Sing the Winning Song.
By Jeannie Deva.
Do you want your audition performances to grab the judges’ attention? Wouldn’t you love to have your songs selected by music supervisors for movies or TV shows? How about your band’s YouTube video going viral because it is such an awesome performance? Well, the key to this is the passion and emotional sincerity of your vocal performance.
I’ve met many singers who think they have to be perfect in every way before they begin singing for audiences. This misguided belief impedes them from becoming truly passionate, confident and fully developed singers. Here’s why.
Reach Out and Touch Somebody.
Singing is about communicating and sharing feelings, concepts, images, dreams, and spirituality with others. We always remember performances that have moved us emotionally and inspired or ignited our inner fire.
Live performance is where you hone the various singing skills which culminate in that all-important talent: touching their hearts. Singers who rush into the recording studio before they have enough live performance experience are most likely to lack the magical quality of emotional believability that distinguishes great performers.
Create Focus Groups.
Receiving good feedback will speed your growth as an emotionally impactful performer. Arrange to have a few friends/family members present at your performances as a kind of “focus group.” Beforehand, let them know you’ll be asking them about each of the following elements so they can observe more accurately. If you’re doing this to prepare for a recording, have them listen with their eyes closed.
Then, after your performance, find out the following: What did you do to engage them? Did you do anything that distracted them from experiencing a complete involvement with each song? As part of critiquing a live performance, also get their input on how you transitioned from one song to the next, how you moved on stage and handled the stage environment.
If you performed with others, how did you interact with the rest of the band and them with you? Did you handle the mic and mic stand in a way that enhanced or distracted from your performance? Get them to respond to as many details of your performance as possible. All of these details combine and culminate in an emotionally impactful, engaging and memorable performance.
Constructive Criticism.
Don’t unquestioningly accept all feedback. Evaluate it and accept only what makes sense to you. Take into consideration who is giving the feedback and whether it aligns with your own vision of what you’re striving to create. Also, notice any patterns in the critiques. If several people comment on the same attribute of your performance, it is more likely to be valid. Make use of only constructive criticism that will advance your skill when you implement them. Positive does not mean only “you were awesome.” It means getting feedback that will help you grow. This could include: “When you held that high note I felt a lot of emotion.” Or: “I noticed that your voice fades at the ends of your phrases.”
Perform Live Before Recording.
When you can be yourself, sing with passion and touch your audience emotionally, then you are ready to go into the studio and record a convincing performance. Develop your performance skills with live audiences if you want to record songs that will catch the judges’ or music supervisors’ attention. Time spent cultivating your artistry and your craft is well worth the rewards.
I’m cheering you on.
Jeannie Deva.
Get more indispensable performance know-how in Jeannie Deva’s eBook, Singer’s Guide to Powerful Performances.
