Mad Welsley – PRESHOW RITUALS

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

Prepping for a show always looks a little different for me depending on the show, but there are a few things that I do every single time. My first ritual, and it’s still a relatively new thing that I’m trying out, is spending time connecting with the younger me that had the MOST fun performing and never experienced stage fright. The older I get, the more pressure I’ve put on myself to have this “perfect” show every time. But I have to remind myself that “perfect” doesn’t exist, so a few days before a performance I just check back in with Baby Mad (I keep a picture of myself as a kid on my fridge for this lol) and tell myself to just have fun and to not take myself too seriously when I’m performing.

The next thing I like to do is use my steam inhaler for about 5 minutes and begin my warm-ups. I usually use my OVOO straw (if you’ve never incorporated straw exercises into your vocal warm-ups you’re really missing out!!) and then a few full-body stretches to get me loose and ready to move. Then, depending on the type of show I’m playing, I’ll run through some choreography with my dancers to make sure we’re all moving together.

Finally, I take a shot of whiskey right before I walk on stage. This has just been something I’ve done for so long that I’m now scared I’ll have a bad show if I don’t do it. It helps me loosen up a little and coats my vocal cords in a way that (I’m convinced) helps me sing better. I know it’s probably in my head, but hey, I’m all about a good placebo effect!

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(photo credit: Sammy Hearn)