Breakaway - My Karaoke Journey

"Karaoke is for people who can't sing!" -Me, circa 2004

This was my opinion of karaoke singers for as long as I can remember.  Honestly, I made fun of these people!  They were nerds!  I never understood why people would get up on a stage and sing some old overplayed song for drunk people's enjoyment.  Can't they just listen to the radio?  Sure, it was fun, but there was no real talent behind these singers.  I found out over the course of the next few years that I had been wrong all along.

Lets start with a little bit of my past.  I always knew I could sing and had a great ear for music.  The problem was, I was never in choir and never sang in front of people.  How was I supposed to know that I was actually good and not tone deaf?  Just like many other singers who start out, I didn't know, and that was the problem.  The only solution was for me to get up in front of people and belt out a song I thought I was good at.  There was no better way to do this than to try, and try I did!

My karaoke journey began with singing at a small town bar in front of a monitor, but ended with me opening for a big act in front of thousands.  How did a small town self-proclaimed "karaoke hater" achieve this you ask?  What began with a silly karaoke dream had evolved into something bigger.

Throughout this blog, I will share my interesting journey in bits and pieces while still touching base on important questions I have about karaoke.  If you are skeptical of how karaoke can make someone a star, so was I, but karaoke gave me skills that have helped me propel along my path to achieve my dream of becoming a real singer.  I am not quite there yet though.  I still wonder what role karaoke plays in a hopeful singers career.  Are there successful singers out there that have started with karaoke?  Can karaoke open doors for a singer or hold them back?  Can karaoke be taken seriously?  Do I have what it takes to go from karoke to record deal?  Even if I don't make it, what can I gain from performing karaoke?  These are all questions I hope to narrow down and answer throughout the growth of my blog. 

For my next blog entry I want to discuss the feeling of stepping on stage for the first time.  This will be interesting to re-visit the awkard moment.  Wish me luck!

-Maryoke