Let’s say you are about to climb up the stage of The Voice or The Masked Singer, in the quest to being one of the biggest independent artists, the wait has been killing, but you’ve been able to stay cool ice all along. Now that you are about to be called up stage, you can feel your breathing, the thumping of your heart, and the churning of your stomach.
What you just experienced is performance anxiety or what is also called stage fright. Performing on stage isn’t easy, even for the most skilled artists. Once you miss a line, it’s game over. When you get on stage and feel like running away, you are suffering from stage fright.
However, as a performing artist, you need to know how to overcome stage fright when it strikes. Please don’t feel too overconfidence, every artist experience it along the way, and it’s normal.
Considering how important indie artists are to us at Disctopia, this piece is to prepare you for overcoming stage fright and emerge as one of the biggest independent artists.
What is Stage Fright?
In its simplest form, Stage Fright is a form of fear and anxiety that occurs at the point of standing in front of a crowd. According to Data, about 77% of the population suffers from performance anxiety.
Stage fright is most common among performing actors, artists, and public speakers. It is said that about 80% of working actors have experienced stage fright at least in their careers. So, if you are yet to experience it, you are not immune.
Talking about stage frights is not just about amateur artists; even the biggest independent artists are liable to be affected. Many things could cause stage fright. Biologically, stage fright is the way of body fighting or flight response to perceived danger.
The amygdala transmits a distress signal to the sympathetic nervous system via the hypothalamus. This releases adrenaline into the bloodstream, causing all of the symptoms of stage fright; sweating, heavy breathing, increased heart rate, and terrible feeling in the stomach.
How to Overcome Stage Fright As an Artist
1. Slow Your Breath
One of the signs you are in a fight or flight mode is the increase in breathing rate. To curtail this, you need to slow down your breathing. This is to convince your body that you are not in any form of danger.
Try to feel your breath by breathing in and out slowly. Let your breathing in, outlast your breathing in. This is a way to naturally calm your nervous system. A single deep breathing session will help your sympathetic nervous system fight off anxiety.
2. Know Your Stuff as An Artist
The content of your music is the most important thing at this point; you need to be sure you have a good drip of it. It would help if you believed that your music has the potential to change the world.
When you experience stage fright, you will likely hear the inner critic. If you know your stuff, you can silence that inner voice. You are like to hear inside of you; you are not a good musician; you don’t have a good voice. Once you hear this, it’s time to shift all focus to the content.
3. Smile More; It Will Make You Feel Better
It does not matter if you don’t want to laugh; you need it. Smiling or even feigning a smile by crinkling your eyes and puffing out your cheeks will make you feel happier, calmer, and less anxious.
You are trying to trick your brain into believing that you are happy. If it believes you are happy, it will be difficult for anxiety to creep in.
4. Avoid All Forms of Stimulants
Whenever you are set for a performance, it’s best that you limit all of your caffeine and sugar intakes. These two can easily heighten your adrenaline and amplify your anxiety.
As an artist, your body is filled with adrenaline, and adding more to it via caffeine will damage you while on stage. Rather than coffee, soda, or energy drinks, you are better off with herbal tea.
5. Make Connection With Your Audience
Immediately you are on stage; you need to look for friendly faces and connect to them. There must be friendly faces to look at throughout your performance. By staring at these faces, you will be less anxious and worried.
Their faces will also serve as feedback on the quality of your performance. When these faces smile at you, smile back.
Final Thoughts
It would help if you accepted that you would experience stage fright. When it happens, rather than fight it, work with it. Stage fright will likely occur within the first few minutes of your performance and eventually fade off.
Don’t be carried away. Rather, all of your attention should be on delivering outstanding performance and emerge as one of the biggest independent artists.
