Here’s how you can get your guests
to shed their inhibitions and sing out loud.
Karaoke is catching on, and how! With a mike in your hand, a
screen to read lyrics from, the full backing of the original orchestra
(minus the vocals) and indulgent friends as listeners, even the
more inhibited amongst us can be drawn into belting out our favourite
numbers – rock, pop, jazz, Hindi film hits… 
Jehan Sataravala of Jaws Events, who organised the first Karaoke
show in Pune at Thousand Oaks, says, “Karaoke is not necessarily
about good singing at all. It is actually about bad singing,”
he chuckles.
It’s about having a blast without feeling self-conscious,
whatever age you are. Karaoke gives everyone a chance to be a
star. As Jehan puts it, the idea of a Karaoke evening is to have
guests enjoy the heady rush of singing live. One doesn’t
have to be blessed with the voice of Kishore Kumar or Elvis to
take centre stage at a Karaoke party. “Anybody can take
part, and you'll be surprised just how appreciative the audience
can be. There’s never the risk of a bad singer losing the
audience, because the crowd invariably sings along louder!”
he grins.
Karaoke is a terrific ice-breaker, setting the pace and tempo
of a party, helping people to get comfortable and let their hair
down.
Marzban Irani of Decibels Pro has some tips for planning a Karaoke
evening. Some Golden Rules:
-
Make sure that there are a few uninhibited
trippers amongst your guests, who’ll set the ball rolling.
They’re bound to draw out the slightly hesitant, and before
you know it, there’ll be a clamour for the mike!
-
On average, only one person in fifteen will
sing before an audience: it follows then that Karaoke works
better for relatively large parties.
-
Gauge the music preferences of your guests,
and have an MC – a pro or someone from amongst your invitees,
hum a few tunes, to flag off the evening.
-
Never, ever, force anyone to sing. It never
works! Nothing kills a party – Karaoke or otherwise –
faster than awkwardness.
Equipment is integral to a Karaoke party. According to Marzban,
the basics are a DVD or LD Player, LCD Projector and screen, PA
system with amplifier and speakers, microphones and disco lights,
and of course a great mix of Karaoke videos and CDs.
Jehan too believes that the acoustics and other technicalities
should not be ignored, as you just don’t want screechy microphone
feedback to spoil the fun. “Lighting is very important as
well. It should make your guest feel like a rock star,”
he says. If you are doing the event at home, of course, the equipment
can be as simple as a television screen, mikes, a DVD player and
some great Karaoke videos.
Select your Karaoke tracks well. According to DJ Dexter, duets,
sentimental hits, soft rock and tracks from both girl and boy
bands are extremely popular. Karaoke CDs and tapes are easily
available at all music stores.
Once the singing takes off, you’ll find guests queuing up
to get up there for their 5 minutes of fame! The air will fill
with not just music, but requests, encores, and much merriment.
Judging from the popularity of Karaoke parties these days, chances
are that you will soon be invited to one or be tempted to throw
your own.
If you need help putting your party together, contact:
Jehan Sataravala,
Jaws Event Production and Management,
301/B, Forest Castles,
Opp. Satellite Towers, Koregaon Park,
Pune-36
Phone: 25123964/9823060426.
Email: snober@vsnl.com
or
Marzban Irani,
Decibels Pro,
B-4, Mantri Manor,
Sangamwadi, Koregaon Park,
Pune-1
Phone: 9823373332/26138305
- Ritika Ramtri Kumar
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