Things You Probably Did Not Know About Karaoke

Karaoke is an interactive entertainment. A singer sings along with a recorded song or a music video with a microphone. The lyrics of the song may or may not display on a screen.

Karaoke originates in Japan in a town called Kobe. A band was scheduled to perform in a bar did not show up. In a bid to save face and entertain his customers, the owner of the bar played the music. He asked the customers to come on stage and sing along with the music. Now, Karaoke is a popular activity around the world where people (adults and kids alike) engage in it.

Karaoke meaning is an empty orchestra. It comes from two Japanese words - kara (empty) and okesutora (orchestra).

In China alone, there are more than 100,000 karaoke bars.

In September 2011, Leonardo Polyerelli, an Italian singer broke the Guinness World Record.  He won as the longest karaoke marathon by singing 1,295 songs at an event. The songs lasted a total of 101 hours, 59 minutes and 15 seconds.

In Karaoke bars, the most requested song is Billie Jean.  A song of Michael Jackson in January 1983 as the second single from Thriller (1982), his sixth album.

The largest karaoke event in the world had a total of 160,000 participants.

Karaoke machines are sometimes called singing machines.

There are karaoke machines for kids’ usage, for home usage, and for portable use. An additional category is the professional singing machine.

In the US, the fourth week in April is the National Karaoke week.

Karaoke World Championships have taken place every year since 2011. The event involves a sing-along competition amongst the world's best imitative artists.

In 2003, the first Karaoke World Championship took place in Finland. It has 7 participating countries. The winners who are in the male and female categories came from England. Now, there are over 40 participating countries. The karaoke championships usually secure record deals after their performance. The reigning Karaoke World Champions of the year 2017 are:

• Chyeé Howell (Female) from the USA 
• Pedro Matias (Male) from Angola

In Japan, karaoke machines are able to rate the singer’s performance. It can tell you how many calories the singer burnt during his performance.

Professional karaoke machines have features that allow singers to enhance their voice. It has an output such as pitch correction, key finders, and treble/bass enhancements. Some professional karaoke systems even use digital backup singers.

Image Credit Apple Itunes

Apple Music released a series named “Carpool Karaoke” last August 2017.  The series has renewed for a second season. The show is about a celebrity couple who sing along with their favorite playlists in a car. The "Carpool Karaoke" features celebrity couples like:

• Alicia Keys & John Legend
• James Corden & Will Smith
• Maisie Williams & Sophie Turner
• Queen Latifah & Jada Pinkett Smith
• Shakira & Trevor Noah