Syd Quotes

I used to be afraid of looking at the audience.

Stand-up comedy seems like a terrifying thing. Objectively. Before anyone has done it, it seems like one of the most frightening things you could conceive, and there's just no shortcut - you just have to do it.

I didn't start singing with my eyes open until I was 19 - that's how shy I was!

When I first started out, I was really, really scared when I performed before an audience. I'd look over their heads.

I'm not a natural performer: I have a natural stage fright.

It feels like the more I'm out there in the public eye, the more criticism I get. You need to have confidence - that's what it takes to walk out there and sing a song in front of a huge group of people.

I find I like the spotlight for a very brief period of time... and I sort of need it. But then, the minute that it's done, I have to sort of go hide. So I was never really meant, I think, to be a performer for a living.

Barbra Streisand developed overwhelming performance anxiety at the height of her career; for 27 years she refused to perform for the general public, appearing live only in private clubs and at charity events, where she presumably believed the pressure on her was less intense.

The thing that helped me come to terms with performing was an anxiety, a desperation for acceptance. There was never enough positive motivation in my life.

I'm not comfortable singing in front of people yet. That's going to take another 100 performances.

I've never really been one to get what they call stage fright so much.

I definitely suffered from stage fright. I had to work really hard to come out of my shell. When I was little, I was very loud and loved performing in front of people. I was fearless. When I hit puberty, I became very shy and self-conscious.

Anyone who tells you they're not nervous playing on the CMAs stage, I'm afraid they're not telling you the whole story.

I left it for seven years before going back on stage. I know now not to leave it so long.

I will not do festivals. The thought of an audience that big frightens the life out of me.

I'm not saying I look cool, but every single time I go onstage, it is a fail if I don't feel like I'm going to pass out at least twice.

Before every performance, I think I am about to keel over.

I know what it feels like to walk out in front of a sold-out crowd of a thousand people that are there for you, and how good that feels, but as an opener, you just have to train yourself to think that it's going to be harder.

To begin with, I don't have any stage fright.

Performing didn't feel comfortable until I was about 17. I loved to sing, but I always said I would never perform because I was too scared.

In my opinion, the only way to conquer stage fright is to get up on stage and play. Every time you play another show, it gets better and better.

I'm not a natural born performer.

In the beginning, I was frightened to death of going solo. Especially when doing live shows, I was so used to my brothers being next to me. It felt like the crowd was just looking at me, waiting for me to either mess up or prove myself.

There've been times where, like when I auditioned for 'Akeelah,' I think in the first audition I was a little bit afraid because it was, you know, I had seen girls in there that I had seen on TV before, and I was like, 'Man, I might as well just walk out of here now because I'm just a newcomer,' and this and that.

What holds you back in comedy is fear.