How to bring the house down at karaoke

0:00A quick note before we start today's show. You may have heard that President Trump has issued an executive order seeking to block all federal funding to NPR. This is the latest in a series of threats to media organizations around the country. Whatever changes this brings, NPR's commitment to reporting and to serving the public will never change. Even as paywalls rise elsewhere, we offer our reporting as a resource to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. This is a pivotal moment. It's much more important than ever that every supporter who can contribute comes together to pitch in as much as they're able.

0:37Support the news and programming you and millions rely on by visiting donate.npr.org. And if you already support us through NPR Plus or Another Way, thank you. Your support means a lot to us now more than ever. You help make NPR shows freely available to everyone. And we're proud to do this work for you. and with you. All right, here's the show. You're listening to Life Kit from NPR. Hey, it's Marielle. When I lived in Providence, Rhode Island, I went to a bar one time that happened to have karaoke. I say that because I didn't go there to sing, and there were plenty of people sitting around not partaking.

1:20Anyway, I remember this somber-looking man getting on the mic and beginning the puddle melts that would be his performance. The song was Foolish Games by Jewel. If you haven't heard it, it starts like this, with some moody piano.

1:49This song is about a lover who's done you wrong. And this guy, he got into it. He was all, in case you fail to notice, in case you fail to see, This is my heart bleeding before you This is me down on my knees And these foolish games That must have been the part when he leaned his back against the pillar and slowly slid down to the floor. Let me just be clear, the mood in this bar had been fairly jovial and then this guy comes on, rips his heart out of his chest and holds it up for the rest of us to look at.

2:43At the time, I felt embarrassed for him. Honestly, I was cringing at his vulnerability. But I think about this story a little differently now. Because from what I could tell, he was going through something, right? Maybe a breakup. and he found an outlet in music. That's some of the magic of karaoke. He wasn't a talented singer, and you don't have to be. The karaoke contract states, you get up there on the mic, the instrumental plays, you sing, we witness. And we don't judge. I hadn't learned that part yet. Feeling morose? Go ahead, sing Foolish Games. If you're angsty, how about You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette.

3:27Celebrating a big achievement? There are plenty of songs for that too. Karaoke is a place where you can work through your emotions and find some power. On this episode of Life Kit, how to karaoke. Whether you're a seasoned karaoke veteran or a first-timer trying to muster up the nerve, there are strategies you can use to get yourself ready. Our guide for this episode will be reporter Zach Rosen. He hosts a very fun podcast called The Best Advice Show, and he headed out into the night to gather some karaoke best practices for us.

4:08If I'm walking down the street wearing my big soft headphones, singing along to my favorite music, I sound incredible. But if I don't have Tom Petty or Michael Stipe beaming into my ears, My skill diminishes quickly. My pitch is off. My voice breaks. And I don't aspire to sing well, necessarily. I just want to not humiliate myself. So before I karaoke in front of a room full of strangers, I need to dip my toe in somewhere safe, somewhere familiar, somewhere I can trust that if I falter, it'll be okay. Testing. All right, everybody. Sing along. It's like all of a sudden you're on, you know? That can be scary.

4:59But you get to build, like, it's like a trust fall through voice. Yes, a vocal trust fall. I like that. I want that.

5:16There's a place in southwest Detroit. it's best at dusk in late summer when rows of bright yellow sunflowers stand taller than people. Shine bright like a diamond. Shine bright like a diamond. The above-ground pool is filled with clean, warm water. The fire pit is roaring with flames. And the picnic table is overflowing with dates and hummus and crackers and bottles of wine. this dear listener is the k-hole k as in karaoke not k-hole like a ketamine trip

6:00you're listening to the k-hole co-founders get revved up for another night of karaoke they are detroiters jenny lee cyra dardis and diana new sarah friends of mine full disclosure Diana was the one who called karaoke a vocal trust fall. Her backyard is invite only, and when the weather is good, like it is tonight, the K-Hole convenes here about once a month. If you're like me, you might be intimidated in the presence of these pros and their rotating crew of karaoke-loving friends. But I think coming out of your karaoke shell at a place like this, private, surrounded by friends, is a great place to start.

