Stage Presence: The 3 Levels of Being a Captivating Performer
You want to be a magnetic performer who audiences fall in love with?
Great! Let’s dig deeper.
You are probably already be aware of the vast amount of skills required to be a successful singer. One of those skills is “performance technique”. But what does that involve?
Before we outline the 3 levels, here’s a question for you:
What is the singer’s job?
In order to deliver magnetic performances, we need to know what our role is. That role may change slightly, depending on the context of the performance - be it a wedding/function, originals gig, or providing background ‘ambience’ etc. but the core answers remain.
The singer’s job is to “tell the story of the song,” “connect with the audience,” “entertain,” “inspire,” and “host.”
(thanks to my instagram followers for those excellent answers)
Level 1 - Build Trust
In any context, the first job of a performer is to be a safe pair of hands - show the audience they can trust you by expressing confidence.
Remember, the audience are on your side - they want you to succeed. But they may also be nervous and not know what to expect. It’s your job to show them they can relax; sit back and enjoy.
We can do this by ensuring all the basics are covered:
Sing in tune
Sing in time
Know the lyrics
Know the melody
Know the structures/arrangements
and also acknowledge the audience.
Say hello. Say thank you at the end of each song. Make eye contact, or at least look in their general direction! (NB: not always applicable for Musical Theatre performers. We’re talking gigs/concerts here, not shows.)
It sounds simple, but it takes practice - just like everything else. Standing up and singing in front of people can be a vulnerable and nerve-wracking experience. Making sure these basics are secure will hugely benefit you and increase those confidence levels.
Level 2 - Affect Energy
With the basics of being a ‘safe pair of hands’ covered, out next job is to affect the energy of the audience.
This could be making folk want to get up and dance, feel excited, deeply moved etc. - again, it’s context dependent (probably don’t want to be making the office Christmas party guests weep!)
We do this by affecting our own energy, which allows the audience to connect to that expression of emotion.
It’s important here that we truly understand the story of the song we’re telling - what do the lyrics mean, what does the story mean to you? It doesn’t always have to line up with the intention of the original artist, but it has to make sense to you so you can feel it.
REMEMBER: The emotions/storytelling continue in INTRODUCTIONS, ENDINGS and INSTRUMENTALS! Keep that energy going, even when you’re not singing.
Level 3 - Create Deeper Connection
All these things create connection with your audience, which is the ultimate goal; we want to be connecting to the song, ourselves, and the people listening. But we can deepen that connection further.
In contexts that allow for more conversation (i.e - not an event where the purpose is to keep a dance-floor filled or create a background ambience) we can use the space between songs to talk and create even more connection with our listeners. This kind of chat is referred to as “stage patter.”
The more performance experience you gain, the more you will get a feel for when is ‘right’ to chat with the audience.
But not everyone who enjoys singing in front of crowds enjoys speaking in front of them and it can take time and practice to get comfortable with this element of the job.
A good place to start is by considering how to introduce your songs.
Think about ways to introduce that allow the audience to learn more about you as a person/artist, rather than giving dry facts about the song.
The goal is for the audience to feel like they know you a little better after this gig; so they feel invested in your music, come to your next gig, buy your merch… all the good stuff!
Want more tips about being the best singer you can be? You can follow me on social media @TessaSmithMusic or explore this website further.
My FREE GUIDE helps you take control of your singing practice and keep making improvements, no matter how much time you have availble.