Under Pressure: Perfectionism in Singing

Dear Students,

My October started out pretty crazy with some gigs, student events, and travel over the holiday weekend. I have observed both myself and my students feeling the pressure of having to prepare for multiple, back-to-back performances in a short amount of time. While such constraints can be stressful, I have noticed that they can become a huge opportunity for growth and overcoming limiting beliefs.

“Perfect is the enemy of good”-Voltaire

I recall as a young student singer feeling like if I didn’t have exactly the right circumstances surrounding a performance, that I was bound to fail miserably. I needed the exact amount of practice, rest before a show, hydration, the perfect outfit, and I had to arrive exactly on time. If any one of the circumstances was not present, I would spiral into a nervous wreck! Other singers would similarly describe to me pre-performance rules and routines that they stuck to religiously. There is certainly some benefit to such practices. Obviously, you will perform better when you are extremely prepared and are taking care of your help. But, in an imperfect world, the need for all the stars to align can limit your self-acceptance of what is, or even prevent you from seeking out opportunities to perform.

Some of this comes down to the artist personality. We are naturally driven to artistic excellence, and our experience and knowledge allow us to hold ourselves to a higher standard than the average person. In extreme cases, this can be crippling. I have seen artists delay sharing their craft with the world for years out of fear being “not ready”. I am guilty of this myself: after songwriting for years, I am only just putting out my first single this winter. This tendency also manifests itself as a hypercritical narrative during and after performances (especially if you have the opportunity to listen to recordings of yourself – I definitely still struggle with this at times!)

How does one move through this tendency to negativity? The first step is to acknowledge that it is completely normal! Often described as “imposter syndrome”, it is a common experience to feel not good enough or like you’re a fraud, especially as an artist. Finding solidarity by discussing those feelings with other artists removes some of the pressure so that overcoming them seems more achievable. If you are finding it hard to take the first step of putting yourself out there, I find the best antidote is to do it “unprepared”. I often agree to a gig I don’t feel ready for and then use the deadline as motivation to make myself ready! Join the jam group, sign up for the open mic, audition for the musical! Ideally you will be among musicians who are better than you, and you’ll learn a LOT.

As the gig approaches, you may still not feel ready, even though you’ve prepared as much as you realistically can. You may feel dehydrated and fatigued, or stressed out by work or school. At this point, you can’t back out, but you also can’t allow yourself to fall into despair. One quote that I have found extremely helpful in dealing with this is “Perfect is the enemy of good” (often attributed to Voltaire). Your performance won’t be perfect, but it will be good! When I am nervous, I will also frequently tell myself “it’s not about you, get over yourself”, which means that the audience doesn’t care if I am perfectly prepared or if my voice is in perfect condition – they are just there to have a good time. The audience doesn’t know what you know – what the song could be, how it should sound, if you forgot a lyric 0r fudged a chord. All the audience knows is the story you are telling and the emotions you are sharing through your music. At the end of the day, performing artists are public servants, sharing something vital and fleeting with their community. Your job is to embrace that fragility, not to try to cage or control it with your own expectations of perfection.

In a 2006 masterclass, American mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves told a young singer “I don’t think you’ll ever be judged on your best singing. No, I think you’ll be judged on your average singing. The day you’re in best voice is the day you’re gonna be at home doing your laundry. And that’s the reason we practice…” And it’s true to an extent! The pressures of performance or whatever else you might have going on in your life will impact your voice and you will fall back on whatever you have practiced the most. However, there is also something magical that happens in live performance, when we are sharing what we love with others. I have seen singers do things I didn’t think were possible in the excitement and adrenaline of a performance. You just have to be open to that possibility! Not the possibility of perfection, but of something better – of art.

What kind of experiences have you had preparing for a gig in a short amount of time? How have you coped with “imposter syndrome” as an artist? Shoot me an email, or leave a comment; I’d love to hear from you!

Warmly, Dr. Jane