6:38And with small private gatherings like this, you can get a lot of reps in on the mic, as opposed to a big karaoke bar where you might just get one shot to sing.

6:56No matter who you are or where you decide to karaoke, Jenny and Syrah have a takeaway for you. Our first takeaway. There is a place for you at karaoke. Knowing if you're not, quote-unquote good singer like you don't have a good voice or you haven't been in choirs your whole life whatever just knowing that there's a role for you in the karaoke ecosystem right so like you can get you getting up there and like doing a song not very well like awkwardly missing the lyrics all of that actually like makes other people feel comfortable to like then get up and do it. And then them getting up is just like adding like fuel to the fire that's going to then be the beautiful bonfire that is the karaoke experience.

7:48So don't be afraid to do that. It's an important part. Yeah, and I think like you'll start like, I don't, I mean, I know that some people are not trained in music and maybe our voices are very different or whatever, but even if you're going to like kind of talk, sing, like it's a good time to see someone doing that because it does break the mold and it invites other people in to be like, oh, wow, I never thought about doing that kind of singing here. Yeah, I like talk singing as a way in. You know a song like Walk on the Wild Side or something like that? A hustle here and a hustle there. New York City is the place where they said he'd be.

8:26Take a walk on the wild side. So takeaway two, you can find a song that fits your unique range and ability. It just might take some light research and practice before you take the stage. I mean, I feel like it's just first noticing, like, what are the songs that really hit you? And just being like, oh yeah, that song. What would it be like to sing that? So, like, just, like, paying attention to the music that you're surrounded by and that, like, is meaningful to you from different eras of your life. So that you can know, like, what it is you want to sing. So take note of the songs that resonate and keep a list.

9:01Think about the songs that, if they come on the radio, you automatically turn it up and know every word. Think about the songs you were obsessed with in middle school and high school. The songs you always belt out in the car. Add these to your list. I've started one in my phone's Notes app. And then from there, start practicing those songs. In the car, in the shower. Like, you have to know the lyrics. You mean know them, like be able to read them? No, no, no. You're saying you have to have them memorized? You need to... That's a tall order. You need to know the song well enough that seeing the words cues it in your mind where you're like...

9:38You need to know the melody. You need to know the melody. The melody is technically just the pitch and rhythm of the notes coming together. For our purposes, the melody is the most recognizable part of the song. So when you sing, twinkle, twinkle, little star, that's the melody. You don't have to have it memorized. But you need to know how the words that you're reading on the screen fit into the song so that it can flow. So because once you mess up the words and then you stumble, it can crumble from there. We're like, I don't know it. And then you kind of lose your confidence. Is there a way to get your confidence back mid-song?

10:12Yeah. Oh, yeah. Once you sync back up with the melody and the lyrics. As for what song is in your range, there's flexibility here. On your list, you can have songs where you know you'll be able to roughly hit the notes every time. But you also don't have to forego singing a song you really love just because there are super high notes, or it requires belting. Here's Diana. Like, visually, someone could be a really good performer, but have, like, not a great voice in that. But their conviction is, like, there, and they're, like, singing to you with their body. Someone could have an amazing voice, and that could be like, holy crap, like, wow, we just witnessed that.

10:54But for me, I love it when you can tell someone loves that song. This is very important. Takeaway three, embody your love of the song in your performance. Clench your fist and pump it. Shake your hips. Close your eyes. Let the music literally move you. Become the R &B star you always dreamt of becoming. Like Syra is here. I think you better call Syra.

