It's been a while since I updated my blog. In the last couple of months, I bounced from hotel to hotel while waiting to move into a new apartment and during that time I fell sick (again) with Covid. If you haven't already, check out my song Where were you when I had Covid and it'll give you all of the deets *eye-roll*
Over the last two years, I've intentionally worked towards becoming healthier in all aspects of my life specially while trying to combat the stress that Covid put on my vocal chords and it has been interesting to see how all of these things have affected my voice so here are some insights I am sharing that I have gained over the last couple of years:
1. Work out regularly: Every time I hit the gym, the durability and the longevity of my voice increases. What do I mean by that? I can sing for longer periods of time in a stronger and bigger voice without feeling the stress of it. When you exercise regularly, the body pumps blood better and the muscles actually become bigger, this kind of support for your voice voice and vocal cords actually does wonders.
2. Rest days: Since our instrument sits inside of our body, we have to treat our entire body as the instrument not just our voice. There should be days when you rest your vocal cords and days when you rest your entire being. While I was at university, I sang for hours almost every day, this also meant that I wasn't getting that much rest and falling sick often. Over the last few years, I haven't had to sing non-stop that much and every time I take a break, I come back stronger.
3. Drink a lot of water: I remember being told to have Manuka honey for a sore throat when I was at University and to drink warm liquids and then there's stuff like VocalZone but what we miss telling singers is to drink a healthy amount of water. It can take for up to 4 hours for water to reach your vocal folds. If you're going to perform for long number of hours or even if you're giving a short performance, water intake should be one of your top priorities! A glass of plain fresh water can go a long way!
4. Process your emotions: This is a big one, you don't know what pain, joy or anger sounds like in your voice unless you let it out and hear it. I truly believe that letting out your emotions and not holding them in whether it is by talking about it, writing about it or crying about it is a crucial part of being a better singer. It also lets you explore your voice in a more human way.
5. Good posture: This one kind of takes me back to my first point, but having a good posture and a straight back automatically increases support for your vocal cords and checking your posture holding your shoulders up high can give your voice that little bit of extra oomph!
I hope these tips help you become the singer you've always wanted to be! Until next time!!
Rivita