4 Things An Artist Can Do To Improve Stage Presence
Over the past two months, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many artists perform. From the 10-plus shows I’ve been to in that time span, one of the things that resonated with me the most is the various levels of stage presence. When done correctly, stage presence can make a performance the best it can possibly be. Great stage presence, along with some dope music, can make someone who wasn’t a fan before become a fan. It can stay in a person’s memory and can inspire for days, weeks, months, and/or years to come. I can say that for many of the performances I’ve witnessed in the past two months.
With all of these performances, as well as ones I’ve witnessed in the past and my own personal experiences in being on stage, I’ve seen great stage presence and not so great stage presence. This post will share a few of the things an artist should do to improve it. Keep reading:
Photos of MovaKween in performance at The Ottobar. Baltimore, MD. September 2019.
Rehearse the performance multiple times before going to the venue.
Not rehearsing for a set is one of the worst things an artist can do for the success of a performance. Artists should make sure they run through their set list, no matter how big or small it is. In rehearsal, an artist should practice song transitions, key changes, and more, as well as get prepared for any tech difficulties that can happen at the venue. Artists should also visit the venue of the performance, get to know the layout, and utilize sound check to their advantage.
Control your breathing and hold the mic correctly
Breath control is not only important while recording, but is also important while performing. This holds true for rappers too. Sounding winded, even while being active on stage, doesn’t come across well. If an artist hasn’t been coached or hasn’t practiced breath control, proper mic placement (and slightly moving the mic away from the mouth during breaths) will help an artist sound less winded.
Interact or engage with the crowd
An artist should encourage the crowd to be close to or as excited as they are about their performance. Encourage things like call-and-response or have a brief conversation with the crowd. Look directly at audience members’ faces. Walk around the stage and/or take the performance into the crowd. Be personal. Artists should also make sure to mention their name more than once during their set. If they have visuals set up (that’s a plus!), they should include their name and social media accounts in those visuals.
Have support from other artists, friends, or family throughout the crowd
Even if an artist is performing for the first time or even for the 100th time, an artist performs with more excitement and less nervousness when they recognize someone in the crowd. They perform even better when that person in the crowd hypes them up. This also holds true when a fan is deeply immersed in the performance (ex: rapping/singing along). An artist should have their tribe around them to support them.