To be a good karaoke singer, play to your strengths and choose a song that suits your voice. Know the style and vibe of the song, and try to find one you already know the lyrics to. Don’t be afraid to have fun and engage with the audience, but avoid drunken karaoke. Winning applause is exhilarating and could inspire you to pursue a career in singing.
Maybe it’s party time at the office and you want to impress that cool IT dude, or it’s a night out with the girls and you want to impress the whole bar. Microphone in hand, it’s finally your chance to shine on stage, belting out the classics over karaoke. But how do you turn your silly karaoke song into a virtuoso performance? You don’t need to have the best voice in the room, you just need to be able to take risks and make yourself fabulous.
Some people are blessed with beautiful singing voices, some can train for them, and some are hopelessly unable to follow a tune. Whatever category you fall into, it doesn’t preclude you from being a good karaoke singer. If you have a voice that makes birds sing along with you, be sure to hire a show-stopping number that showcases your reach and skill set. If birds tend to fly away when you open your mouth, try to find a song that doesn’t take long to sing, but rather relies on fast lyrics or easy melodies. Play to your strengths, it’s just as impressive if you can throw the words to REM’s tongue twister “It’s the End of the World (As We Know It)” as it is on the belt of a perfect rendition of “I will Always Always” by Whitney Houston. I love you.”
It definitely helps to know the style and vibe of the song you’ll be singing. Is it a smoky ballad, a hard rock classic or a saccharine song from a musical? Think of artists you love to watch live and imitate them on stage; if you’re listening to a slow, sexy Fiona Apple song, step up to the mic and hum the coolest person you can see from the stage. Whatever type of song you’re singing, remember this rule of thumb: Good karaoke singers flirt with entire audiences while on stage.
Try to find a song you already know the lyrics to. It will help you focus on giving a good karaoke performance if you don’t have to keep your eyes glued to the lyrics screen. If you can’t find something you know perfectly, at least try to find a song whose melody and chorus you know, and check the screens to get an idea of the words to each verse. Don’t panic if you miss a text or skip a line; chances are no one but you noticed, so if you act like you did nothing wrong, your audience may never know.
Don’t be afraid to go wild and have a lot of fun. Dance on stage, practice your Janis Joplin holler, mimic Mick Jagger’s tall walk. Your audience may be laughing, but the more you engage with what you’re doing, the more they’ll laugh with you rather than at you. Unless you’re a professional performer, karaoke may be your only chance to get on stage and work for that applause. Don’t let nerves or embarrassment get in the way of a good karaoke performance; winning applause is one of the most exhilarating feelings on the planet and might even inspire you to want to get up there and achieve more.
A word of warning for adult karaoke goers: Karaoke is most often held in upbeat bars or restaurants, which can lead to people with too many martinis giving awkward performances. Try to avoid drunken karaoke unless your intention is to give your friends the chance to make fun of you for years. Good karaoke is all about having fun and entertaining others; try to be sober enough to remember what you sang in the morning.
Karaoke can be a great way to let off some steam and unleash your inner American Idol. As long as you can remember to relax and be free to be silly, you will have fun and entertain your audience. And remember, if you get requests for encores or the audience erupts in applause, it’s never too late to change careers and be a star.
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