Local Perspectives: Singing With Stage Fright

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, "stage fright," or performance anxiety–the fear one feels when needing to perform or present in public, impacts approximately 73 percent of the population. In fact, stage fright is the most commonly cited fear people have. Stage fright can hold us back from pursuing specific careers, reaching for our dreams, and even giving a speech at a dear friend’s wedding.

As part of this series of local perspectives, where I interview notable Torontonians about topics on mental health, I spoke to Toronto-born singer Sarah Navaratnam, whose first single, "A Moment," has just been released, about what helps her overcome stage fright. It comes down to reframing her thoughts — developing new and helpful ways of thinking about her fears:

Have you ever suffered from stage fright, and what does it feel like or look like?

I have always suffered from immense stage fright and still do to a certain extent today. I usually experience these feelings hours leading up to a performance, which is mentally and physically distressing.

What specific thoughts do you have about this experience?

As I experience stage fright, I begin to convince myself that I have forgotten the lyrics and melodies of my entire set. As a result, my confidence diminishes, and I struggle to apply the techniques I practiced during my performance.

What happens physically when you experience performance anxiety?

My body starts shaking, mainly around my hands and legs. There were several instances where I felt as though I was incapable of performing a piece the way it was intended to be delivered and the way I wanted the audience to hear it due to performance anxiety.

Have you found any tools or specific coping mechanisms that have been able to help?

Whenever I experience anxiety before a performance, I ask myself, why am I feeling this way? As a perfectionist, I struggle with the pressure of delivering a performance that matches or surpasses the sound of my favorite artists. By constantly inflicting this pressure on myself, it's difficult to accept the fact that I am a growing performer.

Instead of striving to attain perfection, I now view each performance as a learning experience and an opportunity to improve my abilities.

I think that's a wonderful way of thinking that helps manage the pressure of live performing. You've recently released a new single: It's not exactly the same as experiencing stage fright, but was there any anxiety or pressure around the release?

There was definitely a lot of anxiety leading to the release of "A Moment." My biggest worry was that my song wouldn’t fit with the current stream of music being released. I was afraid that critics would coin the term “outdated” because of the single’s soulful style. But I know that music can generally have an impact on anyone, regardless of whether it is current or outdated, so I no longer associate the word outdated as being negative.

That's a great re-frame! Apart from performance anxiety, did you experience any difficulties on your path toward becoming a professional singer?

My journey toward becoming a professional singer started when I was eight years old. I remember watching Katy Perry’s “Part of Me” documentary, and I knew from that moment on I wanted to pursue a career as a recording artist. From there, I began singing in many choirs across Toronto and became well-trained as a classical singer, but my true desire was to perform popular gospel and R&B music, which requires singing in different areas of the voice.

I didn't realize there were different areas of voice! How did you end up producing the sound you wanted?

When I initially attempted to sing in the appropriate registers, I wasn’t satisfied with the sound. Instead of working on improving vocal control, I continued to sing pop songs using classical techniques for several years. But recently, I realized that I needed to become uncomfortable first and work with what I have, so through a good amount of practice and patience, I can now sing in all registers of my voice with more control. I am satisfied with my sound now, but there is still much more for me to explore as a vocalist.

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If you could give any advice to someone who experiences stage fright but wants to follow their dreams, what would it be?

The main advice I would give would be to step out of your comfort zone. Whether it would be through performing, posting content, or learning musical styles, you are not accustomed to. The only way to grow as a musician is to assess your current skills and abilities, then take any opportunity that may seem frightening to learn, improve and grow. It is very common for musicians to be extremely hard on themselves, but there is no way you can master techniques and explore creativity without performing live and being open to public critique.