Karaoke Forums

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Hi All...been a member for awhile but just now decided to become active. I'm Paula and am a confirmed Karaoke Junkie. Have been for 20 years. I have sung since I was literally a child- when I was 5 I used to force all my parents friends to sit and watch my concerts- complete with choreography and a spoon for a mic! How many 5 year olds do you think there were who know every word to "I am Woman"?  :D  So as you cn see I was audacious at an early age. Not much changed as I grew up.

I moved to Myrtle Beach SC and ran karaoke shows...one was a gong show. The bar owner complained that if there were too many ballads or bad singers they ran everyone else off...so we gave the singers some incentive to please not only themselves but the crowd. If the crowd started booing...and the majority of them hated "you" you got gonged. It got to the point where we had some singers that came JUST to BE gonged-LOL. They made an artform out if it. But the ironic thing was- some got so god-awful. good at being BAD..they became ENTERTAINING so the crowd LOVED them. We also had some totally KILLER singers too.

That was how I got my break into my first singing "Job". The owner of one of the big musical theatres heard me and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I've been singing professionally ever since! I have sung with all sizes of bands from Jazz trios to 10 piece funk bands. I've even sung with a few orchestras(THAT's a rush...72 players behind you and 10,000 music lovers in front of you...whhooooooeeeee...STRESS! But also serious FUN! IN fact- the only time I have NOT enjoyed myself when singing was on a certain "reality show" that has little to NOthing to do with reality! Can't speak for Idol...but the one I was on was little more than a staged farce. I felt raped and dirty after the experience- so did most of the other talents I got to know. Even ones that were well received.  They tell you what to do and what to wear and they cast an audience they pay to be rude(of course you as a contestant aren't told that little tidbit) All I will say about that is they edit everything...and can achieve anything they want, put words in your mouth... you name it! It really IS amazing what they will do in the name of "good TV" What a croc! Any Karaoke show is more REAL that that!

I decided to become active after hearing a few nasty remarks towards Karaoke on the part of Simon Cowell of American Idol. and Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff of America's Got Talent. When ever they want insult someone or to say someone is "amateur" sounding - they always says they sound "karaoke" Well that burned me up- because there are tons of professionals ( both former, FUTURE, and active like myself) who LOVE karaoke and do it all the time. So here I am posting my songs in the singers showcase to show that it ain't JUST for amateurs...Karaoke  is for serious singers no matter what their level of experience! I'm also here to encourage singers from all walks of life. I had some wise and experienced performers show me the ropes- and it's time to spread the knowledge. Singing is art...it makes the world a better place and us happier as individuals! So if anyone is brave enough to post their efforts & share them with the world- they deserve a little pat on the back! So Y'all check me out and leave me a message telling me who you are. Lets share music and be virtual friends!

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Hi and welcome to the site.

I too cringe when Simon makes mention of karaoke when putting down a singer. But he probably don't get out much.

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If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.

If Simon told me, I sounded like a karaoke singer, I would thank him.......I think I just made this up.... ...." one man's compliment, is another man's put-down"...........or let me quote one of my most favorite persons....." hey, I resemble that.."...... .......

 Hi Paula. My name is Perry. Nice to meet ya. Sounds like you're very talented from the experiences that you've mentioned. I haven't heard you yet, but I just caught this thread and wanted to say welcome.

It is a bit disheartening to hear the put downs about karaoke. Karaoke is all I know of for people like me. All of those wannabes in the talent shows came from somewhere, eh? Sure, I'm very much an amateur, and some would say not very good at all. I'd never be interested in trying to be any more than that. It's all for fun with me. Helps me deal sometimes. Alot can be released in the form of a certain song. I just rely on the pros to create the song, then I interpret them in my own style or voice....whichever ends up listenable.

I'll have to have a listen to your music. I bet you sound fabulous! Welcome again and take care.  :wave:

Hi Paula...I have had the pleasure of hearing you and there is no doubt you are one dynamite singer. As for myself, I am only at singers showcase for the fun. Although I've been a musician since age 6, the only singing I ever did was sight singing in college - enough to know I could carry a tune. And then of course my trailer trash band I was in in my early 20's but...well I don't really count that . I bought one of those little karaoke machines a few years ago and became hooked very quickly. I just completed the 5th upgrade to my home system and am pretty happy with what I have now.
   I visited Myrtle Beach in 2005 and hope to go back in November of this year - I fell in love with the place and would some day like to have a 2nd home there...we'll see .
   It was nice reading your bio and meeting you and I do my best to listen as time allows. I've gotten sucked into so many projects lately that I think I've lost my mind for saying "yes" to half of them ....Drea

I seem to remember one of the judges telling a very nervous but talented singer to get out there and perform more in front of others for the practice.  It was in years past. I also remember Elliott Yamin saying he performed in karaoke contests all the time. Had he not done that, I wonder if he would have had such wonderful vocal control when auditioning for the judges. I know when I'm really nervous, vocally I'm all over the place.

