A good indicator of a colorful personality is how willing someone is to make an utter fool of themselves in public. While certain folks are naturally shy, there are some who revel in the spotlight, either to merely gain attention, or to just have fun and live it up. One venue for such behavior is that of karaoke.
Established in the early 1970s and gaining popularity worldwide, karaoke and karaoke bars are fabulous means of releasing one's extroverted side (whether or not alcohol is involved is another story) via usually off-key renditions of popular songs. However, if you're new to the karaoke scene, there are a few guidelines you need to observe to make for a satisfying experience.
1. Timing is everything
Even though karaoke generally isn't a talent contest, you still want to leave a mark on the half-drunken bar patrons watching you. First impressions are key, and therefore you want to wait for the right time to wow the crowd (either by your talent, or your enthusiasm). Sometimes, the first couple of songs sung don't garner any reaction since the patrons aren't drunk/fully into the music. Therefore, don't be the first singer of the night. Listen to a few songs, see if they rile up the crowd, and once the adrenaline clearly permeates the bar, get up on the stage and take advantage of the moment.
2. Choose what songs you mangle carefully
No one expects karaoke to be "American Idol". You can be extremely bad at singing, but still manage to have fun and get a great reaction from the crowd. However, you're not completely immune from damaging your karaoke reputation. While most songs sung in such an environment are of the guilty-pleasure variety (think Lady Gaga, Vanilla Ice, or Backstreet Boys) and therefore don't warrant a beautiful and on-key vocal performance, certain tunes are considered too sacred to utterly ruin. So unless you have the voice of an angel, don't even bother going for something like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" or Radiohead's "Creep". It's just bad news.
3. Go for the gusto
If you're gonna down some drinks, get on stage, and sing in public, it had to have been for a reason. Therefore, you have absolutely no reason to have stage fright. Enthusiasm is infectious. You're already up there, so what does a little high-energy performing hurt? Don't be stiff as a board! Dance around (even if you suck at it)! Instead of singing in the most boring way possible, add some vocal flourishes (i.e. if you have a naturally low voice, surprise your audience with some falsetto). Remember, this is your time to shine.
4. Opera won't get you laid (at least not here)
As stated in #2, you gotta be strategic about what songs you pick. And while there's a bevy of popular and reliable standbys in those big songbooks, there's also some tunes that just won't be a match at a karaoke bar. You may have gotten a big round of applause at your ninth grade choir concert by singing "Danny Boy" or "La donna รจ mobile", but you most likely won't get a huge reaction here. And usually, more hardcore music like death metal or thrash won't go over well either (unless you think people leaving is equivalent to "going over well"). So unless you're certain that you'll blow the bar patrons away with your magnificent pipes, go with the more familiar genres. And if all else fails...
5. B.C.A.C. (Be Cheap And Cheat)
A good majority of karaoke bar patrons usually go for the guilty-pleasure songs, either to make their friends laugh, or to intentionally make asses of themselves (or both). That's why you always hear "Bad Romance", "I Want it That Way", "Baby Got Back", "Don't Stop Believin'", "Ice, Ice, Baby", and "Friends in Low Places" in these joints on a frequent basis. It may be unoriginal and cliched, but they're bound to get a huge reaction. And if you really want to bring the house down with little to no effort, go for the songs that require call-and-response with the audience, like The Beatles' "Twist and Shout", a-Ha's "Take on Me", "Summer Nights" from Grease, and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline". They cannot and will not resist it.
And the final and most important rule for karaoke etiquette:
6. Always cheer others on
While some people have talent and others clearly don't, all that really matters is how much fun you're having. It takes a lot of guts to go up on stage and sing in front of a bunch of drunk and wild people (especially when many of them are your peers), and regardless of how amazing or amazingly awful they are, you gotta give 'em props for their efforts. Whether they're family, friends, or complete strangers, singing along with them or cheering them on is essential for a true karaoke experience. That, and getting wasted.
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