This post is all about how to give it your best when performing. The best performance is not always about how perfectly you sang the song, but how well you were able to connect with the audience. Connection is all about creating a feeling. Therefore, the most effective way to measure how well you did on a performance is if people felt something. Below is a photo of Herbert Kwan Owner of Music Life Academy (Pianist, Music Composer and Arranger). We have performed many times together over the years and the 5 tips below are just some of the things we picked up along the way.
Connect yourself with the song.
Spending some time on the message of the song, will have huge benefits in your own growth as a singer. You will learn the lyrics faster, become even more invested and you will be able to give your best performance because your delivery will become more authentic. Example: “She Used To Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles is one of my favourite songs to perform because I can feel the message. I know the lyrics so well that I can dig deep and connect with the piece. This is a song that cannot rely solely on vocal technique; it must have just the right emotion intertwined with your vocal ability. This grants people permission to feel alongside you and they will naturally connect with you if you take the first step of showing a little vulnerability.
Introduce the song appropriately.
Short and sweet is important, because if you go on too long you may of course lose your audience. Be yourself and tell a little joke if it’s appropriate, or if it is a serious tone, think ahead of time why you took on this performance and share why the cause resonates with you as well as the meaning of singing the song you are about to.
Stage presence.
As Brene Brown has shared with the world through her research on vulnerability… The best leaders, speakers, and performers are often those who show some vulnerability – being themselves. This is one of the most brave and courageous things a performer can do. When you reveal to your audience your true self and show up, guess what, your audience will as well; and great connections ignite between you and your audience. Sometimes stage presence looks like a big dance party, while other times, it might be a quiet lyric with the intentional pausing and phrasing that the message deserves. Either way, choosing the appropriate energy level for your stage presence will ensure for a fabulous performance. For musicians this also applies. When Herbert sits down to play at the piano, he too must use his body language from the moment he steps onto the stage, to the way he sits down, to how he places his hands on the piano; it commands the rooms. These are the little things that Herbert would teach at his Music Life Academy.
Breath, breath, breath to create a performance of ease.
Have fun with the band and engage by starting a steady clap during a chorus. An all time favourite is to of course invite the audience to sing along with you to songs that everyone knows such as “Stand By Me” by B.E. King. Hold the mic out to the audience and get them involved. This gives you time as well to take a few breaths.
Pretend you are having a conversation.
Match your facial expressions to the mood and feeling of the lyric, line by line. Use eye contact, pause and be passionate. If you do this, you are bound to connect. Phrasing is an art. Essentially singing is speech with a melody. Some of the greatest speakers of all time are those that pause with intention. They choose their moments to speed up their phrasing or to hold onto a idea and captivate their audience. Or they draw out an essential word with a controlled tone along with eye contact.
I can’t wait for you to try some of these strategies. One of the best feelings, is when you finish a performance where people are left wanting more because they felt it.