ACROBVT - PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, Ben Edwards, singer of the alternative rock band, ACROBVT, reveals what he does before taking the stage. You can check out the rituals below:

This begins early in the day for me. As the singer, I have to take care of my voice, especially when getting ready for a show. I avoid dairy foods throughout the day and also make sure that I don’t eat too close to the show. The last thing I want is to have a full stomach when singing! I then make sure I properly hydrate throughout the day by drinking plenty of water.

Avoiding talking too much is a big help too. I do a small vocal warm-up while we are setting up to prepare for a soundcheck, then I go backstage to get changed and make myself show-ready. When we are about 45 minutes away from our start time, I begin my vocal warm-up routine.

Starting with stretching, I make sure to loosen my body to aid with my singing. Next, I spend about half an hour on more specific vocal exercises, beginning with lip trills, moving into humming, and then into wider range vocals to open up my range. Once this is done, I use my atomizer, a small device that produces cold steam to really help hydrate my vocal cords. For the last ten minutes before going on stage, I like to think about the performance, the mood of the songs, and particularly their backstories to bring up the emotions behind the song. As a group, we also start to energize ourselves to get ready to give our all to the audience when we step on stage.

After the show is equally important for me. Once the show is done, I head backstage and find a quiet area to let my voice cool down after working hard. I take some nice, slow, deep breaths and allow my whole body to relax. Of course, I drink water to replace what I used up on stage! After about 10-15 minutes, I do cool-down exercises by gently humming a high-pitched note down to a low one. This really helps relax my voice and bring it back to a point where I can talk. A nice hot lemon and ginger drink when I get back to wherever I’m staying, along with a good night’s rest, sees me fit for going about it all over again.

These rituals are not only a healthy practice that I would encourage other new singers to adopt—or at least some that feel right for them—but they also allow me to sing and be in a band with longevity, meaning I can go again, night after night.

I have found that having spent time making this part of my routine, it helps get me in the right frame of mind, ready to perform. Almost like a meditation, I would feel a little lost if I didn’t go about my routine.

Keep up with ACROBVT on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and their website.