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Dear John

How can I help my singer fight nerves?

First published 16th March 2006

Question:
I am currently developing the career of an excellent young singer. Unlike a lot of 'managers' I come across in the business, I really am doing my best to further her career rather than line my own pockets. I am also not in this for a quick buck because even though she has an absolutely excellent voice in the studio she is a long way from being able to translate that promise into decent performances live. The last showcase I set up went alright - trouble is it should have been a lot more than just alright. She has a major problem with nerves in the live situation and it is a real hindrance to us moving forward. As a former professional singer myself, I've tried suggesting all the usual confidence boosting and breathing exercises but nothing seems to work. Can you help?

Answer:
I have come across many managers in the business who don't fit the standard 'shark' persona, genuinely believe in and invest their own time and money in developing performers... and quite frequently get their hearts broken. This often happens when all their development work has borne fruit and the artist in question is suddenly flooded with other management offers but forgets that old showbusiness adage to 'dance with who brung you'.

Your case reminds me more of the construction worker in my favourite Looney Tunes cartoon. He discovers the world's greatest dancing and singing frog but the frog only gives his showstopping performances when there's nobody else around to see them. All of us in artist development have had similar experiences to yours where we present our protege to the world only to find that the luminious talent we got excited about in private doesn't flare so brightly in public.

Having worked with many performers on confidence issues over the years, one problem I've found with 'the usual confidence boosting and breathing exercises' is that there isn't a 'usual' performer, so what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else. This is particularly worth bearing in mind when we are working with someone else's talent rather than our own, even in an area we have experience in.

The first step in addressing any problem with nerves (or any other issue) is to let go of your assumptions and instead of deciding that breathing is the problem (although it may well be), start asking questions to find out what might be the major issue from the performer's side of the fence. In some cases the roots of a current performance problem can have their roots in another performance much further back in time - possibly even in a school play or another time unrelated to showbusiness.

I'm not suggesting that amateur psychology is the best solution either - in many cases, harping on about nerves is only going to make the singer more conscious of them. The best 'cures' I find are a combination of practice and experience - but you need to strike the balance between practicing in places which resemble 'combat conditions' and throwing the performer in the deep end. As you say yourself, the problem here seems to be with audiences, so practicing in an empty room is not going to help much. On the other hand showcases can be nervewracking for even the most seasoned performers so a halfway house should be your first approach. I've started singers off with 'gigs' in their front room in front of a few mates and then to friendlier music clubs, to residencies in rowdier venues to the point where they can handle theatres and stadiums. The key is step up each stage so that once they are comfortable at one level they move up another level.

There are a lot of suggestions on this website in the 'How to' section on nerves. Like many other skills, handling an audience involves trial and error and finding the persona that works for the individual performer.

Remember that many of the world's greatest performers have been nervous to the point of being ill before going on stage every night of their stage careers - they just find a way of coping with those nerves while they are out there.

I hope you and your act find a way to sort out her own particular brand of nerves and when she is wowing them at stadium stage, you'll feel your patience has been rewarded - even if you are standing in the wings with a mop and bucket!

For more information on fighting nerves on The Stage Online see:

How to: Cope with nerves

Secrets of Performing Confidence extract

Dear John: Seasoned performer lacks confidence

StageTalk