Karaoke: Singing our hearts out

It's your time to shine. Whether on a stage, in a private booth, or with a hairbrush in your bedroom, millions of us around the world have lost ourselves in a song, thanks to karaoke. What makes you sound so good on the karaoke mic? That would be decades of sound engineering (as well as a little of your own pizzazz). Between [the pitch-bending]( and the video subtitles—if you even need them for your favorite track—being a star has never been easier than it is now. What makes you feel so good when you’re up there belting it out? [Music makes us feel connected]( to other people, especially when we’re all singing together, as so often happens with karaoke. And of course that soupçon of terror that goes along with getting up in front of a crowd just adds to the adrenaline rush of performance. Pick your song, step up to the mic, and get ready to lose yourself in the music. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Weekly Obsession] Karaoke April 06, 2022 Time to shine --------------------------------------------------------------- Whether on a stage, in a private booth, or with a hairbrush in your bedroom, millions of us around the world have lost ourselves in a song, thanks to karaoke. What makes you sound so good on the karaoke mic? That would be decades of sound engineering (as well as a little of your own pizzazz). Between [the pitch-bending]( and the video subtitles—if you even need them for your favorite track—being a star has never been easier than it is now. What makes you feel so good when you’re up there belting it out? [Music makes us feel connected]( to other people, especially when we’re all singing together, as so often happens with karaoke. And of course that soupçon of terror that goes along with getting up in front of a crowd just adds to the adrenaline rush of performance. Pick your song, step up to the mic, and get ready to lose yourself in the music. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [Â¥100:]( Price of one karaoke song on the original Sparko Box, roughly Â¥370 (or $3.50) today [$781 million:]( Karaoke industry revenue in the US in 2019 [60 million:]( Estimated number of Japanese citizens who partook in a karaoke session at least once a year during its peak in the 1990s [12:]( Murders in the Philippines that at least tangentially involved someone singing “My Way” by Frank Sinatra [19 days:]( World record for longest karaoke session, set by more than 1,000 participants in Changchun, China [102 hours:]( World record for the longest marathon karaoke by an individual, set by Italian Leonardo Polverelli [1,413:]( Number of noraebang, South Korean karaoke bars where groups rent private rooms to sing, that went out of business between 2018 and 2019 Origin story Behind the music --------------------------------------------------------------- At least five different people seem to have invented the karaoke machine in Japan in the late 1960s and early 1970s, all completely independent of one other. [Shigeichi Negishi]( is widely credited as the “first” in 1967, dubbing his machine the Sparko Box. It was essentially a tape deck with an amplifier hooked up to a microphone, and some multicolored lights. Around the same time, [jukeboxes with a microphone and a limited number of tracks]( (called “music minus one” singles) started appearing in record stores, courtesy of Japan Victor Company (now JVC), which would go on to be the first major company to get a karaoke machine to market. [Toshiharu Yamashita]( would follow in 1970, selling eight-track accompaniment tapes for would-be singers, and [Iwao Hamasaki]( combined the technology to create the Mini-Juke. [Daisuke Inoue]( and his 8 Juke arrived in 1971; it looked fairly similar to the Sparko Box, but came with a reverb box to help smooth out the vocals. Because he also built out a lot of the industry infrastructure—[recording a library’s worth of tapes]( to go along with his machine—he’s most [widely credited as the inventor](. But only [Robert del Rosario](, a Filipino inventor who crafted the Sing Along System in 1975, would actually patent his creation. Daisuke Inoue’s 8 Juke got very popular, very fast—so fast that he was blindsided when a lot of his fellow freelance musicians ganged up to intimidate him because his machine was cutting into their business. “They were like yakuza,” he told Matt Alt in Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World. “We were archenemies.” Quotable “True love is singing karaoke ‘Under Pressure’ and letting the other person sing the Freddie Mercury part.” —[Mindy Kaling]( Giphy Pop quiz What is Singing Machine’s most popular karaoke song? “Friends in Low Places,” Garth Brooks“Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X“Let It Go,” Idina Menzel“Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen Correct. Correct! According to the at-home karaoke machine company, singers just couldn’t hold it back anymore. