We asked some singers we discovered on Instagram if they can share how they deal with mistakes based on their experience. Here’s what they said!
You’re human!
Keziah Grace @imkeziahgrace — Live Theatre means things will go wrong every now and then. Whether that be a lyric forgotten, a costume malfunction, or unforeseen tech failure mid-show, that’s showbiz!! The best way to handle those things is to press on and remember that everyone watching is human, and you are also ‘a human’. That’s it! Things don’t go perfectly 24/7 in everyday life, being on stage is not an exception to that rule. Don’t give up based on one bad experience! That 1 experience does not define you as a person or as a performer, it rather gives you the opportunity to grow in both aspects instead. Head up, walk proudly, and take that bow at the end.
Stay creative in the moment!
Marcella Werre @marcellawerre — Earlier this year I was chosen to perform in my university’s talent show. When it was my turn to go up and sing, I immediately blanked and forgot the first two lines of the song. However, I didn’t stop singing. I made up the lyrics on the fly, singing something that was similar to the real lyrics, but they weren’t. Then, I found the real lyrics again, and continued to finish the performance. Only when I told my friends that I messed up, did they believe me. It was that unnoticeable! My story just goes to show that sometimes, the audience only knows you’ve messed up if you make it apparent. Otherwise, just calmly collect yourself, and keep going. However, if you truly do feel it’s appropriate to start over, just ask! But I would only start over once.
Forget your inner critic!
Jessica Hanson @jess.violin — Honestly, as someone who improvises a lot, I make mistakes all the time! Sometimes the mistakes turn into something really cool, I had to learn this the hard way. Growing up as a classical musician, I figured out very early on that there’s a critic in your head that constantly analyzes your playing during a performance. When you’re performing live, you have to tell this voice to stop. You have to forget what it says and move on so you can be in the moment and let your creative voice out. I have to do this while improvising solos too, otherwise my creative voice gets overshadowed by the critic!
Own those mistakes!
Tom Kilby @tom_kilby91 — Personally I make lots of mistakes when performing live… What I’ve learned is an audience feeds off your energy. If you mess up and get embarrassed or flustered, then the audience will sense this and the song you were singing is as good as dead. Whenever I make a mistake, I just laugh it off, or blame it on the beer… If you learn how to own your mistakes then you’re likely to make the performance an even more memorable one.
Keep calm, and carry on!
Amanda Riley @mandabethmusic— My overall approach for handling mistakes in front of an audience is to keep going even if I mistake the lyrics or the order of the song. It’s different at church for worship because there’s some freedom with worship music. When I’m singing secular music, it’s more important to keep it the way I rehearsed it. My best advice is not to quit if you’ve flubbed a part of the song-just keep going. If it’s an issue of the wrong key, try your best to tough it out or restart the song if possible, if it’s not too disruptive. Remember, fans also like to see that you’re human.
They’ll remember your energy
Ana Paul @anasinging_ — In the third grade I was announcing something on stage in front of a crowd and I completely forgot what I had to say! So I cracked a couple of jokes until I remembered my lines. Most embarrassing moment of my life. However, the best tip I could offer is to just continue as if nothing went wrong. I know it’s easier said than done but it’s very important to be able to mentally and emotionally handle making a mistake on stage. The worst thing I used to do was make a face when I’d sing or play a wrong note. Most of the time the audience won’t even know that you’ve made a mistake so it’s better to keep it that way. And even if they know you made a mistake, they’ll most likely remember you for your energy and lovely performance, not for a little error you made that lasted a glimpse of a second. You know what they say, the show must go on!
Jessica Hanson currently streams live violin, piano, and guitar looping sessions on her Instagram and Facebook. She tours with folk musician Andrea von Kampen, plays with the symphony, and plans to do solo shows. Jessica has been working on her audio engineer skills and plans to release new music starting May 2020! Follow along and keep updated on her social media Instagram| Facebook She’s also on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Google music, and anywhere you can stream!
Marcella Werre is a 19 year old singer, lyricist, and music video director from Antelope Valley, California. She attends California State University Fullerton. Marcella has always had a passion for music and a wild imagination to match. She takes every chance she gets to hone her skills in singing, songwriting, performing, and filming music videos for her projects. Marcella is always open to new artistic connections and she can’t wait to see where her music career will take her next.
Amanda Beth Carson Riley is an American singer and songwriter who’s been singing since she was a young child. She spreads joy and love with her music. She resides in Nashville, TN with her husband, son, and cat. Hear her stunning rendition of the traditional hymn “Wonderful Words of Life” on her Reverbnation page. Amanda can also be found on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and more.
My name is Keziah Grace and I’m currently 23 years old. Having trained in Musical Theatre, I graduated 4 years ago and went on to perform in several professional contracts. My experience has been with 2 different Cruise Ship companies, as well as performing in a production of Sleeping Beauty the Pantomime, and most recently returning from Japan where I performed as the Bride of Frankenstein in a large theatre production show at Universal Studios Japan. I’ve been singing since I was a very little girl and took it further when a school teacher pointed it out to my parents and they got me straight in to dance and singing lessons! It is truly my biggest passion, I can’t imagine ever wanting to do anything else, and if I can inspire others to use their voices and remember that they are unique in every way, then I will feel I have reached my biggest goal.
Ana Paul is a young singer-songwriter based in New York. She’s been singing since about kindergarten and writing music since the seventh grade. Her sweet and heartfelt music brings joy to her listeners since she draws a lot of her inspiration from nature’s beauty. She has music on Spotify and iTunes and an album coming out in the spring of 2020. Her first single is called “East to West” and it was released in March in 2020. See what she’s up to on Instagram @anasinging_.
“I’m Tom Kilby. I’m 28 and have been playing guitar for about 14/15 years. I’m in a guitar duo called Brother which you can find on Instagram at @brother_music, but now and again I do a few solo things @tom_kilby91.” Be sure to check out Tom Kilby’s compelling work with Brother on their 2018 debut self titled EP release on Spotify and their 2019 album “Vertigo Blues” on Spotify.
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