Christina Martino – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, the electro pop artist, Christina Martino, reveals what she does before taking the stage. You can check out the story, after the break.

Wow, it’s so cool to be asked this. I’m a sucker for a good routine. I love being prepared, so I like to get ready hours ahead of a show if time permits. I’ll go through my setlist and go through the motions of talking with an audience, moving around the stage, reviewing lyrics and reconnecting with the emotions of my music.

Another big part of my pre-show ritual is my vocal care. I know it might sound crazy, but I don’t drink caffeine or eat chocolate, dairy, tomato or overly sugary foods. I find that this diet helps my vocal performance, though I definitely cheat sometimes if a chocolate chip cookie is worth it. I warm up my voice lightly, drink the classic Throat Coat tea, and then often hit the hard stuff in my set. A good vocal routine up is so important for me because it’s really hard to keep up with my highly demanding songs (I blame the songwriter…oh wait).

While I love performing whenever I can, I find that there are a lot of expectations and impossible standards I can hold myself to when I’m about to hit the stage. Some deep breaths and listening to “Say Anything” by Tristan Prettyman helps me regain my balance amidst my anxious brain. I found that particular song on my discover weekly a while back and it does some sort of magic on me mentally. I listen to it before every show now. This aspect of my preshow ritual is the most necessary to put my whole self out on the stage. When I am able to center myself, I’m not worried about singing a wrong note or saying the wrong lyric, I’m just focused on the musical moment between myself and the people around me.

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