New York-based comic Hari Kondabolu preps for every stand-up performance the same way: drinking lots of water, peeing and pacing.

“It’s the same thing over and over, and I think there’s a comfort in that,” he said. “I’ve been doing this 20 years, and I’m still absolutely a mess until I go on.”

The Queens-raised, Brooklyn-based comedian was gearing up for the release of his latest special, “Vacation Baby,” which he self-released on YouTube. Named for his son, who was born during the pandemic but conceived just before lockdown, the special and its nontraditional release is a gamble for Kondabolu, who is no stranger to betting on himself.

“It just felt like I had this major life thing happen, and I had so much to talk about from those two years of the pandemic,” he said. “And I’m just sitting on it waiting for what exactly? For a network to give me the right to say what I want to say publicly?”

Alongside the special, Kondabolu is releasing an accompanying album on the music streaming services and self-releasing a digital album, “(Extended) Vacation Baby,” on Bandcamp.

Q: What made you want to name your special “Vacation Baby”?

A: The special is very much about having a kid during the pandemic. It felt like the worst time in the world, and yet me and my partner were bringing this child into the world. I thought about naming this special “Pandemic Baby” or “Pandemic Dad” or something like that, but I wanted it to be positive.

Q: What made you decide to release this special on YouTube?

A: I feel like I just got sick of waiting. With comedy specials, there’s a handful of people at a certain level who can say, “I want to make this special,” and then one of the streamers or the networks makes it because it’s good business. There was this era where (corporations were) really investing in stand-up. And it feels like we’re starting to see a decrease in that again as maybe there are fewer streamers, as things are consolidating, as the industry is in flux right now in a lot of ways.

The idea of waiting some indefinite period to release material just didn’t sit well with me. I do stand-up because I like to record hours. That is a fundamental part of the job for me. I don’t feel like I’m developing unless a new hour comes out and I clean the slate and start fresh with the next one. And I started seeing all these other comics start to release their specials on YouTube, which really initially didn’t sit well with me because it means you as a comic are taking the financial risk. You’re gambling and saying, “I’m betting it on myself,” and stand-up is a lot of that already. It’s a lot of risk, and (now) we have to make it ourselves as well? But at the same time, I’m like, it’s freedom. Like I’m literally doing what I want and it’s in a forum that anyone can get to. You don’t need to pay to watch it, you can pass the link around. And so part of me is like, “Well, maybe I need to try this.” I feel like I always end up seeing something happen and I get in too late. And instead of waiting on an industry stamp to say, “You can make this,” it’s betting on yourself and saying, “I trust my instincts, I trust the people that like me, and I feel like more people will like me if they see this.” Whether I will go for it again is dependent on how this does, but I definitely am proud of this hour. I think it’s smart, I think it’s unique, I think it’s a personal and creative progression.

Q: Do you have a favorite joke you’ve told?

A: Of all time, it’s probably my white chocolate/white Jesus joke. I love that joke. I think it’s the first joke on my first album, “Waiting for 2042,” and the joke covers racism, religion, pop culture, food. It’s like a perfect review of everything I talk about in one joke. So that one would be my favorite, probably of all time.

Q: Do you have a pre-show routine?

A: Yes. I pace a lot. I talk to myself, especially if it’s the first show in a run. Like if I’m doing a bunch of shows, the first couple are where I’m the most nervous. I’m always pacing, always thinking about getting the joke order right, remembering the new jokes I added to an old joke.

I don’t like when other people are in the room talking when I’m pacing; I want it to be quiet. I just want to be in my head. I hate when the bathroom isn’t in the greenroom so if I have to pee, I have to be with the general public. It ruins the illusion because all of a sudden it’s like, “Oh, yeah, the guy that I saw pee is onstage.” I like that (routine) of drinking lots of water, pee(ing), pacing. It’s the same thing over and over, and I think there’s a comfort in that.

Q: What made you want to do comedy?

A: I knew I wanted to do comedy when I saw Margaret Cho on TV. Seeing an Asian American person do stand-up, even though she wasn’t Indian, was incredible to me. She had command of an audience, she was sharing her stories, people were laughing. I didn’t think that was even possible. There was no reason to assume that we were allowed to exist that way because the country very much speaks in a binary of Black (and) white. So when you’re not those things — especially in the late ‘80s, ‘90s — to see her be so confident and share her stories like that made me want to do it. And I’ve been hooked ever since.

Q: When did you first consider trying stand-up?

A: The first time I did stand-up was at a comedy night that I started at my (high) school. I just wanted to scratch the itch, and so I got to perform in front of my class. The material was terribly unoriginal, but I got to do it and that was the important part. I figured that was that, and then I went to college up in Maine, and I did not necessarily love that. My decision there was, “Well, if everyone’s gonna look at me (anyway), at least I’m going to control how they view me.”

It wasn’t until after I graduated and moved to Seattle to work as an immigrant-rights organizer when I decided to make stand-up my full-time (job). My boss at the time was Pramila Jayapal, who’s now a congresswoman out of Seattle. It was just that post-9/11 era, and I was working with (people) whose family members were being detained and deported, victims of hate crimes. It was a lot. So I did comedy at night, and it was this incredible stress reliever. And I somehow got discovered doing that while I was doing something that’s far more important than what I’m doing now.