As much as we here at Billboard missed live music in the thick of the pandemic, another cultural loss was just as devastating to our day-to-day lives: the shutdown of karaoke. Concerts were how we connected best with our favorite artists, but karaoke is how we really bonded with our favorite songs. Whether at a solo mic on stage in a strange and sparsely populated bar or packed in a room with a dozen of our closest and most animated friends, karaoke allowed us pop music lovers the opportunity to not just celebrate those tunes but to crawl inside them, to become an essential part of them. Throw in a cheaply made non-sequitur music video, a pitcher of domestic beer and a tambourine, and any random Thursday night downtown could turn into the most transcendent musical experience of your entire...
Picture this: You’re riding the high of finally being in a crowded dive bar again. The drinks are flowing, possibly too much. You just heard someone absolutely nail “Sweet Caroline” on the karaoke stage. Now the DJ is calling for the next contestant. Your friends are egging you on. Your brain is saying no, definitely not, but the five (or was it six?) beers in you are saying yes, absolutely you got this. Stumbling up to the grinning DJ, you tell him to queue up “Where is the Love?” by Black Eyed Peas. A classic. You think: the crowd will love it… As soon as the first verse begins you realize you’ve made a grave mistake. The lyrics are flying by at a speed that isn’t suited for your inebriated state and you barely hold it together until the chorus. But thank God, the bar is joining you for ...