SINJINI GHOSH
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We all know what fighting over the mic, belting out wrongly
timed lyrics and anticipating our turn with the karaoke
machine. Karaoke songs are typically music reproductions of
songs without the singers’ voice Who doesn’t love karaoke?
Originating in Japan, the word is composed of ‘kara’ from
‘karappo’ meaning void and ‘oke’ from ‘okesutura’ or
orchestra. It’s said that it started in the 1970s, with a certain
Daisuke Inoue who recorded his songs and sold it to people to
sing along with. This is when the first karaoke machine was
created, and started cropping up in hotels and bars. Before the
world knew it, it went viral.
Karaoke became something between a sport and a gimmick,
a way to have more fun while ordering another round of
drinks. In the 80’s karaoke boxes came into existence- now
people could sing to their hearts content in a small private
room- this now meant singing loudly and badly, without the
embarrassment of performing for strangers, bringing all they
shy bathroom singers out into the bars.
By the end of 80s, laser discs became hugely popular, and with
it came the advent of lyrics on a monitor. This revolutionized
the karaoke fever, reaching heights in the ‘90s. This simple
idea of singing to a soundtrack in front of a live audience
became an irrefutable part of the American bar culture in
the 1990s, so much so that there are karaoke music awards
in San Francisco. From booths to bars to a distinct culture,
the rhetoric of karaoke reached manic pitch in the USA, and
then-like everything else, it spread to the metropolitan and
suburban world of everywhere else. In India karaoke has been
popularised in bars in the ‘80s, with Indian karaoke songs
being enjoyed by people all over the world.
Most Karaoke machines for home come equipped with an
extensive list of music. The old world charm of classics
mingles seamlessly with contemporary Bollywood, and now
housewives have the opportunity to relax after a long day
throwing their arms up and just singing without a care. Type
‘Sunidhi Chauhan’ in your YouTube search and be amazed
by the multitude of karaoke instrumentals that will pop up- a
singing sensation in one click, sounds appealing doesn’t it?
Now in the today that we know, the karaoke bar is a culture
singularly by itself.
It’s a niche industry of the tightrope walk between art and
commercialisation. Karaoke can also be seen as a replication
of generations and generations of the human race indulging
in oral tradition and keeping folk and oral tradition alive.
Keeping aside the fact that it is in fact a sociological and
anthropological phenomenon, karaoke is simply a Good Time.
It means an evening of eclectic, participatory and liberating
well, ‘masti’. (Besides being the only space you can publicly
scream badly sung Kailash Kher unabashedly) Karaoke is
that one shot for everyone to be star, even if just for five
minutes- as Nickelback says, we all do really just wannabe
rockstars after all.
Wish-fulfilling, entertaining and engaging, that’s karaoke. It
gives f