10 Tips For Having Stage Presence As A Singer

What Does It Mean To Have Stage Presence?

Stage presence is a talent that music artists often need to have to truly be successful in their live performance attempts. In this digital age, people like to focus on social media and hide behind a screen sometimes as an artist, but we must not forget to master performances in live settings as professionals. 

To have a true stage presence means that you are literally captivating your audience while you are on stage. It can be a tricky thing to master, especially when it comes to performing a whole set and keeping the attention of your audience for more than just one song.

Celebrity performers like Beyonce and Madonna have spent a huge chunk of time with professional teachers who help them master the art of captivating their audience through singing, dance moves, and their overall energy while on stage. 

Connect Genuinely With The Music

One of the most important and simple ways to tap into your unique stage presence energy is just to feel the music in your soul as you perform it. If you’re too in your head about how you look or what the next lyric will be, your presence may unintentionally reflect that to the people that are watching you. 

It’s a challenge to do for many singers and performers, but you want to be relaxed and in tune with the music so that the listeners in the audience can do the same, and be connected to you as well. With practice over many performances, connecting with the music will begin to come naturally to you whether you are in your room practicing alone, or you’re on stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people. 

Lock Eyes With People In The Audience

This can be a challenge for new singers who are still getting over anxiety jitters when they perform on stage, but locking eyes with people in your audience can be a great way to increase your overall stage presence.

This may not be a method that will work for every style of music or every type of artist, but it works really well in styles where the performer is trying to relate to the audience. For example, a heartbreak anthem would benefit from a performer who talks directly to their audience in their performance.

Be In Shape

If you’re bussing out moves like a pop star, you already know that you need to be in shape for those dance numbers while you are on stage. Singing and dancing simultaneously can be quite a challenge that is not for the faint of heart or the people in the world that are entirely out of shape.

But even if you’re not dancing and singing during your performances, you’d be surprised how tiring it can be to simply walk around a stage as you sing through a set of multiple songs. When you’re really into the music you’re performing, it can be just like a full workout!

To be able to keep your energy levels the same at the beginning and the end of your sets, you want to stay in shape by doing some cardio at least three times a week to keep your body in shape for your future performances. 

The more you are in shape, the better your performances will look and sound! This is especially true for musicians who really rely on proper breath support to get through a song and not mess up any notes.

Give Contrast In Your Performances

If you are singing multiple songs, you really want to show contrasting levels of talent and energy in your performance, so people in your audience don’t get bored of seeing the same thing for an extended period of time. 

Consider getting really intimate with your audience for a slow song, getting very energetic for hyped songs, and talking in between some of your sets to get the people in your audience familiar with who you are as an artist. 

Don’t be afraid to switch things up while you’re on stage with outfit changes, giving a spotlight to instrumentalist and backup singers if you have them, and just giving the audience something that is unexpected so that you can keep them on their toes~

Make Use Of The Stage Space

Even if you are not dancing all around the stage, you don’t have to stay in one spot during your performance. Having stage presence often means that you know how to use the stage space you are provided with, so if you are in a large space, don’t neglect certain spots! 

Get The Crowd Involved With Your Songs

Loyal fans absolutely love it when their favorite artists give them a chance to sing their songs along with them, so if you have some fans, don’t miss out on this type of opportunity in your performances.

Not only is something like this a great way to get your audience involved with the performance overall, but they will really feel connected with you. The experience can bring out different sides of your personality that they can appreciate. 

You can even take things further and invite people from the crowd onto the stage to interact with you and the other audience members during your performances, adding a deeper level of overall entertainment to your performance. 

Have A Confident Posture At All Times

Some of the greatest performers of all time, including the late legends Michael Jackson and Prince, had a certain level of unique confidence that was unmatched. This confidence was something that hugely impacted their overall stage presence.

Think of performances from MJ, for example, where he would just stand there, silently, not doing a thing, and people in the audience literally crying their eyes out. That is a great mix of confidence and brand loyalty right there.

Keep Your Brand Image In Mind

Speaking of major music brand presence like the greats I mentioned above, it’s always a must to bring your overall brand image to each stage performance. What is your unique selling point as a singer?

The strong points of your brand are the things that your audience members will want to see when you perform live, so make sure that you can properly represent your brand online as well as in person.

For example, if you are a pop star in the making that loves to focus on dance beats and twerk, that is what people will want to see in your live performances. If you get on stage and there is no twerk in sight, your brand is misleading, and your stage presence is weaker!

Have Fun With It

Just like it is vital to connect with the music overall, you want to make sure you are having fun with your overall process as well. While keeping up with your brand and stage presence can feel like a lot of work, at the end of the day, this should be something that you love to do and that people can tell you love to do.