Beating stage fright? Oh boy, it's a whole circus in your head sometimes. But you can totally wrangle it. Here’s how I’d tackle it—not with some boring “step-by-step program,” but with a good mix of real talk, hacks, and, yeah, a little grit.

Get Obsessively Prepared

Know your song like the back of your hand. (Heck, know it like the back of BOTH hands.) Lyrics? Easy. Melody? You could hum it in your sleep. Practice everywhere—mirror, shower, bedroom, whatever. Sing for your dog, your grandma, or that plant you keep forgetting to water. Record yourself, cringe a little, get over it, and keep going.

Baby Steps, Not Giant Leaps

Don’t throw yourself onto Madison Square Garden right outta the gate. Seriously, try singing for just one friend. Then maybe two. Then a handful of people at a family BBQ who aren’t even listening, honestly. Ease your way up—open mic nights, little pub gigs, stuff where nobody really cares if you mess up. One day, you’ll look back and realize you stopped freaking out.

Get Out of Your Head—And Into Your Body

Breathe. Like, actually breathe—not that nervous chest flutter, but the deep, slow, belly kind. If you gotta do a little stretch or wiggle before you go on, do it. Looks weird, loosens you up. Oh, and don’t skip those vocal warm-ups—they get your pipes and your brain in gear. Trust me, your voice (and nerves) will thank you.

Flip the Script

Your brain loves a good panic spiral, right? Instead, try giving less of a crap about what people think. You’re not out there to be judged—you’re out there to share something cool. Those nerves? Basically your body’s way of saying, “Yo, this matters.” Imagine yourself nailing it, everyone loving you. Visualization isn’t just trendy nonsense, it actually works sometimes.

Anchor Yourself When Stuff Gets Weird

Feel like you’re about to float away? Try that ol’ “5-4-3-2-1” grounding trick—spot five things you see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, one you can taste. Or just hold onto something: your mic, a lucky charm, whatever makes you feel less like a jittery mess.

Learn to Perform, Not Just Sing

Sing in your closet all you want, but performing is a whole different beast. Get a coach, or just watch a bunch of your own videos (yeah, it stings at first). You’ll notice weird habits, fix them, and get way more chill onstage. Everyone starts awkward. You won’t end that way unless you quit trying.

Don’t Just Move On—Learn

After you perform, don’t just wipe the sweat off and run. Think: what was awesome? What crashed and burned? No one was ever perfect at their first rodeo—or, honestly, their twentieth. Progress, not perfection, is the goal. Keep chewing on that.
Boom. There you go. Now go belt it out.