The Karaoke Experience

Chinese people love karaoke, or KTV as it is called here, and I felt like it was time to hit the mic again, so I arranged a group of people this past weekend to go singing. We had a great mix of Westerners and Chinese people, 21 in all, and we went to "Party World," which felt more like a luxury hotel with the marble floors and columns.

After filing into the room, we went into the buffet area for food and drinks to have before our version Chinese-Expat Idol commenced. My Chinese friends and students kicked-off the night with a number of contemporary and traditional songs. Unlike my Western friends and me who should have handed out ear plugs, my Chinese friends could all sing well. What happens is that one person stands and sings while everyone else is quiet and basically admires how well that person sings--and rightfully so because they have great voices. Once the song is complete, everyone claps and then its the next persons turn.

Westerners, as my Chinese friend commented, experience KTV a little differently. For us, it's about singing together and making it a group activity with singing and dancing. During one of the numerous Backstreet Boys songs we regrettably sang (OK, I enjoyed it), we all tried huddling around the 2 mics to join in the harmony.

A little later, I thought it was time to put my Chinese to the test, so I got two of my Chinese friends to sing a Chinese song with me that I had been practicing for the past week.

After 4 hours, 5 cases of beer, and too many BSB songs later, it was time to head home 回家. The interesting thing about that night was witnessing how each culture experienced KTV and how we express ourselves in various ways. My vocal chords were shot the next day, but I had a great time with my friends bonding over ballads such as Sweet Home Alabama.