Hi all, I’m usually not that active here, but I really wanted to share my experience. Ever since I can remember, music has always been a part of me, singing, writing, composing. Two years ago, I migrated to Canada with a dream, a dream that only those closest to me knew about. A dream I started pursuing as soon as I arrived, but due to life events, work, school, migration, excuses, I put it aside.
One of my goals this year was to perform in front of an audience again. Since I hadn’t done it in a while, I developed stage fright again, but I also really wanted to be well-prepared, to reach a point where I felt comfortable and confident enough with my voice to share it with others. My voice is my instrument, and like any other instrument, you need to practice to be good at it. That’s why I’ve been taking singing lessons with a vocal coach since May of this year. It’s been a beautiful journey of understanding for the first time what I’m truly capable of with just my voice, and learning the discipline of practicing every week.
Last Monday, I had the chance to perform at Capilano University. There were fewer than 30 people in the audience, and even though I once managed to sing in front of almost 400 people three years ago, I felt the same nerves and anxiety as the very first time. But the moment I looked at the microphone and closed my eyes, everything faded away and transformed into the most beautiful, inexplicable feeling, nothing else has ever given me before.
As an immigrant, you’re constantly in survival mode, second-guessing yourself, dealing with breakdowns. One of the things that frustrated me the most was not doing something I was truly passionate about, something that genuinely fulfilled me. That’s why this small step means something so big.
For me, it goes beyond whether it was 20 people, 400, or a full stadium. What mattered was proving to myself, once again, that I can do it all, on my own, as always, and that this is the beginning of returning to what I genuinely love. I have some vids if you want to see :) Thank you for reading if you´ve made it until here :)