Karen Hardy – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, the pop singer, Karen Hardy, reveals what she does before taking the stage. You can check out the story, after the break.

My preshow ritual starts way before the actual show. For the past few years, I’ve learned that taking care of your voice is a lifelong commitment. You can’t pack all of the important stuff in just a few hours before the gig. It starts with diet for me! I cut dairy and wheat out to limit any inflammation. I take turmeric pills in the morning and NEVER forget my vitamin C gummies! It’s also super rare that I drink alcohol or caffeine, and I drink a ton of water.

Another super important vocal maintenance step for me is working out my voice every non-gig day. For years I took lessons with a vocal teacher named Mark Baxter. He taped each lesson and every day that we weren’t working together I would spend about 30 minutes listening over and redoing the lesson. On the days that I do have a show, I only do light warmups for about an hour and then I steam! For anyone who hasn’t included steaming in their pre-show ritual, you need to get one of these.

OR if you’re looking for the cheapest option, boil a pot of water and stand over it for about 10 minutes (but be careful, of course!). The hardest part of a gig day for me is trying not to talk or sing a lot. It’s annoying to have to do but I’ve found it to be really helpful!

Another product that I HIGHLY recommend are these peppermint oil beads.

They open up your sinuses and help make your singing a little less nasally. I also drink warm lemon and ginger tea with honey added, and my typical pre-show meal is just toast with peanut butter.

All of this seems like a lot of work but it will really just become so routine that it won’t feel like it. It’s also improved my performances significantly so it’s worth it! Okay, I’m done nagging. THANKS FOR READING!

Keep up with her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.