You're sitting in a room by yourself.

Your leg is twitching.

Heart is in your throat.

Are you about to throw up?

In the distance, a singer. Applause.

A head pops in the doorway.

"OK...You're up!"

Right now, a stiff drink is in order.

It's been proven in different surveys that people would rather die than get in front of others and perform. It's also been proven that no one has died because of getting in front of others...unless they were a standup comic with a bad routine.

So what do you do to stop stage fright?

Short answer - Nothing.

The unknown can be a scary thing. Standing in front of people you don't know is a scary thing. What will they say? Will you mess up? Will you sound horrible? There's no two ways about it, you're going to have some anxiety.

The good news is you're not alone. Stage fright happens to the best of singers. In fact, many professional singers will tell you that they rely on it to give them the needed energy for a great performance. And energy is an understatement. When you're in full fledged fear, adrenaline kicks in, senses sharpen, and you focus at the task at hand. Fight or flight. Either you do it or don't. But guess what? Either way, you're fear is going to go away. So what's the point of wanting to sing if you don't put the wheels to the road?

What to do then? If you can't beat'em, join'em

In other words, make stage fright your ally. Just like the pros do. Throw all that energy into your performance. Concentrate on how you can do the best you can at the presentation. Presentation is a lot more important than the actual singing. Your audience is there to SEE you sing, rather than hear it. If they wanted to hear it, they'd just get a recording of you singing instead.

OK OK...easier said than done. So let's answer some questions towards what to do to ease up tensions here.

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What can I do to make me stop worrying about my performance?

Remember, nothing can stop your worrying. But to ensure you give a great performance, Practice, Practice, Practice. The more you practice, the more you will have your performance in your subconcious. So while you're worrying why the guy in the front row is wadding up a spitball in his hand, your mind is already trained to sing the right words, make the right moves and hit the right notes. Practice the moves in your head as well, as this also will help your performance. Basketball and golf players do this all the time. The more you do both, the better you will be.

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Should I drink alcohol to calm my nerves?

No. This will not only decrease your motor skills and have an adverse affect on your vocal chords, it will also make you see twice as many people in the audience. (How many fingers are they holding up?)


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Should I imagine the audience naked?

Only if the crowd is good looking.

Actually, sure, go ahead. Whatever gets you feeling less vunerable and fearful. Concentrate on the back wall. Look at the friendliest faces in the crowd. Imagine your parents in the front row...er...that is...unless you're also seeing them naked.

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Concentrate on giving a great performance. Giving your all so that you entertain. The nervousness is a sign your thinking about yourself only. And yes, even though the pros do get nervous too, it proves how selfish we all can be.

Hey, I know I can be. But let's not become like an opera singer practicing. Singing "ME ME ME ME ME".