Anyway, I think Simon's nastiness is mostly for ratings. He's not a singer. He's a businessman. Look, it got us discussing him. I've heard many, many super talented singers here as well as on other sites and in karaoke bars who rival some of the best singers out there, all unique in their own styles. I wonder if they must be professional on some level.  

In my own experience sometimes when people learn I love singing karaoke, they're less than impressed or so amused that I would partake in such a silly hobby. It does tend to have a negative stigma. I read Pink had karaoke at her wedding reception and her guests loved it.

And on the subject of negative stigma, lounge singers get a bad rap too. Maybe I'm dumb, but to be a lounge singer entertaining others, don't you have to have some decent talent? AFter all, they're getting paid for singing.

Those naysayers can make fun all they want.  As for me, I think I'll keep singing, no matter what anybody thinks.

You have heard me Perry you left a really nice comment for me on my sub of "best thing that ever happened to me" a few days ago. You probably don't recognise the name because on singers showcase I'm "oneofakind864" wink...nice to see you again! Thanks for reading!
Paula

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I agree with you... I think the problem with lounge singers is that they ARE professional and should be past the point of figuring out what suits them and what doesn't --but they seem to insist on doing songs that have no business being done with just a piano as in most loungs...seriously...Nothing worse than a disco song wiht no drums- yet I have heard it. But there are some lounge singers who rock...think Diana Krall. Karaoke is what you make of it. It can be a light fluffy thing that it it's own end...or it can be a stepping stone for you to hone your talent. It also has a negative image necause there are many people that a feiend drags into a show- that don't really like music...Karaok would be a nightmare for them( I have several friends like this) There are also some very self indulgent karaoke singers who want to go over with the crowd- yet they aren't willing to sing songs that will win them over. If you're going up to sing and the last 6 singers have been ballads- you gonna get a bigger response if you do an up tempo tune. Vice versa- even if you have to wait a few songs longer in rotation- you and the crowd will have a much better time if you are willing to wait until there have been a few fast tunes in a row to do a ballad. Any good KJ knows this and would be HAPPY to accommpdate that sort of request. (You might get to sing MORE because you're making his show look good!) I used to run a gong show Karaoke where if the crowd didn't like you they booed you- when the majority of the crowd was booing- I gonged the act. But - they were warned in advace that they better either be good, be good at being bad, be entertaining...or be ready to get gonged and everyone LOVED it( except for the few who got their egos hurt...but who wants to hear a completely tone deaf wona singing purple people eater dressed up in a cow suit( complete w/ udders in front0YUCK!) anyway??? She got the message and next time she came in she did "Strokin" by clarence carter. When she got to the part where he says "and she was calling my name--clarence carter, clarence carter, clarence carter, clarence carter, This woman subed her own name- so here is this middle aged woman in coke bottle glasses looking like that cat lady singing a song about gettin nasty...then to hear that TONE DEAF "becky blank, becky blank, becky blank....the thought of ANY man so caught up in the throes of passion that he would holler out her name made me almost piss myself...so did everyone else. OL.... so I guess the moral to the story is either be good - or be so bad your're GREAT! But either way...Karaoke is a sight more entertaining than the mess I've seen on America;s Got Talent! Thanks for the post and the read! Check you later in the showcase!

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If Simon told me I sounded like a Karaoke singer first I would tell him 'thats because I AM a karaoke singer!!! and so are almost ALL of your OTHER contestants!" Then I would tell him "I'm glad you said that because I have been wanting to tell you "you need to STOP using karaoke interchangeable with mediochre!"LOL!
Paula

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Well, I finally have something to thank Simon for....  he's responsible for you becoming active so that we have the opportunity to hear your wonderful voice!  

I guess if I were to have Simon say to me that I sounded like a Karaoke singer, I would just have to respond something like.. " Oh, really? Which one?  Because I know of some karaoke singers that would blow all of the previous A.I. winners out of the water, and I know of some that are totally awful.  So that statement is meaningless!"