The group of foreigners that I am with are loudly belting out one of our favorite tunes by Tina Turner “I left a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day...Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ down the river!” Next, our Chinese colleagues start into one of their favorites, “Wo ai ni, ai zhe ni, jiu xiang lao shu ai da mi....!” We have been bonding for a few hours singing, in a medium-sized KTV room, in a small town in Guangdong Province. Although some of us are strangers, we are not strangers to the English songs, and our limited time together has stretched from one hour to five. We have been enjoying a karaoke party, also known to others as ka-la-o-ke. Most people simply say KTV because it is basically a large, single television monitor displaying song lyrics along with video action, so participants can sing along with the star performers’ voice, or sing with vocal amplification and full musical background accompaniment.
Familiar words in the song from the old musical are now on the television screen: Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. A few members of our party are Chinese, and earlier they broke the ice by selecting a few of their favorite old Chinese classics, then moved to contemporary Asian pop tunes, before easing into English songs. Now, with English songs, it is easier for us to join in the singing. Initially, most of the male members in our party were reluctant to grab a microphone and stand in front of the television monitor as the lyrics scrolled across the screen. Eventually, however, encouraged by the unabashed confidence of our Chinese hosts, two of the foreigners shyly take microphones and croak out some of the lyrics to All Shook Up and Hound Dog, Elvis Presley tunes, as they remain seated, slouched on the plush sofa.
This behavior contrasts sharply with that of our Chinese friends who jump, dance to music currently playing and loudly sing lyrics in Chinese or English, despite the fact that they also may be unable to carry on a conversation in English without interpretive aid. The Chinese will sing in English and in their mother tongue, musical talent or not. They will also have fun dancing or attempting to dance. For these partygoers, they accept the fact that fun is simply fun-just have a good time. Soon we foreigners loosen up and enjoy the bonding experience that is offered through the universality and magic of music.
My observation has been that these many singing outlets range from being very structurally attractive, large edifices with lots of neon lights, and glittering chandeliers, to small, humble, backyard garages. Most high-end hotels either are located adjacent to KTV houses, or have a small version of the “real thing” located anywhere on or above the second floor. I remember back in the United States, one of my friends laughed when I related how popular karaoke singing seemed to be in China. While not so obvious a draw in the West as in Asia, it is clearly very big business. Several singing outlets are franchise chains, with membership discount cards and monthly magazines, an indication that they are here to stay.
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