If you’ve ever watched musicians in the studio or performing live, you’ll have noticed they often shut down the eyes, particularly in emotive sections. But have you ever wondered the reasons behind this?
So why do singers close their eyes? It may be to create a sense of intimacy and drama. It may be because they’re concentrating, listening and involved with recording. In the case of a new artist, it may be to counteract feelings of nervousness and shyness.
Read on to find out when you should – and shouldn’t – close your eyes while singing. We also have some useful tips on how to use this potentially powerful technique to your advantage.
Why do singers close their eyes?
When you close your eyes on stage, you’ll see a brightness like stars, or even patterns. This is from the lights you were looking at right before you shut them. Gradually this dissipates and you see more of darkness, but there will still be something there before your eyes, albeit vague.
If in a very heavily lit room, this will appear as a kind of glow. If you have low blood pressure or a low oxygen intake (you should have a high oxygen intake when breathing properly for singing), the patterns you see may be increased. Once your eyes are closed, you become more aware of the sounds and smells around you, but you can also feel alienated from what’s going in around you.
Very occasionally, there may be a non-performance reason for a singer closing their eyes, so do bear this in mind. Legendary classical singer Andrea Bocelli, who boasts one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices in the industry, always sings with his eyes closed, as he has been blind since the age of 12. He often wears tinted glasses so it’s not always evident his eyes are closed. His performances are a masterclass in sharing the emotion of a song, with closed eyes.
Why do we close our eyes?
Turning off one of the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch and smell), heightens the others. This is especially the case with our sense of sight, as is usually our primary method of exploring the world around us.
By closing down the eyes, it helps us to immerse, shut out the rest of the world and zone in. This is why we close our eyes when we meditate, get a massage, kiss, or pray. Often it’s an automatic reaction to getting into it the intention of the song and feeling a passion for what you’re doing. Occasionally we close our eyes when trying to sing with a headache, but this is a less frequent reason for doing so.
But there’s another reason. It can alleviate nerves and stage fright – although this isn’t a great way to work around it. Watching people’s reactions can cause some anxiety and awkwardness, however, it can also be immensely rewarding. If this is something you struggle with, getting some help with artist development might be a good idea, to grow your confidence. Shutting down visually might seem to help in the short term, but it’ll have a detrimental effect on your performance. There are plenty of tried and tested ways to help newcomers to performance and those who suffer from stage fright, to cope with these feelings.
Can you sing with your eyes closed?
Yes. However, the very first consideration has to be safety. If you’re dancing with equipment around and/or on a high stage. Then you must have a clear line of vision at all times. Whereas if you’re singing soulful stuff, ballads, ethereal music etc, it’ll work well. It’s fairly rare to find a slow love song sung without some closing of the eyes in fact. Closing your eyes in the studio is rarely a problem unless you need to look out for signals from other musicians and your producer.
You’ll have noticed that many of your favourite artists close their eyes when performing. You may find yourself doing it too and wonder whether you should or shouldn’t be. There are genres of music that tend to lend themselves toward the closed eyes style of performance and others that would be downright dangerous to perform without open eyes!
Why do singers close their eyes when singing high notes?
Shutting the eyes has no bearing at all on the sound you make. Unlike techniques like visualisation, posture and deep breathing, closing your eyes won’t actively change your tone, power or enable you to sing higher notes. It may well aid with your visualisation techniques though. But be careful this doesn’t cause you to forget to open them again! Be sure to practice this on your own too. If you’re always singing with closed eyes in your lessons, at the studio and at home, it’ll be a very hard habit to break when you get out on stage.
If you want to learn to sing above your current range, it’s advisable to work with a vocal coach, who can show you how to do it safely.
Does smiling make your voice higher?
Not exactly, but it does lift your tone a little, which can sound like you’ve gone up in your register fractionally. And from a psychological point of view, it can help you think higher too. Smiling naturally encourages us to lift the hard and soft palates, which adds brightness to the vocal tone. This is one of the ways to make your voice sound better on recordings.
Why do singers close their ears when singing?
If you’ve ever performed somewhere so loud you couldn’t hear yourself sing, you may have done this. By closing an ear, or cupping behind the ear, you are able to hear your own voice clearer than other singers, instruments, backup or extraneous noise. This helps with your pitch and tuning.
This is also why singers use in-ear monitors or headphones in the studio. The singer can have their own voice redirected into their ear. Or they may want to have a particular part of the backing highlighted, so they can hear the melody and timing.
Where do you look when singing?
You should look at the audience, and at your other musicians, as well as close your eyes from time to time. There are times when you watch singers with closed eyes and you feel excluded, or like they’re cut off from everything. Some may even sing through an entire song in this way. At other times, watching a singer do this appears beautiful, meaningful and moving. Knowing how to bring about the right effect is key, and balancing this with the importance of strong, confident eye contact.
Particularly if you’re very nervous, shutting the eyes down hard can become a crutch. There are much better ways to overcome these feelings than by shutting everyone out. Closing your eyes – hard or softly – to intimate emotion and meaning is beneficial. But if you’re using it as a shield to hide behind, the audience will pick that up. It can look as though you’re watching a private film, to which the audience is not privy.
Some singers close their eyes more than others and it comes down to their own style of performance. But even those who do it a lot, strike a balance. Whatever you do, don’t spend more than a few seconds looking at the floor! Adele is a great example of getting it just right.
How can I look good when singing?
Shutting your eyes is certainly a cool thing to do on stage. The best way to work it is to choreograph it into your act, for maximum impact. Divas know this and will frequently be seen closing their eyes on super high notes, or when using their whistle register. Use a combination of searing eye contact and stillness, with shut eyes at certain points to add drama to a ballad. If it’s a sad song, think about the story and what you’re trying to portray. Even with your eyes closed, this intention will shine through and move those watching. There is a limit though. Don’t be tempted to close your eyes so much it’s distracting, or a result of nerves.
To sum up, here are some final dos and don’ts to help you.
Do close your eyes to create drama and impact.
Do let it happen when you’re in the zone, but don’t let yourself stay that way for longer than a few bars.
Don’t use it as a means to cope with stage fright – there are better methods.
Do enjoy the immersion that a few seconds of darkness creates, but don’t forget the audience is there.
Do balance it with great eye contact and a confident gaze.
But above all, enjoy your music and work on using all the tools at your disposal to create a performance that’s unforgettable.
Related Questions
Why do singers move their hands?
Your hands come second (after your face) as the most useful part of your body for emoting. This way you move your hands will be unique to you – and if you have fantastic nails, tattoos or jewellery on them, all the better. Think cool, or funky, or powerful, in the way you use your hands. Sign language is a really cool thing to do with your hands too. It also makes your act accessible and more impactful.
Why do singers hold their stomachs?
The vocal powerhouse -the diaphragm – lies in the lower stomach region. This is where breath control happens. Singers may touch their stomachs to remind themselves to breathe low or check this area is moving out when inhaling.
Is smiling while singing good?
Yes, because it gives you an air of confidence and joy in what you’re doing. It can also lift your tone a little. This doesn’t mean you should always smile though. It won’t suit some genres of music or song themes.