11:28And tell him, come on Doing that is more important than nailing the technical performance. I think to me, like, just love that song so much and like they're feeling or figuring something out when they sing it. To me, that makes a beautiful performance. Karaoke is a chance to channel that singer you love. You get to be a pop star for a few minutes, so give pop star during your performance. Diana is a ringer. She's so good. She puts out records as Mother Cyborg and credits karaoke with helping her find her voice. I started recording, and in a band, because I was karaokeing, I found my voice through karaoke.

12:09Takeaway number four, warm up. Before she sings, Diana loosens up her vocal cords with a breathing exercise, which we can and should do too. The hee-haw. he ha he ha he ha he ha so how do we teach us how to do that what do we do so you say he

12:38and you just kind of give it all your might like he yeah and then you do and that's the way that you engage your diaphragm singing from your diaphragm is something people are always talking about. It seems important. I don't know what my diaphragm is. That's what pushes the breath through your lungs. And that's how you control your breath and stuff like that is with your diaphragm. So when you do the hee-haw, you learn how to feel it so that you can engage it when you're singing. So do your hee-haws. You can make a siren noise with your lips like this. You can try an exercise where you inhale for four counts.

13:18then exhale on a hiss for 8 to 12 counts.

13:28Vocal exercises like these can build up your singing muscles and help you hold notes for longer. And yet another byproduct of these warm-ups, they help you activate your parasympathetic nervous system which will help ground you, easing those pre-karaoke jitters. The last warm-up Diana teaches me is something she calls loose lips. Yeah, and that just loosens your face up, and the looser your face is, the more you're just, like, using your lips to make the shapes to have the sounds. Hee-haw, loose lips. Exactly. If you remember one thing tonight, folks, it's the hee-haw, loose lips. I've done a fair amount of singing at private karaoke parties, but very little out in the world, in front of strangers.

14:14But I want to try it. I'm not confident in my singing voice, though. Nor do I think I can sell my performance with cool, evocative moves like the K-Holers prescribe. So I'm going to take some time. I'm going to pay attention to the songs ringing around in my head and rehearse in the shower.

14:41And I'm going to work on my breathing techniques. But I could also use a pep talk. And I know the perfect person, Abigail Bankson. She brings us takeaway five. Karaoke is a way to get free and to build power. And then as far as what you do, what do you say? I usually say I'm a singer, a composer and a singer. Okay. I was thinking song priestess, but that's... I don't know if I can claim that for myself, but if you want to call me that, I'll be honored. Abigail and her partner Sean make up the Banksons, a musical duo that puts out albums and musicals. They just finish up a run as the house band of the Broadway show All In.

15:26You might have seen their raw, gorgeous stuff on Instagram, like this one from early in the pandemic. I am Abigail, and this is Sean, and we're so glad that you turned this on and welcomed us into your home, and you are welcome into our home. We're in Dayton, Ohio. We're in Sean's parents' house. I think we have the tendency to be the devils on our own shoulders, telling ourselves we can't do it. But Abigail is here to tell us we can, and it's going to be amazing. We have a vocabulary growing about body positivity, body acceptance, body love. and we don't have a vocabulary around voice acceptance, voice positivity, voice vocal love, even though that is so often the way we meet the world is through our voices.

16:20And voice, your voice is from your family. It's cultural. But I also have a feeling that everyone's voice is like a fingerprint. Like it's something truly, completely your own. when you allow it to be. And I'm not very interested in an excellent singing voice. It's just in the same way that I don't think there's such a thing as an excellent body. I think that there are more or less liberated bodies, more or less liberated voices. What Abigail looks for in a singer is someone who's willing to be brave enough to get free on stage. When they get free, I get free. Being vulnerable like that is a gift.

17:03You're modeling vulnerability. You're modeling courage. What an incredible thing, no matter what happens next. We will be together tonight. For the key. Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going on. Keep going on the song. This is a key. Keep going, keep going. Yeah, I think it's also an exercise in building power in yourself. Kay Hohler, Syrodartist. Like for me, that's why I started doing karaoke, because I was like, I need to exercise power and I need to find it in myself and like figure out how to tap into it. And it is like a wielding of like goofy wielding of power moment. Now is the time.

