Karaoke is a device that plays instrumental accompaniments for a selection of songs to which the user sings along and that records the user's singing with the music. Karaoke is also a form of entertainment involving the use of a karaoke machine.





Karaoke bars have become very popular in many countries around the world, as have karaoke restaurants with songs often available in other languages. Nonetheless, the mention of going to one often elicits groans and moans from those involved. Still, once there and with microphone in hand, those who complained the loudest are often the hardest to stop!

The word ‘karaoke’ comes from ‘kara’, empty (as in karate – empty hand) and ‘oke’(short for okesutora), orchestra. Rather than including both vocals and music, karaoke tracks only have the music. The vocals are provided by a live person (not a professional) who holds a microphone and sings while following the words displayed on a screen or in a book.

The history of karaoke

While most people agree that it started in Kobe, the origins of karaoke are obscure. One story claims that a snack bar owner, when a performer failed to appear, put on tapes of music and asked people if they wanted to sing. From such insignificant beginnings, karaoke has spread, not just throughout Japan, but also throughout the world and the term ‘karaoke’, while pronounced differently, has been accepted into common language usage.

From it’s early origins on tape, karaoke moved into CDs, finally incorporating videos and graphics along with on-screen text prompts for those unsure of the song words. The fad spread into bars and restaurants and, even if the person singing wasn’t very good, they were applauded at the end. Some people would sing lots of songs and some would only sing one but karaoke brought the people at the venue together in a whole new way.