Are you a Karaoke fan looking for interesting and fun facts about karaoke? If yes, then you will surely enjoy this article and you will know much more about karaoke than before!
Karaoke is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, with music fans everywhere flocking to karaoke bars and singing their hearts out.
So why is it so popular? And are there any fun facts about Karaoke that prove it’s more than just a fad? See this article for seven great fun facts about Karaoke
Whether you’re a casual karaoke fan or a diehard enthusiast, it’s nearly impossible to ignore this fad that is still going strong.
But as popular as it is, not everyone knows the details behind Karaoke.
For example, did you know that an American dentist invented it?
Or that some of the most famous songs in karaoke history were originally written for other genres of music?
Here are 7 fun facts about Karaoke:
1. What is Karaoke?
It is a form of entertainment where singers sing with the help of a Karaoke microphone to entertain an audience.
The music is typically a well-known song with the instrumental track removed and replaced with lyrics, basically, they are called karaoke songs.
Karaoke is a form of interactive entertainment or videoke, in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music (usually a CD or MP3 file).
The music is typically instrumental versions of popular songs.
Lyrics are displayed on a video screen and singers are sometimes accompanied by dancers.
Now Karaoke Machines are available, which makes it very easy to do karaoke in the comfort of your home.
2. The History of Karaoke
Karaoke is a Japanese word that means “empty orchestra“.
It was invented in Kobe, Japan, in 1971 by Daisuke Inoue, a musician who wanted to make a less expensive way for people to have a good time singing.
Released in Japan in 1974, it was a hit once it was introduced to the U.S., and it became popular with the younger crowd.
Inoue’s Karaoke company, Daisuki, introduced the karaoke machines to the Japanese market in 1979.
For one thing, humans don’t sing to other humans, or at least, not in a way that sounds natural. In order to sing to someone else, you have to be able to mimic their pitch, pitch fluctuation, and breath sounds.
In addition, duets would sound strange if the singer and the listener didn’t match. Dancing and singing with rhythm using pitch, breath, and the singer’s voice also isn’t as natural as singing by yourself.
Robin Lygdbäck, professor of music at the University of Florida, said Karaoke is “a mechanism for synchronizing our singing to each other”.
Overall, the inventor, Daisuke Inoue, was interested in creating instruments for musicians that would enable them to sing with greater flexibility and control. He became a dentist in Kobe so he could practice making dental instruments.
According to time online, Daisukiyo is also a Kono song, or Konbini, in Japan — a recreation of a song intended to be sung to a single person by a pair of musicians.
In other words, Daisuke believed that a single song could be sung to many people using only two voices.
Moreover, music producer David Foster said that he was motivated to create the karaoke series because he couldn’t stand the feeling of not dancing at his favorite karaoke bars.
During that time, he was reducing his drinking significantly to reduce stress.
After discovering the energy dance craze in 1991, he learned how to turn the standard dancing routines and popular songs into dance routines inspired by popular music.
These dances became known as “dancing Konbini.”
Dancing Konbini is a highly popular dance in countries worldwide, which is probably why Karaoke became popular in other musical genres.
3. Karaoke Guinness World Record
Many people made Guinness World Record in Karaoke here are some of the famous and interesting ones!
- Leonardo Polverelli holds the Guinness World Record for the longest karaoke marathon record( which is a total of 101 hours 59 minutes and 15 seconds non-stop singing) in September 2011 and he sang 1295 songs!!! He’s the only Italian to hold the record. It all started when he was a child and he read an article about a Japanese man who broke the record for the longest karaoke marathon
- The current karaoke world record for the most songs sung in a day is held by a group of students from China, who sang 134 songs in 24 hours, which means they were singing at a rate of one song every 2 minutes and 17 seconds.
- On October 25, 2012, the largest karaoke event in history took place at the “Karaoke World Championships” in Hong Kong, where 10,000 people gathered at the AsiaWorld-Expo to sing host Jacky Cheung’s “Happy Birthday” and Robert Tepper’s “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake).
4. Famous music that started out as karaoke songs
Karaoke is a form of sing-song entertainment that became popular in the United States during the Great Depression.
Its heyday finally came during the 1950s when Hollywood stars entered karaoke competitions to win big in the annual Hollywood film star contest.
The competition that spawned Karaoke was so popular the results were entered into the National Register of Deeds.
This resulted in the song “We Shall Be So Many” being entered into the official list of the top 100 songs of all time.
Journey – Don’t Stop Believin: Originally released as a karaoke track in the 1980s, Journey re-recorded the song for their album Escape. The song became a hit for them and is now one of the most famous songs.
Moreover, One of the most famous songs that started as Karaoke is “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. The song was first recorded in 1969 as part of an album of Neil Diamond songs performed as Karaoke.
5. The most popular songs in karaoke history
Here are some most popular songs in karaoke history:
- In the 1980s, the best-selling karaoke song was “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.
- The best-selling karaoke song in the 1990s was “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston.
- The best-selling karaoke song in the 2000s was “Hey Jude” by The Beatles.
- The Power of Love – Huey Lewis and the News
- I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner
- Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
- “My Way” by Frank Sinatra is the most popular karaoke song of all time.
6. Where is Karaoke most popular?
The popularity of Karaoke varies from place to place, but it’s always growing.
The places with the most karaoke bars per capita tend to be cities with a lot of tourists.
You might think Karaoke is for people who go to bars and have a lot of fun. That would be a misconception, though, because Karaoke is equally enjoyable at home.
Many foreign singers and musicians discover the joy of singing in karaoke environments when returning to their home countries.
While not every country has enough karaoke opportunities to satisfy everyone’s taste, International Cultural Tourism Organization (ICT) has recognized six unique destinations which attract thousands of overseas tourists annually for their unique cultural offerings and being Karaoke hotspots: France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom
7. Karaoke is an essential part of American Culture
Karaoke started in the US in the 1970s.
In the 1980s, karaoke machines began showing up in the U.S., and they were considered a novelty.
American culture is based on two things—music and Karaoke. And, again, it’s not just the music that builds this culture but the fact that it grows naturally out of the people involved.
America is a country with a lot of immigrants. Being an immigrant, many of them feel a strong connection to their new homes and the fantastic people that live there.
It’s this same bond that drives many people to sing, dance, and take part in cultural celebrations—whether it’s Flag Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Karaoke has been around since the late 19th century, initially as a way to draw crowds and boost business.
As music evolved from blues to jazz to rock n’ roll, so did the art form.
Today, an estimated six billion people listen to some form of Karaoke around the world. Thousands perform in front of hundreds of thousands of people at annual events, including music festivals like America’s biggest music festival, Coachella.
Conclusion!
From learning the history of Karaoke, we can see how the activity has evolved over the years.
Karaoke has become more and more popular, and now you can find karaoke bars worldwide.
By learning some fun facts about Karaoke, you can make sure that you have a great time when you host a karaoke party or when you go to a bar to get on stage yourself!
Karaoke is not only good for bonding with friends, but it’s also a great way to express yourself and make new memories.
John Smith is the founder and CEO of Karaoke Machines Guru. He is a karaoke tutor and karaoke enthusiast and has been passionate about karaoke since he was a child. He also writes about karaoke-related tips, guides, and product reviews on this website.
He overlooks the whole website and makes sure that everything is running smoothly. Learn more!
