I *love* karaoke.  True, I’m a horrible singer (except for my one song, noted below, that I’ve practiced in the car until I’m sure I’ll kill it), but what I lack in talent, I make up for in enthusiasm.  Whenever I get a microphone in my hand, I can’t help but show off my total weakness for rocking out to my favorite songs as if I was some video star myself.

A lot of people are reluctant to do karaoke, which I don’t understand if you get a private room (like at Feel Karaoke in Koreatown) because your friends should give you a lot more points than complete strangers for the above-mentioned enthusiasm.  I want to encourage everyone to accept any karaoke invitation ever extended, so below are a few tips I’ve learned throughout the years:

1. Find your “signature” song.  Even if you’re a horrible singer (like me) there is ONE song out there that you can practice enough to totally impress your friends and make them think you know what you’re doing.  Mine is “Mrs. Jackson” by OutKast.  I think rap is a always a good signature choice because you don’t really have to know how to carry a tune so long as you can keep up with the lyrics.  And you want it to be fast (hence the impressive factor) but not too indecent (you don’t want to shock the office crew too much), with a break to catch your breath.  There are some Eminem songs that fit the bill too.
2. Pick crowd favorites.  It’s always fun if everyone gets excited by the song and joins in, even if they don’t have the microphone in their hands.  There are a few songs that I’ve found inspire even the hardest of hearts.  “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey is the #1.  Surprisingly, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel has a lot of fans (many of whom may have learned the lyrics as part of their high school history course).  “All Star” by Smash Mouth prompts everyone to mime the “shape of an L on [her] forehead.”  And any hit by Britney Spears or N’Sync will, I’m sure, have some wallflowers budding.
3. Throw in at least one ABBA song.  “Dancing Queen.”  “Knowing Me, Knowing You.”  “Mamma Mia.”  “Take a Chance on Me.”  “SOS.”  We’ve all seen the musical or the movie, so we can sing along.
4. Recognize your limitations.  There are a lot of songs that are so amazing, but impossible to sing.  Any rap song that you haven’t practiced in the car is going to go off the rails.  And anything too high (like “Kiss” by Prince) may stress the range of the microphone.  Reverb can really kill the vibe.

Last but not least, dress appropriately!!!!!  Here, I’m wearing a pink shoulder-padded mini dress from Balmain that I got from Farfetch (http://www.farfetch.com) with black Splendid leggings and black Burberry knee boots.  It has a totally 80s dance feel that made my time with the microphone even more fun.

So next time you get that karaoke invite that you want to pass up, just say YES!  With these tips and a positive attitude, I swear you’ll have the “Time of [Your] Life” (although you probably shouldn’t select that Bill Medley/Jennifer Warnes song unless you’re going to do the Dirty Dancing lift).