I Had Never Performed in Front of Strangers Before. Then I Found a Mic.The Night Before: Everything That Goes Through Your Head

It did not feel like excitement.

The night before the open mic, I felt two things at the same time and neither of them was confidence.

It felt like excitement that a kid might feel just before the school trip, knowing that the adventure is coming up.

However, there was another part of me that kept analyzing everything, thinking whether or not I am prepared, just as one would before the board exams.

Part of me was genuinely looking for a reason to not go.

There is always a reason when you start looking for one. Not prepared enough. Not the right time. Maybe next month.

But then I remembered a line from Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story.

"Risk hai... toh ishq hai."

Not going would keep everything exactly the same. So I went.

What Walking Into an Open Mic Actually Feels Like

The Room

The venue was not what I had pictured in my head.

I had imagined something big.

Bright lights, a large crowd, that feeling of walking into something serious. But when I got there, the room was small, relaxed, and quiet in a good way.

Microphone stand. Soft lights. People sitting down in a relaxed manner, talking, waiting.

Nobody bothered to notice that I entered the room.

This alone appeared to clear out everything inside me. The majority of the tension I had was all self-inflicted.

The host took care of the rest.

The Host

No big energy, no added pressure. Just a calm, welcoming presence that made it clear this room was for trying, not for proving anything.

Soiree House in Bengaluru carries that kind of atmosphere. It is the kind of space where a first timer does not feel out of place. That matters more than people realise.

This is the kind of room Soiree House builds. Every single time.

The Moment You Walk Up to the Mic

When they called my name, there was no confidence that suddenly appeared.

It was just time.

I walked up and took the mic.

Standing there, my thoughts were louder than the room. For a second, everything went quiet in my head in the wrong way. That blank, frozen kind of quiet.

I was afraid. Not nervous in a small way. Actually afraid of performing in front of people I had never met.

So I did something I had not planned.

I went into my own zone.

I imagined the space around me as empty. No crowd. No faces.

There were just two of us – me and the story.

That thought process helped me gain confidence in the first few lines of the story.

However, after that some things changed.

Firstly, the response from the audience to my story.

No big response.

Just nods and smiles from the crowd.

And that was all that was required of me to understand that I had touched someone's heart through my story.

All that I required.

Making The Connection

Post receiving that response, I did not perform but entered into a discussion with the audience.

Looking into each individual's eye and talking to them for a little bit.

Telling them jokes and stories that would relate to my story in one way or the other.

That is how I made the connection.

And the ambiance of the entire room had undergone a dramatic change from then on.

No longer did I feel like a performer before a set of unknown individuals.

Rather, it seemed more of a discussion amongst friends.

What Happens After Your Set

As far as everything outside went, nothing changed.

The same room, the same crowd, the same Bengaluru evening outside the room.

The only change that was required was from inside me.

First came relief. Then, before I had even sat down, something I did not expect.

I wanted to do it again.

Someone came up to me after and said something simple about the story.

But, despite forgetting the lyrics of the song, something made me connect to this specific song in ways that I could not feel towards any of the other songs during the whole concert.

That is what the spirit of an open mic night entails, especially when it is your first time participating in such an event. It does not have anything to do with being ready. It is all about being present and creating from scratch

Want to experience this yourself? Check out our upcoming shows at Soiree House

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before My First Open Mic

Do not make the mistake of thinking that you are not ready for the event.

For example, I spent months trying to build up enough confidence to allow myself to sing on stage. It was totally wrong because confidence can only come after.

The people coming to the open mic events will never judge you.

Most of them have stood at that mic or are thinking about standing there. They are rooting for you more than you know.

However, the issue of stage fright does not actually go away; it changes form and becomes something beneficial and positive rather than an impediment that stops you from being able to perform well.

Establishing Your Comfort Zone. In my own personal experience, it involved convincing myself that no one else was on stage with me. This may not be the best way for you, but the important thing is that you need to create your own comfort zone that will assist you when dealing with the challenge of delivering your first line.

Why First Times Matter in Art

Open Mic Night is not about performing.

This is all about connecting thoughts to action.

Every performer around you at an open mic in Bengaluru started somewhere.

No one came walking to the microphone ready to take that challenge.

Readiness and confidence come through practice and experience. They are gained from each effort, each success.

It is not that we are ready before we act but, in fact, readiness comes from action.

Therefore, if you are now here thinking about doing something for the first time, then all you need to do is show up.

Everything else figures itself out from there.

Follow us on Instagram for upcoming open mic events at @the_soireehouse