My voice is my instrument, and unlike a guitar, I cannot send it for repairs before a wedding season of back-to-back shows. Over the years I have settled into a show-day routine that is boring, unglamorous and completely non-negotiable.
Water, but make it warm
Hydration starts the night before, not an hour before soundcheck. On show day I sip warm or room-temperature water constantly. Ice-cold drinks tighten the throat, so they are out, even in Goa’s summer. Herbal teas with honey and a little ginger are my backstage staple. Tulsi and mulethi have been in Indian households for generations for good reason.
Eat early, eat light
A heavy meal within three hours of a performance is a mistake you only make twice. Acid reflux is a singer’s quiet enemy, and singing on a full stomach kills breath support. My pre-show plate is simple: dal, rice or roti, steamed vegetables, maybe grilled fish. Fuel, not a feast. The proper dinner happens after the last encore.
What I avoid on show day
Dairy thickens mucus, so no cheese-loaded snacks and no milky coffee after noon. Fried food sits heavy. Excess caffeine dries the voice and adds jitters I do not need. And alcohol before a show is a hard no. It numbs exactly the fine control that separates singing from shouting.
The voice is a muscle
Beyond food, the routine is sleep, steam and warm-ups. Ten minutes of humming and gentle scales before soundcheck saves the top of my range at the end of a three-hour set. Singers who skip warm-ups pay for it by song twenty.
None of this is exciting. But when the mic goes live in front of eight hundred guests, boring discipline is what sounds like effortless talent.
