LEX – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, the pop artist, LEX, shares what she does before every show. You can check out her rituals, after the break.

My pre-show ritual starts the day before a performance. Especially if I have back-to-back shows. I try to stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking lots of water. I also do minimal vocal exercises to keep my vocal chords loose. It is very important to take it easy on my voice in the days before a performance. I avoid screaming, smoky areas, and certain foods the days before, such as spicy foods and dairy. The night before a show, I do steam inhaling for 20 minutes to stay healthy, keep my throat moist, and clear out any congestion. Then get to bed for good night’s rest. Depending on what the weather is like, I may sleep with a humidifier on to avoid dry air in the room.

Show day arrives and my routine begins by arriving early to a venue. I seek out my private space, that’s if I am lucky to have one. Sometimes all there is, is a public space behind the stage. Then I head out to meet everyone involved with the show. The production crew is key because they are the ones who will make my performance look and sound awesome. We go over the details of my set and few items I prefer. Like a straight mic stand, or if I am not using in-ears, then I like to have my floor monitors set a certain way. A soundcheck is a must. I try and have everyone in my performance ready to make the most of that time. During soundcheck, I find the boundaries of the stage and see how far upstage, downstage I can go, and if there is any gear I can climb up onto. It is always nice to step up onto something to perform to the crowd. Lastly, I like to make sure there is enough water onstage and where the water is located so I don’t waste time during my performance searching for it.

I have a few little rituals of my own that I do before any show. I always get the pep talk from my parents. My parents encourage me to do my best and always the right words to make me feel comfortable. One quirky thing I do before showtime is having one of my mentors tie my shoes while he goes over show details. He did this at one of my first shows because my pants were too tight and I couldn’t reach my feet. It stuck with us ever since!

Now the countdown to showtime begins! About an hour before I go onstage, I stretch for about 20-30 minutes to loosen up my body. Even though I warm up throughout the day, I take a serious 15 minutes to do my vocal exercises. This consists of both vocal exercises and breathing exercises. During this hour, I’m usually in the dressing room or some place I can be alone. This step in my routine is for myself to mentally and physically prepare myself for the show. I run through the songs and mark my choreography. I pray for the performance and for everyone who helped make this show happen.

About 10 minutes before I go onstage, I get together with my team, which usually consists of the band and dancers, if there are any. We get together in a circle, place our right foot in the middle, hold hands and raise them above our heads. We talk about the show and hype each other up to get ourselves ready. The last things we do are pray together and do our little handshake. After the handshake, no one is allowed to touch a non-team member’s hand! It’s just a superstition we have. If I miss one of them, I tend to feel like my show wasn’t the best it could be.
❤️, LEX

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