Making the chorus feel bigger
Choose a chorus change the band can hear without losing the tempo.
A chorus can gain energy through the melody, harmony, instrumentation or drum part. Before adding a louder fill, listen to what the rest of the arrangement changes. Your part may only need a different cymbal sound, or it may need to stay steady while the other instruments build.
Compare two versions
For a song with a straight 4/4 backbeat, play four bars with closed hi-hat eighth notes, kick on 1 and 3, and snare on 2 and 4. Play the next four bars on the ride instead, leaving the kick, snare and tempo unchanged. Use the bow of the ride first, so you can judge that sound before adding the bell.
Then try the same transition while staying on the hi-hat and allowing a little more opening. Record each version. Which makes the section change clearer? Which leaves room for the words? The ride or open hat may be too broad for a quiet chorus; keeping the closed hat is a valid result.
Rehearse the entrance
Loop the last verse bar and the first chorus bar. If the arrangement calls for a crash on the new downbeat, play it with the kick and return to your timekeeping cymbal. Check that the first few notes afterward are evenly spaced.
An agreed crescendo or tempo change belongs in the arrangement. If the tempo is supposed to stay constant, listen for accidental acceleration as your movements get bigger.
Ask about the room balance
Your monitor mix may make the ride seem quiet while it dominates the audience mix. Ask the sound engineer or leader to compare the two versions through the same passage. A useful answer is specific: the chorus entrance was clear, but the cymbal sustained over the first line. Adjust that sound and try again.