I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… the best singers aren’t necessarily the ones with the most talent. The most successful singers have a natural ability to connect with their audience. They’ve got the total package so to speak. But, what does that total package consist of? Well, continue reading and you’ll get a few good ideas that’ll help you more effectively connect with your audience. So, let’s get right to it, shall we?
1. Choose the Right Song and Make It Real
In order to have a chance to connect with your audience, you’re going to have to connect with the song itself. So be sure to select something that you can sing genuinely from the heart. Once you have a song you can really connect with, break it down further. What’s the emotion backing up each line? Type out the lyrics, then write out what each part means to you so that you’re sure to convey that emotion. The more you genuinely feel that emotion while singing, the more genuine it’ll be and the more deeply it will impact your audience.
2. Notify Your Face
Sometimes when we’re singing a song, we lose track of what’s going on because we’re focusing on the words, the notes, or the crowd of people staring at us. Often times, this will cause someone whose singing a decidedly happy song to have a frown or even a scowl on their face (probably from a look of concentration, or sheer panic :p). Well, if the expression on your face doesn’t match the feeling of the song, people aren’t going to get into it as much. It goes along with that whole being genuine thing. So, at least part of the time when you’re practicing, do it in front of a mirror a few times to make sure that you’re not making this mistake.
3. Wear the Right Threads
Imagine an opera singer coming out on stage in sneakers and a wife beater while singing about unrequited love. Does that fit to you? Yeah, me neither. But there are singers who will wear just anything when they go out on stage to perform. Now, I’m not a stylist, nor do I try to mess with fashion AT ALL, but I do know that what you wear impacts your performance. My basic rule here is just ask yourself if what you’re wearing is consistent with the feel of the song. If so, you’re probably okay… but on a side note, it never hurts to kick it up a notch so that you stick out just a bit.
4. Body Language
How can you tell if your friend is in a bad mood even if they haven’t said anything? Well, my guess is it’s a combination of the express on their face and the way they’re carrying themselves. You see, so much of how we communicate with others isn’t in the words that we say. We subconsciously pick up on things like body language and vocal tonality as well. So, get that mirror back out. If the feeling in your song is sorrow, make sure that your body looks somewhat broken (shoulders forward, slight hunch, head probably slightly down). If the song is upbeat and generally more happy, stand up tall, use BIG movements, and keep those shoulder waaaaay back! And sometimes the emotion of the song will shift mid song… your facial expressions and body language should shift accordingly.
…As a side note, you’d be surprised how much just relaxing your shoulders comfortably down and back broadcasts extreme confidence to your audience.
While the above information wasn’t designed to be a complete handbook on Audience Connection, I hope it does gets you thinking about how you can take your performance to the next level! Just remember, high level performing requires a real connection with your audience and the more you genuinely feel the emotion that accompanies a song, the more you’re going to authentically do everything I mentioned above. Then, you just have to do a quick double check during rehearsal to make sure everything is consistent. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to get out on that stage and wow your audience.
I hope this helps and I look forward to sharing more quality information with you guys in the near future.
Happy Singing!