As an accomplished musician, stage confidence comes with the territory. You're no stranger to performing - you’ve worked hard over the years to build your skills and experience, and a convincing performance relies on that level of exposure. Yet there are moments - perhaps right before a critical performance or during an unexpected challenge, where the self-doubt creeps in. It’s not that you're not used to performing, or lack ability or skill. Intense pressure or lack of self-belief can make even the most accomplished musician second-guess themselves.
This isn’t about learning to believe in yourself for the first time. It’s about sustaining that belief, even in the face of high expectations, personal doubts, or the weight of an important audience. In this blog, we'll explore how to tap into a deeper well of confidence on stage, one that doesn’t ebb and flow with external pressures. You'll learn how self-confidence is something you can cultivate from within and strengthen through practice - just as you've practiced to become the musician you are today.
The Truth About Self-doubt
Some time ago, I went to see my business coach to overcome a feeling of imposter syndrome.
I sat there, completely stuck. A familiar feeling crept in, but something I hadn’t felt for a while. I became scared of my public persona - not just as a musician, but as a creator and entrepreneur. The big things I was working on in my career were stirring up a whirlwind of anxiety. I couldn’t figure out why. After all, wasn’t I self-assured and doing ok? I’d done so much already to overcome my insecurities. Yet here I was, feeling like I’d regressed to an old version of myself, full of doubt and fear.
I brought this to my coach, hoping for a breakthrough. I wanted him to wave a magic wand and restore the confidence I felt I’d lost. But what happened during that session wasn’t quite what I expected. It went much deeper, opening up a well of insight around what confidence actually is - and what it isn't.
We were about 20 minutes into the session when my coach asked a question that stopped me in my tracks.
“What is confidence?”
At first, I didn’t have an answer. It’s strange, isn’t it? We talk about confidence all the time, yet how often do we stop to ask ourselves what it really is or where it comes from?
I sat with the question for a moment before speaking. “I guess it’s not really a thing, is it? It’s not something tangible you can hold.”
The words just tumbled out, but as I said them, a realisation hit me hard. Confidence isn’t something I have or don't have - it's actually much more than that. I realised it's something I create for myself all the time, and practice with effort. You don’t just have confidence - you develop it, you strengthen it, just like a muscle which gets weak if you don’t keep working on it.
This subtle shift in perspective changed everything for me. Suddenly, I felt empowered rather than defeated. I had control over how self-confident I felt, and it was no longer this elusive thing slipping through my fingers.
Stage Confidence is Built Through Action
It suddenly became obvious to me that I didn't need to feel confident before I walked on stage. In fact - in many, if not most performances the feeling only came through psyching myself up. The moments when I felt most confident in my life weren’t when I waited for the feeling to arrive first. They happened when I stepped into situations without feeling it, but believed I had a chance to show my best. I took action despite my fear, and more often than not, I surprised myself by how bold I felt in those moments.
Dale Carnegie describes it beautifully:
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.”
There’s so much truth in that. Every time I’ve walked on stage, played a new piece, or stepped into a high-stakes performance, I didn’t start with a sense of invincibility. I started with nerves, doubts, and even a bit of fear. This can be healthy to a degree, as it stops us getting complacent. Then by going out on stage and stepping into the moment, we often find the courage we need. Confidence finds us.
The Myth of the 'Confident Performer'
We’ve all been there. We’ve all stood in front of an audience, sick to our stomach, feeling like we’re about to fall apart on stage. But we push through, and each time we do, our self-confidence grows a little more.
When you reflect on your own performances, you might notice how there's often no correlation between how you feel inside and how confident you appear to others. Maybe you look at someone else on stage and think, 'they were born to perform.' But looks can be deceptive, and maybe others look at you and think the same. As performers, we are master illusionists. We get good at mastering our anxiety and transmuting it into something special - if we simply trust ourselves.
Even the most seasoned performers will have moments of doubt and ways of managing it. Some of the most outwardly self-assured musicians are simply expert at transforming their inner turmoil into something incredible. By always making courageous steps forward, they create a positive feedback loop for themselves because they're subconsciously saying to themselves "you'll be ok, you can do this."
Power Poses For Musicians
The next time you perform and feel the nerves creeping in, try this. Adjust your posture. Lift your chest, stand tall, and take a deep breath. Studies show that positive body language can directly influence your brain. Simply by shifting your posture, you can trick your mind into feeling more sure of itself. It’s like you’re giving your brain a signal that says, “I’ve got this.”
And in that moment, you’ll notice something magical happen. You won’t just feel more confident because your body is standing tall. You’ll feel more self-assured because you took action. You stood on stage despite your nerves. You played the first note even though your hands were shaking. And because you found that first note, you found your anchor point - that familiar point of reference which tells you 'I know what I'm doing.' You created a virtuous circle for yourself.
Confidence finds you when you take that first step.
Building Confidence Through Practice
Each time you play, whether it's in a practice room, a low-key gig, or a big stage, you are building that muscle of confidence. And with every note, every chord, every audience you face, you’re growing stronger.
So, the next time you feel performance anxiety creeping in, remember: you don’t have to wait for those positive feelings to find you. Confidence comes from within - all it takes is one step forward to unlock it.
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