Are you a performing artist who finds it difficult to talk to your audience? Do you feel awkward or a bit shy and don’t know what to say in between your songs, or how to introduce yourself? Is it that you feel happy singing or playing your songs, but you are nervous of saying something stupid or making a fool of yourself when speaking at your gig? If so, you are not alone – it is one of the major issues that comes up when working with my musician clients.

Having been to a lot of gigs recently, I have been specifically observing how each band or solo artist has interacted with their audiences and it has become obvious how much more enjoyable the gig is when this interaction is done well!

This was particularly highlighted when I went to see James Morrison at his gig in Leicester earlier this year. His support act was a guy called Newton Faulkner (you can find him easily on MySpace), he came on stage and instantly had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand – his banter and instant rapport was almost startling – whether he has a natural talent for this or whether he has practiced it to perfection, I don’t know – maybe it’s a bit of both – whichever, the effect was amazing.

I also went to a gig where 5 unsigned independent bands played. One band stood out – not just for their music, which was great, but because once more their interaction with the audience was so much fun.

Of course Robbie Williams is a master of stage presence and his showmanship is second only to that of the late Freddie Mercury – the ultimate showman in my opinion!

As a result it has become very clear to me that not only is it necessary for you to write and perform great songs, but to be an all rounded entertainer, if you want to be successful in your music career.

To give another example, years ago, the Bare Naked Ladies used to include a medley of other artists’ songs in their set. They would be instantly recognizable because they were current hits, but the band added a twist – they sang their own witty lyrics over those hits, which were usually about the city they were gigging in – this engaged and warmed them to their audiences. They are well worth checking out if/when they are on tour.

You too can engage and have fun interacting with your audiences, how? Carry on reading…!

Tip 1 – Create great material – for your interaction with your audiences. You are very creative, so this shouldn’t be too difficult for you to do! If it helps, take a blank piece of paper and write a script of what it is you want to say.

Start with an introduction of yourself – picture in your minds eye how your gig will start – will anyone else introduce you onto the stage or will you just walk on? Either way you can walk on and say “Hey Leicester, how you doing?” make sure you have a big smile on your face and then start playing your first song. A further tip here is make sure you know in which town or city you are playing in – there is nothing worse than saying the wrong place – a cardinal sin of gigging! Being in Sheffield (a few years ago) and watching The Fall say, “hello Nottingham”, didn’t go down well and they lost us as an audience from the start!

If you are an artist or a band supporting another act, after you’ve finished playing your first song, you could make sure that the audience knows who you are – quite often audiences don’t know in advance who the support acts are going to be, so tell them your name!

In Part 2 of this article you can see what special ingredients’ you can use to delight your audience!

Lindsey Benton runs her own coaching and mentoring business, Bravura, for musicians and non-performers in the music industry. Lindsey helps her clients work through solutions to succeed in their music career and life. Lindsey writes a monthly newsletter for musicians to give insight and helpful tips to make positive advancement in their music careers. Check out http://www.bravura-group.com to view coaching packages, reports and the newsletter.

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: http://www.music-career-guide.com

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