In my element: Performing makes me feel good
Remember how music helped me a lot in 2020? Now, I've immersed myself in music even more. Aside from my weekly ukulele lessons, I've started to perform on Kumu, a livestreaming app.
I've always loved performing. Back in college, I was part of my university org's choir. Whenever our choir head would ask me to sing a solo part in masses, I would ALWAYS say yes. I wasn't always picked (as there were better singers in the choir), but whenever I did, I would happily accept it.
Anybody with a Kumu app can livestream any activity: singing, cooking, doing makeup, and even interviews. I follow several singers on Kumu and whenever I watch their streams, I think of streaming as well. At first, I was adamant because there are others who perform better and I might just make a fool of myself.
Then, soprano and singer-songwriter Lara Maigue, whom I am a big fan of, invited us (her Team Lara members) to perform in one of her livestreams in January. After that, I got motivated to stream on my own Kumu page as well.
The stream that started it all: Performing at Lara Maigue's stream last January 3. Video by Rachelle Agape
The first time I streamed on my own Kumu page, I was so nervous. I was afraid that people might watch my stream and bash me. But my stream turned out fine. After a couple of songs, I felt more at ease and more comfortable, especially when I saw my friends' names joining me in the stream.
Now, I stream every Saturday at 5:00 p.m. I don't really have a theme in my streams. I sing my original songs and songs that are close to my heart. There are songs that I sing with a backing track and there are those that I sing while playing my ukulele. Maybe in the future, I will do themed streams once in a while. But for now, I'm focusing on being more comfortable when performing, learning more songs, and having fun!
So, if you're chilling at home and have nothing planned on Saturdays, come and watch me on Kumu. Follow katplaystheuke (my Kumu username), tune in to my stream at 5:00 p.m., and enjoy!
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Feature image: Photo by Dmitry Demidov from Pexels