What I Do Before I Hit the Stage: My Pre-Performance Ritual
I used to be a bag of nerves before stepping on stage and performing. Now? I actually look forward to it. Here’s what changed.
Stage used to feel terrifying
It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when stepping on stage felt terrifying. The self-doubt, the what-ifs, the voice in your head that picks the worst possible moment to get loud. I know that feeling well. But over the years I’ve built a pre-performance ritual that genuinely transforms how I show up and I wanted to share it, because I think a lot of artists are missing this piece.
It’s not complicated. But it’s intentional. And intention, as I’ve learned, changes everything.
My Pre-Performance Ritual To Feel Confident On Stage
First — The Clearing
Before anything else, I use my husband’s clearing process. I’m going to keep the details close to my chest on this one — it’s something quite special — but what I will say is that it’s a practice specifically designed to release stuck negative emotions and thoughts. The ones that sit heavy. The ones that, if you don’t deal with them, follow you right up onto that stage.
It’s honestly a game changer. I step into it carrying whatever the day has brought — stress, doubt, overthinking — and I come out the other side lighter. Clear. Ready. If you ever get the chance to experience something like this, don’t hesitate.
Then — Hydration and Movement
This sounds basic but I cannot stress it enough: fresh water, and lots of it. Especially as a vocalist, your body and your voice need to be properly hydrated before you perform. I’m drinking water consistently throughout the day leading up to a show, not just chugging it five minutes before I go on. Your voice will thank you.
I also stretch. Nothing elaborate, just getting into my body, releasing any tension that’s built up, and reminding myself that performing is a physical thing. You wouldn’t run a race without warming up. Same principle applies here.
And Then — The Vocal Warmup
This is non-negotiable for me. I’ve been working with my vocal teacher Sheila Gott for a while now, and she has genuinely transformed how I use my voice. You might know Sheila’s incredible voice from Danger Mouse back in the 80s. She is phenomenally talented and what she has taught me about vocal technique, breath support, and warming up properly has been priceless.
The warmup exercises she’s given me in our 1-1 private sessions are now a core part of my pre-stage ritual. They don’t just prepare my voice, they settle me. There’s something about going through a familiar sequence of exercises that signals to your nervous system: we’ve done this before, we’re ready, we’re safe.
The Result? I Actually Enjoy Being On Stage Now
By the time I walk on stage, I’m not nervous, I’m excited. And there’s a real difference between those two feelings, even though they can feel similar in the body. Nervous is contracted. Excited is open. And open is exactly the energy you want when you’re about to share music with a room full of people.
The ritual isn’t about perfection. It’s about preparation: body, voice, and most importantly, energy. Because at the end of the day, what the audience receives from you is an energy. And it’s worth taking care of yours before you give it away.
If you’re an artist who dreads performing, I’d genuinely encourage you to look at what you’re doing (or not doing) in the hours before you go on. A ritual doesn’t have to be complex. It just has to be yours. 🎤
Where to start
If you want support with this, not just the voice, but everything that happens before you step on stage, I offer 1:1 sessions focused on getting you performance-ready: voice, nerves, energy, all of it.
You walk in feeling all over the place, you leave knowing exactly what to do before your next show.
Explore my 1:1 Online singing session options here and make sure to book yours.
FAQ — Pre-Performance Rituals for Singers
For me, it starts before I even think about the stage. I clear whatever is sitting heavy, stress, doubt, overthinking. Then I get back into my body, hydrate, move, breathe. By the time I step on stage, I am not trying to “calm down” anymore, I am already there. That is the difference.
Nothing extreme. Just intentional.
Clear your head. Drink water throughout the day. Move your body a little. Warm up your voice properly.
You are not trying to become someone else before performing, you are just removing everything that gets in the way of you showing up fully.
Consistency over last-minute panic.
I do not rely on a quick warmup five minutes before going on. I hydrate all day, then go through a vocal warmup that I know works for me. Same exercises, same sequence. It grounds me as much as it prepares my voice.
A good routine is one you trust.
Mine is simple, clearing, hydration, light movement, then vocal warmups. That is it. No overcomplicating. No reinventing things every time. The power comes from repetition and intention, not from doing more.
You do not “stop” it overnight. You change your relationship to it.
Nerves and excitement feel very similar in the body. The goal is not to eliminate the sensation, it is to shift it. When you prepare properly, mentally, physically, vocally, that nervous energy has somewhere to go. It turns into something usable, and that is when performing starts to feel good instead of terrifying.
You can also listen to frequency music to calm and ground. I have hours of meditation music and playlists available on my Youtube Channel: @Elysemusicuk.
If performing still feels like something you have to “get through” instead of something you actually enjoy, this is exactly the work I do with my clients.
We don’t just focus on your voice. We build a ritual that supports you before every performance, so you are not relying on luck or last-minute adrenaline. Instead, you’ll:
- know what to do,
- trust your voice,
- step on stage feeling open, not tense.
If that is what you want, you can book a 1:1 session with me
With love,
Elyse 💖
