Genevieve Heyward - TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the indie pop artist, Genevieve Heyward, recommends advice for being a musician on the road. You can check out the tips below:

I've done quite a bit of DIY touring since I was a teenager, and I'm still navigating how to stay healthy and sane on the road, but these are the first few tips that came to mind!

1. Don't be so hard on yourself!
When I'm not on the road, I tend to take pretty good care of myself—from my sleep schedule, what I eat, alcohol intake, going to the gym 4-5 times a week, etc. Especially if I know I have a longer run coming up, I'll go into hyper-healthy mode. It's hard with the context switching of being able to treat your body like a temple to being in a van going from city to city, trying to figure out if it's a gas station dinner or if you can find a big salad somewhere. I try to give myself some grace and remind myself you can only do so much, especially with the smaller-scale touring level that I'm at. Squeezing in a short walk or chugging some water before bed is better than not doing those things! Setting high expectations for yourself just leads to anxiety.

2. Surround yourself with good people.
I've been so lucky to tour with some of my closest friends that are truly family at this point. They keep me sane and can read me like a book if I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Having that type of support makes me feel seen and taken care of when you're juggling so many things like time management, organization, contacting the venue, eating schedules, and so much more. We all have our ups and downs, and being on the road certainly isn't for everyone, but when everyone can get on the same page and have flexibility, it makes everything that much smoother.

3. Don't be afraid to promote yourself.
I guess this tip could apply outside of touring itself, but I used to feel so self-conscious about promoting myself as an artist. I remember in high school being called "conceited" for talking openly about wanting to pursue a music career and trying to get as many people out to shows as I could. It really messed with my head as a teenager because I felt guilty for talking about myself, but that's what being an artist is! Sharing your passion and making it into a career takes a team and people who want to support you. I was so excited when I started releasing music at a young age and seeing people who wanted to listen and wanted more from me. Especially with touring, you gotta be loud and proud about who you are or who your group is because there's a good chance people are just as excited about it as you. Push socials, push merch sales, push people to come say hi and stream your stuff!

4. Alcohol
I don't think I've ever gotten properly wasted on a tour that I was headlining. I don't know how people can get drunk and still play, let alone get up and drive 8 hours while being hungover (makes me nauseous thinking about it). Don't get me wrong, I definitely indulge and have a few drinks based on the show or the scenario, but I physically and mentally cannot handle drinking too much while touring. One of my favorite post-show rituals is to find the cheapest, diviest bar near the venue and grab a drink with the band after a show. There's something so fun about talking about what went smooth that night, if we met any weirdos or had any weird interactions, any changes we'd make to the show—and it's a great way to meet locals or experience the new city you're in. That being said, for me, that means getting maybe one or two drinks and then heading back to where you're sleeping for the night.

5. Staying organized and clean
This one might seem easy, but it's not and does take some discipline. I try to repack my bag every morning before van call and clean up any garbage or loose items thrown around. If I'm in a messy space, my brain goes crazy and it makes me cranky. Even something as simple as a laundry bag everyone can throw their dirty clothes into or a garbage bag that you throw out every time you fill up with gas makes a big difference. I also try to keep up with texts and calls, which I struggle with the most. But once you get back home after being on the road for two weeks, it helps to not have 100 unread emails and to not be missing half of the clothes you left with.

I had so many more tips pop into my head as I was typing this all out, but I think these are my main ones I try to stick to. Touring is not a vacation, but I'm so lucky to be able to do what I've loved my whole life and couldn't see myself doing anything else.

Keep up with Genevieve Heyward on her Instagram, website, Spotify, Facebook, and TikTok.