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Fun fact! “Karaoke” was originally an industry term for instrumental tapes singers would bring to the countryside where there’d be no full orchestra to perform with. Literally translated it means “empty orchestra.” Giphy The way we 🎤 now How to up your karaoke game --------------------------------------------------------------- Part of the thrill of karaoke is getting up in front of an audience and pouring your heart out through song. 💨 Take a deep breath No, really. Singers use their diaphragms, not their throats to power their voices. Practice breathing deeply and filling your lungs fully and visualize your voice coming from the middle of your ribcage, above your belly button. 🎵 Choose wisely These two lists of karaoke songs you should never sing are quite different, but both include tunes outside the vocal ranges of mere non-Whitney humans, overly long songs, and “[My Way](” and “[Bohemian Rhapsody](.” 💖 Love it Remember the part about pouring your heart out? You [gotta love a song]( to really deliver. Even if your voice isn’t amazing, watching someone put it all into a performance is. Giphy Watch this! A total eclipse of the heart --------------------------------------------------------------- Getting up on stage and baring your soul is a particular kind of intimacy. In the movies, karaoke scenes are often a moment where we come to understand something about a character, or see them in a new light, or when one character falls in love with another. Joseph Gordon Levitt’s performance of “Here Comes Your Man,” by The Pixies in 500 Days of Summer is everything you want from karaoke—heartfelt, endearing, and more than a little intoxicated. For a moodier version, watch [Bill Murray sing “More Than This,”]( by Roxy Music in Lost in Translation. Reuters/Carlos Osorio Million-dollar question What happens to karaoke in a pandemic? --------------------------------------------------------------- [Public singing]( has [not fared well]( during the pandemic. Singing is uniquely efficient at spreading [droplets far and wide](, making it risky even when practicing social distancing. [Karaoke pods formed at home](, with karaoke catalog subscriptions, and [Zoom karaoke](, like Zoom cocktail hour, was a thing for a minute. Karaoke spots from [San Francisco]( to [Ohio]( reopened with reservations, limited the number of singers on stage at once, and put up plastic spit barriers. Some [bars in Canada have taken to hosting]( events outdoors, where transmission [rates are far lower](. Japanese karaoke bars started offering a “[mask effect](,” amplifying the mid- and high-range pitches that get muffled when singing through a mask. Other spots in Japan pivoted, at least temporarily—their private rooms and big screens [make for ideal telecommuting offices]( for those in need. Britney Spears Playlist Feeling inspired? Here’s a karaoke-inspired playlist, a mix of proven standards and fun surprises, with a few duets in there for good measure. If you can nail the tricky chorus of Britney’s “Womanizer,” you’ve got a high energy hit on your hands. [Sing it loud]( Rohan Chakravarty Poll Ok, pick one to perform: [Click here to vote]( “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” by Bonnie Tyler“Baby’s Got Back,” by Sir Mixalot“Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X We’re not just obsessed with Karaoke — we’re also obsessed with you! To make sure we’re writing what you want to read, we need your input. Take [this three-minute survey]( to tell us how you feel. 💬 let's talk! In last week’s poll about [sci-fi adaptations](, a little more than 50% of you thought the Blade Runner movies were better than the book (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick), but a solid 39% chose Jurassic Park as being better than the book with the same title by Michael Crichton. Sorry, Crichton, but it’s tough to top Jeff Goldblum. 🤔 [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20Karaoke%20&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) 🎲 [Show me a random Obsession]( Today’s email was written by [Zosha Millman]( (“Alone” by Heart), edited by [Annaliese Griffin]( (“It’s Our Party” by Miley Cyrus), and produced by [Jordan Weinstock]( (“Wannabe” by Spice Girls). [facebook]([twitter]([external-link]( The correct answer to the quiz is “Let It Go,” Idina Menzel. Enjoying the Quartz Weekly Obsession? [Send this link]( to a friend! 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