I CANT GET OVER MY FEAR OF SINGING!! help me!!?

Question

i cant get over my fear of singing infront of people. my dream is when io finish college is to move to California and become a singer and actressand if that doesnt work then like a phsycologist for kids. i cant even sing infront of my own family. if done it infront of three of my friends but that was it and i wanna sing infront of my mom because i get my talent from her. she has the best voice. i wanna do the talent show too but i cant do that. i get real embarresed when i try singing in the shower cause if my dad hears me hell go,"sing brianna sing," and then that makes me nervous and then i stop. i really want to become a singer. i can act just fine. i do it in a heart beat. i dont get nervous or anything. ive been in chior and everything. so what can i do to get over my fear. ive tried singing in the shower and in my room. i only sing by myself too. when nobody is home. so if you have any answers please tell me!! thatks to everyone who helps!

Answer 1

Hi Bri. Let me just start out by saying that I'm a professional singer here in Southern California. I primarily do musical theater, not your run of the mill community theater stuff mind you, but I regularly do leads in most of the biggest and best equity houses around LA. I also will occasionally sing for private functions and weddings and I routinely get paid 3 to 5 hundred dollars to sing for 5 to 10 minutes. Bottom line is, people pay me good money to sing. Now, over the years I've sung in front of groups of all sizes from 1 person to amphitheater's filled with 5,000 people. I'm in my mid twenties and I've been singing publicly for nearly two decades and you know what? I still get nervous ALMOST EVERY SINGLE TIME I sing in front of people. Nerves are one of the most perfectly natural feelings whenever you put yourself out there in front of a group of people. Dont freak out whenever you start feeling those butterflies in your stomach and your mouth starts to go dry. Don't overly try to fight those feelings otherwise you'll be that much more overcome by then. Next time you start to get jittery, just tell youself, "I'm starting to feel nervous, but you know what? That's totally okay and perfectly natural." What I try to do whenever I'm about to perform in front of people is I take those feelings of nerves and I focus on channelling them into positive energy. Instead of letting nerves handicap you, make them your ally and use them to give you that extra edge. Also, although it may sound corny, visualization exercizes can also be very helpful. Before you get ready to sing, close your eyes and picture yourself going out on stage, or in front of your family or whatever it is. Picture in your mind what you'll be seeing. Visualize as much detail as you can, i.e. the people's faces, the lights, the smells. Then picture your performance. Visualize how you want to look and sound. Picture a confident and poised version of yourself. If you can truly see that in your mind, then a lot of times it will be much easier to go out there and do it. And of course, bear in mind that practice does make perfect. Whenever you do something for the first time, it will always be more challenging compared to after you've done it over and over. You'll gain better mastery of your nerves as time goes. I get nervous before I sing but the second my mouth opens, I remember how much I love singing and my nerves fly out the window. When all else fails, just keep things in perspective. Fundamentally, whenever you sing you are basically sharing a gift. Never be afraid to share a god-given talent. In fact you should feel honored. Anyway, I hope that helps. Good luck. :-)

Answer 2

My first thought was to suggest singing in a group, but you say you already do that in a choir. Perhaps singing in a smaller group would be the next step - a trio or duet? I hope that thought doesn't scare you as much. Then you should get more and more comfortable singing in front of people. Sing alone in front of just one person. Then keep increasing the number of people until you think that you can handle the stage. If you can't do that, then, I'm sorry, but it looks like you're just not meant to be a singer. Follow one of your other career ideas.

Answer 3

my advice is start singing in front of peoplee that you know first: family and friends. what i did was work on a song and then present it to 1-2 peopl at first and then when i was comfortable with that i would do it in front of 3-5 people until i got my confidence high and felt i could sing in front o f many people . try doing an open mic night somewhere in your town or city its where anyone can go and sing or act or anything you just have to call and sign up. I've done all this and the most people that i sang in front of were a couple hundred when i did a solo at Disney world with my high school chorus

Answer 4

Okay, this is what I do. I just let it out! Sing it hard and as best you can. If you don't sound quite right, try again. I have sang in front of other people. You could try walking down a street where you know no one and just try starting out softly and increasing it. Strangers are the best to sing in front of because they judge a little less severe than family and friends. If you want to be a singer- just do it! Life is too short to spend worrying about what others think of you!

Answer 5

Well Bri Star,
You said you could sing in front of your friends right?
Well,try singing to them untill u think you have grown comfortable with it.
Then, try singing in front of your mother.
And, if you play music while you sing,you can concentrate on that and let it put you at ease.
I joined a singing group recently and what I did to get over my fear of singing in front of everybody was to let the music that they played distract me and help me focus on singing.
You should eventually be able to do this easily like your acting once you've grown comfortable with it.
Hope this Helps!

Answer 6

well let me start by saying that i had the same fear ... and then i joined chorus where i met other people that share my talent, when my teacher asked me to sing a solo i freaked but i accepted because i felt it was an honor .. i'm not gonna lie and say that i didn't have fears once i got on stage, i was shaking throughout the whole song but when i got a standing ovation i cried because i realized that people thought i was good ... i'm trying out for american idol this year and i still have those fears. Someone told me that i shouldn't worry because everyone is just like you .. they are born they live then they die EVERYONE goes through the same thing the only difference between you and everyone else is that you have a talent that you shouldn't be afraid to use. You were given the talent for a reason and you shouldn't be afraid to use it .. practice singing to the person you trust the most even family members and also try getting a co workers or a classmates opinion, someone you know doesn't have to be nice to you and when your hear their honest opinion you will have a huge rise in your confidence ... good luck :O)

Answer 7

Well I absolutely LOVE singing♥ But like you I can't sing in big crowds...only in front of family and friends* First you should start singing infront of your family especially your mom..don't be embarrased if you love it, plus she could help you if you need it! G/L <33

Answer 8

Take ballet or dance classes, you have too perform for your trophy's. It helps with confidence and you will be singing infront of people in no time. I was you....12 years ago.

Answer 9

What I can't stand to sit through is people who are willing to sing in front of a large group of people, but can't sing.

I swear to god... I live in a part of the country where for some stupid reason most people seem to feel that "Community Theater" has to perform Musicals. Every damned time I go to a local "musical" it's the same old crap.... a bunch of people who are poorly cast for the production... and the only reason they are on stage is not because they can sing, but because they are willing to sing (even though they sound like absolute hell)

You wanna sing? Take singing lessons... if you're any good, your instructor will help you overcome your shyness. If you're no good at all... perhaps he or she will be honest and tell you to keep your money for lessons you can use.

Answer 10

first off, i'm an actress, so i know what you're talkin about. but, you have to stop and think: these people (your family, friends, general audience) obviously WANT you to sing... if they didn't think you were talented or good enough, they wouldn't ask you to sing. It seems to me your greatest problem is not being confident.

Answer 11

Just sing out loud. Forget about everything and let out your heart.