Arts & Entertainment, Music

Overcoming Mistakes

Christina Aguilera

Lesson time 09:01 min

If you sang the wrong lyrics of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, how would you recover? Christina reflects on the most difficult mistakes of her career and how to overcome them.

Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars

Topics include: Preparing for the worst • Win over the audience • Taking criticism

Preview

Mistakes-- something that will happen. And I've been performing on stage and for audiences and sporting events since I was seven. I mean, you're going to have good performances and you're going to have bad performances. The bottom line, stuff happens-- it's inevitable. And it's not the thing that actually happens, it's how you pick yourself up from that mistake. Sometimes the mistake might be great. Maybe it propels you into a different form of growing and learning for yourself, or it opens up a whole different world of understanding; maybe a new level of something that you can project in an artistic way. There are bigger scale quote, unquote "mistakes" where there's-- an infamous moment for me that happened when I fumbled a couple of words within a verse of the national anthem. And I wasn't at seven years old, when I'm doing these anthems for smaller games, this was the Super Bowl. And so something that's like such a staple for certain people and such a big game-- worldwide, and for so many viewers to witness, it can be a devastating thing. And so it took me a moment to step back from like, "Oh, my god. I can't believe this is such a newsworthy thing." And these are the things that you have to know going in as a performer. And I was prepared-- I've been singing the song since I was seven. And so it's just so crazy that that would end up being an experience of mine. But it's a moment that happened to me and it's in my journey. And at the time it was pretty humiliating because I'm like, "Oh, my gosh." On one hand I'm like, what's the big deal? And on the other, you feel bad that you disappointed people in that moment. Your perfectionist inside is disappointed in yourself. Probably it that mistake hadn't have happened, I wouldn't be so relaxed today because I wouldn't have had to work on sort of extra anxiety like, oh, my gosh, am I going to forget a lyric? Am I going to miss a step and sort of trip over the train of my gown? There's so many factors to be taken into consideration. But hey, you have to pick up the pieces and you have to move on-- it's a new day. Are you a horrible singer if you make a mistake? No, you made a mistake, you're human. Safety nets and preparing for the worst could come in any shape or form. So it could be-- I've learned, and it only comes from learning from past mistakes-- being on stage. I think every performer has something that didn't work perfectly. And I've seen almost every artist at some point or another trip over something or fall down a stair or for get a word or whatever. And it's a part of the beauty of live performing; you win some, you lose some, but it's what happens after the fact. You get back and you go at it again. And, hmm, let me make a mental note. Maybe I can use some words to the side just to fully prep myself. Maybe I can make sure the length of my dress isn't at a place ...

About the Instructor

Christina Aguilera teaches you how to expand your range, find your voice, and master the techniques that have earned her five Grammy Awards. In her first-ever online singing class, you’ll learn warm-up exercises, breath control, vibrato, her signature growls, and hear Christina break down her biggest hits. You’ve never had vocal lessons like this before.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Christina Aguilera

Christina teaches you her unique vocal techniques in over 3.5 hours of voice lessons and exercises.

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