If you wish to sing, try karaoke.

Brought to us in the 80s by the Japanese, the word karaoke is from *kara*, meaning “empty,” and *oke*, from the English “orchestra.” Not “carryoki” (nails on a chalkboard!), but KARAoke—roll the R for true flair. Karaoke is such a powerful connector—it brings out laughter, confidence, and shared memories in the best way!

Now a $6 billion global industry, karaoke began in Japanese piano bars, where hard-working patrons sang to unwind. Record companies responded by producing music-only tracks, and soon the karaoke box was born: cozy private rooms made for belting out favorite songs with friends and family.

The tradition thrives in Hawaii, where music and performance are part of the islands’ soul. Most karaoke fans have “their song” at the ready. (Mine? Melissa Etheridge’s Come To My Window.)

Dawson’s Creek star Katie Holmes once said, “When I sing, it’s anything but Madonna.”

Karaoke lets you live the fame fantasy. It’s fun, freeing, and full of passion. As the Irish Proverb says, “Dance as if no one is watching. Sing as if no one is listening. Love as if your heart will never be broken.”

Or Tennyson: “I do but sing because I must / And pipe but as the linnets sing.”