How to Win a Singing Contest - Tips to Finding the Star Within

A singing contest can be anything from your local karaoke contest at the public house to trying your hand at an X Factor audition. Either way the same attitude, confidence and talent will eventually rise to the top and win. It is important to follow these key points to help give you the best chance at winning a vocal contest.

Chose the right song
If you know you have a limited vocal range or that a particular style of song would suit your voice, then you must play to your strengths and pick a song that reflects something of you and sounds good at the same time. Look at many different songs at first and don't be stuck with one track in mind and be afraid to try something else. Get family members or friends who can be completely honest with you to give you some advice on which track show cases your vocals in the best light.

Build Your Confidence
Have a little me time before a competition, pamper yourself with a facial and buy a new outfit but make sure that you dress for maximum confidence. Again, getting some advice if you're not sure would help you. Then spend some time being a little flirty and build up some personality and charm. A bit of charisma will really help your performance stand out as being considered more playful or simply even more likeable can really be the difference between people who have the same vocal talent as one another (if it comes down to it).

Professional Training
Go through a referral from someone who you know has used a vocal coach and get some professional training in vocal techniques, these will help you work on breathing, posture and how to give the best possible performance you can give. It will also build your confidence and help you perform, rather than just sing.

Be Original
When you're performing having someone you admire in mind when you sing can sometimes mean you start trying to sound like them too, which quite frankly, if not done correctly, just sounds bad. Stay true to your voice, your accent and your tone, even if you can do a great impression, it doesn't mean that you should.

Emotions
Putting the right amount of emotion into a song will give it an authentic and heart-felt vibe but trying to put too much in can really ruin the vocals, whereas none at all can just make the sound seem flat and boring. So recording either just your voice or an actual performance will help you watch and listen to where your strengths and weaknesses are and see if you should change the level of emotions or feelings in the song to help it come across better to the audience or judges.

A judges opinion may not always reflect how an audience feels about the performance you give but you cannot please all the people all the time, but trying to maximise the impact and likability of your performance will certainly help you win votes from any judging panel. Don't give up either!