Justin Jesso – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the electro pop artist, Justin Jesso, recommends advice for being a musician on the road. You can check out the tips, after the break.

1. When you are sleeping on a bus, make sure you sleep with your feet backward, even though the other way might be more comfortable.
So… For those who don’t know… on a tour bus, you sleep in a bunk about the size of a nice coffin. I always slept upside down (I’m not a bat I promise) not realizing that if we crashed, I would hit my head and potentially break my neck. On my first tour years ago (I was opening for a bunch of Disney artists, I had a bus with my face on it and we were touring around America. In the middle of the night, the driver fell asleep at the wheel and we crashed into a guard rail. I was lucky because I wasn’t sleeping at the time, however, this literally could have been the end of my life.

2. Don’t fly the day of the show if you can help it. Planes are super dry.

3. Remember how much you love this.
People think being on tour is glamorous. It’s not. It’s a grind and you very rarely have time to see the city you are in. It looks all amazing on Instagram, but it can be really grueling and you get homesick easily. Also, I get incredibly anxious on show days… usually to the point where I am sick to my stomach and feel pretty shit. I have to take a deep breath and remember to be grateful… I love what I do and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. Also, You get to see the world (or at least a bunch of interesting places). It’s really easy to get caught up in the work and not leave your hotel room. Make sure you take the time to enjoy it.

4. Don’t blow your voice out on song one. This. Happens. To. Me. I’ve been touring with Kygo for the past year and a half singing stargazing all over the world. When I got back to doing my own full-length shows, I was so used to giving my all on one song that I found it hard to sustain for the whole hour… it’s a different muscle use. I had to retrain myself to make sure I wasn’t blowing myself out right away. I definitely had some rough shows figuring this out.

5. Don’t shit in the trailer or the bus. You will make enemies fast.

Keep up with him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.