Karaoke
Facts, tips and ideas about Karaoke — and how to find people for it.
Did you know?
Almost nobody volunteers for the first song — after the first, nobody wants to hand back the mic.
Singing together bonds a group faster than most other activities — the "ice-breaker effect."
Source: Pearce, Launay & Dunbar (2015)The Japanese word *karaoke* is made up of *kara* (“empty”) and *ōkesutora* (“orchestra”). Daisuke Inoue built the first machine in Kobe in 1971 — and never had it patented.
Source: Wikipedia
Good to know
Karaoke bars are the funniest places you'd never find alone. Ask around.
Tip
Pick a song everyone knows. It's about singing along, not about skill.
Choose songs you really know — not the ones you wish you could sing. Karaoke rewards confidence, not range.
A small challenge
Karaoke with a song you've never sung. The others sing along anyway.
Break the ice
“Which song would you sing if everyone switched off the microphone?”
Not every line here is sourced. Where a source is named you can read it up; the rest is collected knowledge.