17:47Now is the hour. Now is the time for K-Hole power. Now is the time. my family and I moved to Amsterdam last year and on a recent Thursday night I set off for a popular tourist district in the center of the city when you're en route to your performance like I am you might consider building your own pre-show routine have your song list ready run through the songs you think you might sing do some of your vocal warm-ups take away six create your own pre-show ritual okay I am on my bike on the way to the karaoke bar. Oh, God. Oh, gosh. Okay, just do your voice warm-ups, buddy. I'm headed to Coco's Outback, a cavernous, Australian-themed sports bar that's known to have a rockin' weekly karaoke night.

18:41Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Coco's Outback. It's Thursday night again, so we're gonna sit some songs tonight. I'm Boris Nolens. I live in Amsterdam. I'm 24 years old. I've been doing the MCing for about a year now. What advice would you give people who haven't sung before, who are about to sing in front of a group of people? If you're with a group, peer pressure 100 % helps. And after that, yeah, just try to find a song that people like, a song that other people will also sing along with, so you're not standing in front of a crowd that's quiet, listening, looking at you. Don't pick an obscure song.

19:17Exactly. Make something easy, something that everyone knows mainstream, and then just go for it. So if you're gotten up there, you've chosen your Aerosmith song or your Billie Eilish song, and you are ready to go. Song priestess Abigail Bankson once again. I would say, take a deep breath, feel your feet on the ground. Don't worry about what it's going to look like or sound like. Think about how it's going to feel. I'd say, ask yourself, hmm, what's going to happen? And then tell the truth, which is, I don't know. And then, man, life is too long and too short. Grab a little bit of joy where you can.

20:05Take pleasure. Excellence is not that interesting.

20:18People half my age slowly emerge on the dance floor. They're singing and dancing to songs I've never heard. Boris, the emcee, asks me what song I'm going to do. After more than a week of internal debate, I tell him, You can call me Al. What is it? You can call me Al by Paul Simon. You're not going to do something mainstream, he says. Well, it was really popular in the 80s, I tell him. He eyes me with suspicion and pity, and he tells me I should take a shot. He brings me a Jagerbomb. That's a shot of Jägermeister dropped inside a Red Bull. I've never had Jägermeister. I've never had Red Bull. But I down it with him because I feel it would be rude to turn it away.

21:01I want to clarify, you don't have to drink to enjoy karaoke. Lots of my friends who are sober love karaoke. And not for nothing, Life Kit has some solid episodes about understanding the risks of alcohol. Boris says I have about 15 minutes till he'll call me to the stage. Then I remember something Syra and Jenny from the K-Hole advised me to do. They said before you go up, go to the bathroom, put in your earbuds, and do some last-second rehearsing. Down-low practice one last time. So that's what I do in the privacy of the bathroom. And also one last hee-haw. In the bathroom, getting to my vocal warm-ups one last time.

21:41Hee-haw. Hee-haw.

21:50I'm relieved when the very young people recognize the song. See, Boris? It is mainstream. I start bobbing my head, shaking my hips. I nail the first few words. Then I lose track of where I am. Oh, God.

22:08This is not going as planned. Then a drunk guy, probably 25 years old, tops, jumps up on stage and puts his arm around me. So I hand him the mic.

22:26And then I remember Diana and Jenny's wise words. Is there a way to get your confidence back mid-song? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Once you, like, sync back up with the melody and the lyrics. Like when a record skips, just put it back on the groove.

22:48I find my footing, kind of, but I realize no one cares how well I'm singing. They care that I am singing, that I'm up there awkwardly, but finding some fun in the midst of it.

23:02I survived the performance. I'm not being self-deprecating when I say, I sucked. But after getting over my nerves, I genuinely had a great time singing and stumbling in front of strangers. And I feel far less fear and more audacious because of it. Thanks, karaoke.