So you're finding yourself tearing up when you're singing a song. It likely sucks because you might lose vocal control when you're crying during a performance.
Notes will start to get all messed up, your breathing technique will get noticeably worse, and then on top of that, you might get self-conscious about how you look crying while singing, and lose your comfort.
You need to ask yourself, "Am I crying because I'm emotional, or am I crying because of something more technical?".
You'd be surprised how many people involuntarily tear up while singing and don't even realize they are experiencing an emotional effect.
It can be confusing to differentiate, but take a look at some reasons for your eyes watering up below and see if any makes sense for your particular situation.
The most obvious reason for tears is because the lyrics affected you. It might be hard to pin down why the lyrics hit you, though; it could go deeper than a simple reason like "these heartbreak lyrics reminded me of my heartbreak."
Related Post: How To Write A Sad Song About Heartbreak
Song lyrics can bring on intense nostalgia, for example, bringing up emotional feelings from your youth or past.
Or, in another example, the lyrics could be about a situation that wasn't yours but makes you think of someone you care deeply about that relates to the lyrics. The lyrics could just be generally sad, and you feel the pain just because the lyrics are that good.
To get rid of these feelings, it may help to run through the song repeatedly until your brain numbs to the emotional aspect of it all.
Singing a deep song only for the third time will likely affect you pretty hard in comparison to singing that song for the 15th time.
Similar to the first reason, you might be overwhelmed by the song's emotion or greatness without even thinking about the lyrics.
Music is a magical gift that pleases the soul, so don't beat yourself up about it if you're so lost in the vibes that you start to cry from overwhelming emotion.
Repetition can also help you lessen these types of tears, but it's not as easy as getting over the lyrics. One can never really get over how good music is, especially if it's amazing music.
You could make yourself tired of the song by really overkilling the repeat, though, so find a good balance of singing it a lot and not overdoing it. The fact that it hits you emotionally this way is a good thing. Your singing is likely far more passionate.
Related Post: Why Singing Is A Gift We Should All Be Sharing
Sometimes, you get tempted to yawn if you're singing with wide (long) enough jaw placement. Yawning often is accompanied by tears. Sometimes the yawn doesn't fully come out, but the teary eyes of a yawn still begin.
Yawning while singing often happens during your first attempt at singing on any particular day (which is likely early).
To avoid these types of tears, spend extra time on your warmups, especially 'ahhs' with very long vowels that will shake out all the yawning teary eyes.
If you're performing in front of a lot of people and you're incredibly nervous, it can cause your eyes to water. When affected by anxiety, your body does very strange things, and the reactions to people's fears can vary widely.
People have reported reactions including blurred vision, dry eyes, watery eyes, twitching, and tunnel vision when it comes to the eyes.
The fix, for this reason, will take some time and might require a professional to help you. Anxiety is a common but extensive problem to treat, but you can successfully lessen the fear if you take the time.
It's a challenging process that I am still working on, but very much worth it for the many reasons that all types of anxiety inhibit the greatness in us all. Having confidence on stage is very possible, even with anxiety present.
It isn't common, but some singers have reported getting teary-eyed while singing in a hum or singing a long note on an "n" or even holding a hard "e" vowel.
This is caused by the fact that your whole face shakes when you practice specific vocal placements, and the vibrations that hit your eyes could be causing irritation that can make them water.
This is another hard problem to fix, but play around with the wideness and intensity of your vowels when singing and see if you can lessen the vibration levels without messing up your sound quality.
For example, singing "eee" with a longer jaw placement instead of singing with a vertically wide jaw placement will automatically lessen the amount of vibration that comes out, effectively decreasing the eye-watering and irritation.
Certain placements of your tongue against the bottom of your mouth can also cause vibrations. Placing your tongue further away from the back of your throat can reduce the risk of irritation.
In conclusion, crying while singing can be caused by both emotional and technical factors. It's important to take the time to understand why you might be getting teary-eyed so that you can take steps to improve your performance.
If it's emotional, the lyrics or music could be deeply hitting you, and it might help to practice the song repeatedly until the emotional impact lessens. On the other hand, if it's technical, it could be due to jaw placement, humming or closed vowels, or even anxiety.
For technical issues, spending extra time on warmups, experimenting with different vocal placements, and working with a professional can help improve your performance.
For emotional issues, it's important to allow yourself to feel the emotions but also work on controlling them so that you don't lose vocal control.
Remember, it's okay to feel emotional while singing, and it can actually add to the passion and intensity of your performance. With practice and a deeper understanding of why you're crying while singing, you can improve your performance and connect more deeply with your audience.
As a session singer, writer, and producer that has worked with over 300 clients to provide high-quality jingles, singles, and features, Yona spends her time creating and marketing new music and helpful resources for creators. Check out Yona’s latest releases on her Spotify, her Youtube and share if you like it!
If you are in need of singer, songwriter or song producer services, see what Yona Marie can offer you on her services page.
