Want to Be a Rockstar? Master the Stage with These Tips and Learn from the Best

If you really want to be a rockstar, the best way to achieve that is by learning from rockstars. Or, in James Michael’s case, by taking a tip from a fellow rockstar band member. If you are fortunate to have one in your band.

Sixx:A.M. frontman and producer James Michael was recently a guest on the Bad Brad YouTube channel, where he talked about a variety of topics, including some very interesting stories from the early days of Sixx:A.M.

When asked by the host what he thinks about today’s rockstars, James shared an anecdote he learned from his bandmate, Nikki Sixx:

“I remember even when Sixx:A.M. was just starting to take off and we had to go out and do our first tour, you know, Nikki, who just has infinite experience being a major rock star, he used to kind of sit me down. We would sit in our rehearsal studio, looking at the stage, and he would say, ‘Hey James, it’s all about shapes.'”

At first, James Michael was confused about what Nikki meant, but the clarification came quickly. According to the wisdom of the legendary bassist, to achieve maximum impact as a rockstar on stage, you should follow these steps:

1. Move to a certain part of the stage.
2. Strike a pose of some kind.
3. Stay in that pose long enough for the photographers in the front row to get their shots.
4. Move to another part of the stage, do the same thing with a different pose.
5. Plan this stuff—it doesn’t happen automatically.
6. Do this during the first three songs cause that’s when the photographers are allowed to take photos (we added this one for you)

If you can’t do it right away, don’t panic. James Michael clarified that by adding:
“And he [Nikki] was always such an advocate for, no matter where you are on stage, go there, create a shape, hold that shape, and then move on to the next shape. And I was always fascinated by that, because to the average person it just looks natural, and it just looks like it happens naturally, but it’s very calculated. You have to—you know, I don’t think that—I mean, some people are just natural at it. I certainly wasn’t. I had to plan that stuff out and think about it, and then eventually it became comfortable, and eventually it was like, ‘Oh, I’m doing a shape right now. You know, this is cool.’”

Maybe some of you will think this is just posing, but hey—this is rock ’n’ roll, not a philharmonic orchestra. You’re allowed to pose. Learn from the best!

And don’t miss the full interview, as James and Brad discussed many other fascinating topics, including producing, playing live, music industry insights, and more.

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