This week with turn out attention to the UK and London’s vibrant karaoke scene. Anna speaks with Mike Gabel, found of the House of Hot Breath, to discuss his infamous Hot Breath Karaoke nights across London.

Karaoke Credits:

• Max Tundra performing Vanessa Carlton ‘1,000 Miles’
• Billy performing Elvis Presley ‘Hurt’
• Maureen performing Sia ‘Alive’
• Richard performing Bruno Mars ‘When I Was Your Man’
• Laura performing Bonnie Tyler ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’

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On this week’s episode, Anna and Justin speak with Ally Lopez and Sarah Booz about karaoke romance, dating (and hook-ups!)

Karaoke Credits:

• Anna singing Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know
• Other Russell performing Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself
• Griffin McMahon singing Hall & Oates ManEater

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This week, Anna and Justin are joined in studio with New York’s Kings of Karaoke host Sarah Booz and also Ally Lopez from last week’s episode. They talk about how Sarah went from hating to loving karaoke, karaoke etiquette and the complicated nature of choosing rap songs.

Karaoke credits:

• Sarah Booz performing Sublime’s “Date Rape” at Pine Box Rock Shop in Brooklyn
• The Wolf and Tigerlily performing The Weeknd’s “The Hills” at Cobra Club in Brooklyn
• Prince of Persia performing Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” at the Spread Eagle in London
• Dave performing Dr. Dre and Eminem’s “Forgot About Dre” at Pine Box Rock Shop in Brooklyn

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In this week’s episode, Anna and Justin speak to Alejandra Lopez, a trained professional singer (and karaoke enthusiast!) about the “diva belters” and how doing karaoke at Pinebox in Brooklyn allowed her to extend her repertoire as a performer.

Karaoke Credits:

• Harley Fox singing Beyonce’s “Listen” at the Way Station in Brooklyn
• Ally Lopez singing Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” and Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” at B Burger Bar, Glastonbury, Connecticut
• Anna Kealey singing Lady Gaga’s “You and I” at the Way Station

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In this week’s episode, Anna and Justin continue their conversation with Anne Quito, discussing everything from the cathartic powers of karaoke to why Celine Dion songs are perfect karaoke fodder.

Karaoke Credits:

• Anna Kealey and Justin Falcone singing Celine Dion’s “All Coming Back to Me Now”
• Alissa May Atkinson singing Alanis Morrisette’s “Hand in my Pocket”
• Justin Falcone singing Pearl Jam’s “Black”
• Anna Kealey singing the Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly”
• Anna Kealey and Phill O’Connor singing Michelle Branch’s “All You Wanted”

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In this very first episode, hosts Anna Kealey and Justin Falcone are interviewed by journalist Anne Quito about their love of karaoke, failsafe songs and other tips for beginners.

Karaoke Credits:

• Jennifer singing Nathalie Imbruglia ‘Torn’
• Anna singing Lisa Loeb ‘Stay’
• Anna singing Alanis Morisette ‘You Oughta Know’

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This is a transcript of a talk Justin gave on the Karaoke Theory project.

Don’t Stop Believing: Towards a Collaborative Theory of American Karaoke

For much of my life I’ve been a karaoke lover, but recently I’ve become a karaoke thinker. Ive been working on a podcast on karaoke theory — coming out this July — and I want to share some of my insights with you.

First: a little background. Sing-alongs have existed as long as music itself, but in 1971, the modern karaoke machine was invented by Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue. As the story goes, a band he was managing was doing what we now call live band karaoke, and he wanted to take the act on the road without actually bringing the band. The word “karaoke” itself is a portmanteau of “kara ōkesutora”, meaning “empty orchestra”. But this talk is not an in-depth history; after all, we’ve all got the same wikipedia.

Karaoke became a widespread cultural phenomenon, first in Japan and later throughout the rest of Asia. I don’t have much insight into these cultures. American karaoke, though it’s largely built upon the infrastructure originally provided for Japanese, Filipino and Korean audiences, is still a bit of a novelty and has a different place in society.

I can only speak to my own experiences. So tonight, I’m sharing my personal observations and insights from American karaoke culture. I want to focus on two questions people ask me as a karaoke “expert”: how do you pick the right song, and why do I love karaoke?

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Some photos from our recording session: