immensely. Be sure to know every note and difficulties that could happen before you take the stage. There is no such thing as being overly-prepared when it comes to singing. This will ensure that no possible mistakes can occur when you’re performing your song.
Take some time throughout the day to go through the lyrics and the melody. If you’re playing an instrument, make sure you have enough practice playing the instrument and singing at the same time.
If you’re having trouble singing and playing guitar at the same time, I’ve written an in-depth article called “12 Step Method For Singing and Playing Guitar At The Same Time”. There are definitely some tips that will help you out!
Read Next: 15 Essential Tips For Singers To Remember All Their Lyrics
2. Sing in Front of the Mirror
When it comes to singing in front of audiences, a possible roadblock to a singer’s confidence may revolve around how they feel to other people.
Many of us do not fixate on our looks on a daily basis. Yet, the sudden idea of being in the public display is enough to create anxiety over how you perceive yourself singing in front of people. Ultimately, you have to remind yourself that your singing is what an audience is focusing on.
One way to help ease this concern is to practice your singing in front of a mirror. By performing this step, you are allowing yourself to see precisely what a large audience can see. You will find that you aren’t wondering how your face looks in different expressions, and this act will also instill self-confidence.
Read Next: Stage Banter: What to Say Onstage Between Songs
3. Sing With Others
Singing is mostly a solitary act unless you’re in a choir where there are numerous singers required for certain sections of a song. Excessive solo performances by singers could trigger mental anxiety, whereas a form of mock singing as a form of rehearsal could be beneficial to overcoming singing anxiety. This can be accomplished by rehearsing your song with other singers, even if they are not professional singers.
Having someone singing alongside you encourages a communal effort that will allow you to see that the pressure isn’t just a burden you must bear alone.
There are many singers in the world. Many are prone to dealing with the same set of pressures, such as performance anxiety. Singing with others can be therapeutic and take some of the load off when you begin singing in front of others.
4. Visualize the Audience Enjoying Your Performance
Another step that you can take to overcome the fear of singing in public is to use the power of visualization. Before you go on stage and perform, visualize the audience in front of you, enjoying your singing.
Visualization is a great way to trick your mind and can significantly help your performance anxiety.
By focusing your strength and overall ability to handle challenging situations, you’re allowing your brain to connect the dots between your singing quality and the expectations of an audience.
Whether the audience is quiet or loud in the crowd, you must understand that people use different ways to show interest. One person might be yelling and cheering out loud while the other is sitting down and listening intently. Even if you are performing an energetic song, an audience may still choose to remain quiet and focused.
Picture them reacting in different ways, such as enjoyment or praise. Even if the outcome is different, this allows you to get through the performance successfully.
5. Adjust Your Mental Approach
Keep a light-hearted approach rather than putting the pressure of “singing in front of people”. Performing and singing are supposed to be fun. Not something genuinely awful. Even the worst-case scenario is not as bad as you think it is.
All singers go through embarrassing experiences, whether it be fumbling their sentences when introducing a song, or forgetting their lyrics. From personal experience, people often forget about the show very quickly after the performance and continue with their daily lives.
So put less emphasis and pressure on yourself to give the “best performance” ever because that added pressure will prevent you from just doing that.
You enjoy singing, and it’s something that you should be glad to share with other people. Think about your performance as something they’re happy to receive from you.
If you approach singing in front of people like so, you’ll stop getting in your own way and start creating meaning to your performance.
6. Focus on Your Breathing
Deep breathing is one of the best natural methods to go about calming increased anxiety. Within 20 minutes or so before you are due to go on stage, take a nice deep breath to free up your body’s inner tensions.
Breathe in through the nose, hold the air for 5 seconds, and exhale slowly for 5 seconds.
Doing this task before every performance will help ground you and place your body and mind in a clear state. If you’ve prepared your song and know it inside-out, all you need to do is just go out there and sing.
Another benefit of taking deep breaths is the ability to help you create a stronger sound for your voice. Breathing enables you to hit and maintain high notes while helping to relax your muscles.
If you’re feeling anxious during your performance at any time, focus on breathing to ease yourself.
When you inhale, your stomach should expand outwards first, followed by your chest. This way, you’re receiving adequate air to help support you throughout your set. If you have trouble with this, try placing your hand on your abdomen area as you breathe. It’ll remind you to focus on breathing from that spot.
7. Learn Proper Singing Techniques
Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of fear regarding singing is the toll that anxiety can affect your singing quality. You may find that words do not come out correctly or not even come out at all.
Knowing the proper singing techniques is a great way to prepare for this possibility.
When you’re singing with the right foundations, you’re giving yourself the right tools to use when you’re singing in front of people.
Finding a good singing teacher that can pinpoint the areas that you need to work on will help you get to where you want to be at a much quicker and safer pace.
Singing teachers help eliminate the trial and errors that many singers have to go through when they learn by themselves. Even just learning through YouTube won’t be as effective as having a singing teacher because of the lack of structure and guidance for your vocal training.
If you can’t find a vocal coach near you or if the price is a bit too high, online singing programs are a great alternative to improve your singing technique. Many of them have a step-by-step system for you to reach your singing goals.
I recommend the 30 Day Singer program for both beginner and intermediate singers. By 30 days, you’ll definitely notice your vocal strength and stamina being much more improved from before.
If you want to learn more about the 30 Day Singer, you can read an in-depth review about it here.
Read more: Best Online Singing Lessons – Ultimate Guide for You
8. Find a Song that’s Right For You To Sing
Attempting to sing a song not right for your voice and not within your vocal range is a huge mistake, especially when you’re singing in front of people. Every singer has their vocal range that they feel comfortable with. To give you less stress with your performance, choose a song that you can sing comfortably.
If you have a lower voice, pick songs from lower-voiced singers. Although you might want to perform that song with the high falsetto, choosing that song is going to derail you from a solid performance.
Stick to your strengths and hone in on it to give you the best chance to succeed. Find a song that is easy to vocalize and doesn’t require too much skill, at least until you are more comfortable singing in public.
Read Next: How to Choose The Right Song For Your Next Cover
9. Overcome Your Fear at a Karaoke Bar
A karaoke bar is a great way to overcome the fear of singing in front of people.
Karaoke singing is not as rigid and controlled of an environment as it is to put on a public singing performance. This practice will allow you to have fun and unwind while singing in front of people. Everybody else is also having a good time without any pressure.
You can also learn a lot from hearing some good singers at a karaoke bar. Take notice of what they sing and what you like about their singing. Analyzing and learning from them will help you improve much quicker than just practicing alone at home.
You can also try out new songs that you like but never sang before.
In an environment like a karaoke bar, people won’t be caring too much about your performance. So leave all your worries at home and sing your heart out. The more you’re used to singing in front of people, the better you’ll be when you’re doing an actual performance on stage.
Read Next: 15 Best Karaoke Songs for Baritone Singers
Final Thoughts
The fear of singing in front of people is a common problem that many singers face. Self-doubt, stage fright, or the simple process of letting anxiety get the best of singers is simply part of being human. It is important to remember that a singer is not a machine; singers still feel all of the various human emotions, such as anxiety, that everybody else experiences.
By following a set of techniques to help ease this anxiety, your fear of singing in front of an audience will lift over time.
Do you want to improve your singing and learn how to hit those high notes without straining your voice? CLICK HERE to get a FREE trial with 30 Day Singer!
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