Many professional singers to even actors had to fight stage fright in their lives and some throughout their careers. This might come as a shock to most of us, but it is true! If you would like online singing lessons, I will be able to help you! However, did you know that the seven great artists who suffered from stage frights are:
- Rod Stewart. …
- Ozzy Osbourne ‘Prince of Darkness’
- Adele
- Barbra Streisand. …
- Donny Osmond. …
- Carly Simon. …
- Renee Fleming.
Ozzy Osbourne; the ‘Prince of Darkness,’ despite his infamous name suffers from stage fright. Even during one of his, ‘dark satanic performances,’ in 1982, when he bit the head off a bat, Ozzy was suffering from his fear of audiences, but unknown to his doting fans.
As for Adele, she vomits before going on stage despite how popular she is. She has severe panic attacks, something she could never deal with. So stage fright is not going to put you off giving a magical and polished performance!
These celebrities suffer from this phenomenal condition, but it is not hard to deal with nor is it a bad thing to have that little butterfly nerves in your stomach, before going on stage, or giving that performance. Some of the feelings of stage fright can be explained down to one simple word, confidence, that is for most part! So think about it! If you knew that the audience would be eating right from the palms of your hands the chances are these negative emotions would not be there! It is no different to sitting an exam… the same emotions are there, but there is something different about stage fright that makes it that much scarier.
Physiology of fear
Understanding the physiological process of what triggers panic attacks or anxiety is useful information to know. One of the popular physical manifestations is rapid breathing which can become uncontrollable. This can be scary as you don’t feel in control and to experience this before doing a show can be really frightening. In this state the body produces more sugar and the stress levels become high and communication becomes poor and information is hard to retain. This is how the body responds to this trigger which is how the brain responds to fear. So monitoring how you are feeling and why is a positive start to having it under control.
Step One
Before any show, focus on your breathing, and imagine your breathe is like a still lake. If you notice this lake beginning to ripple, calm it down again. Say beautiful things such as ‘I am calm’ ‘Everything is going to be okay.’ Take control of the situation don’t let this negative feeling it take you for a ride!
Step Two
Stop scaring yourself! Don’t become your own horror movie by expecting the worse you are generating negative emotions, and low expectations, and not positives one as in step one! What you think about is what you will create. (How to Plan a Successful life) By S Watson will empower you in so many ways another book sold on Amazon
Step 3
So stop worrying about your performance, but rehearse your act until you are satisfied that you are not just average, but damn good… so brilliant that you can do it in your sleep! Don’t let your mind play awful tricks on you! I did not sing live for a while due to illnesses so I was in the same situation where I was so petrified for fear I would mess up. The idea that I would end up singing the wrong note or forget my words, gave me anxiety, and serious shakes. But I however rehearsed over, and over again… until I knew I was perfect. If the show went well, usually it is because I knew I had made sure; I had covered all cracks so there was no possibility of making any obvious mistakes.
Step Four
See your audience as your family and friend not some judgmental monsters! They are there because they like you, and want to experience your magic; otherwise you would not have been there in the first place! In the book, ‘Singing on Stage,’ by Saphron Watson, (Amazon) it explores various reasons why having stage fright can be a complicated cause such as lack of preparation to even having bad diet! So it is a good book to invest in to get you on that positive road
Step Five This is what I call ‘mind magic’ where you visualize what you want or who you want to be. Think of someone successful whom you really admire preferably a person who has accomplished what you are trying to achieve. Hear their voices, and feel the emotions, and become them down to fine detail… let their magic rub off on you. Remember, most of all believe in you… that is the number one secret to success.