Name: Janet Morris
Location: Springfield, IL
Band: F5, BJ

How do you prepare/warmup to sing for a whole show?

I run through a series of vocal scales and exercises to help warm up my voice. Just like with any muscle you need to stretch out the chords before you exercise them for four hours. I also drink a lot of water the day of the show and I eat very light meals. About an hour before the show, I use Afrin to open up my sinuses and ensure that is all clear.

What is your drink of choice on a show night?

Mainly water. I don’t usually drink alcohol throughout the night, or anything that would be dehydrating like soda. During hot summer shows I also drink Gatorade because I have experienced water intoxication from too much water, and that is miserable and dangerous. Gatorade helps keep sodium land electrolytes at safe levels.

What’s your remedy when your voice is gone and the show is about to start?

Oh this has happened many times. Typically, taking four Advil an hour before the show to reduce inflammation and swelling and sucking on Halls Ice Peppermint (that flavor only) cough drops throughout the night does the trick. At the very worst case scenario, my doctor has given me a steroid shot to help.

What singers inspire you?

There are many! The singers who have inspired me the most are as follows: Prince, Ann Wilson, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Pat Benetar, Chris Cornell, Sebastian Bach.

What song has challenged you the most?

That’s a tough one, but I would have to say the song that has challenged me the most vocally is probably, Love Bites from Halestorm.