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How I got over my fears and learned to love karaoke

Thu, July 08, 2010

Music industry blogger Fong Chau

I wasn’t always a karaoke lover. As someone who is really quite shy, the idea of standing up in front of a load of people and singing used to terrify me – until I actually tried it out for myself.

I imagined it would be like some terrible Britain’s Got Talent audition where you’d stand up and wait for everyone to judge you or laugh at you for being the weird looking person who sounded like a strangled cat. But nothing could have been further from the truth.

I was at a friend’s birthday party when I popped my karaoke cherry with These Boots Are Made For Walking, originally by Tammy Wynette. My confidence boosted by the awesome boots I had just bought, which were so high, they were made more for posing, but that didn’t matter.

As soon as I opened my mouth there were cheers coming from my friends and by the time I got to the chorus, everyone in the room was whooping for me and singing along too.

The more I sang, the better it got. I was no longer boring old me with a desk job and a big overdraft – I was channelling the spirit (but not quite the voice) of Beyonce and Marian Carey. People were cheering me, not because I was a good singer (believe me, I’m not) but because I was obviously having a lot of fun, and they were too.

These Boots Are Made For Walking remains on my iPod so I can listen to it whenever I’m feeling a little low or having a confidence wobble. It reminds me that if I’m brave enough to sing in front of a room full of people, there’s not much that can scare me now. Plus, if I memorise the words, my next karaoke session will be EVEN better.


Name: Fong Chau
Age: 27
Signature karaoke song: Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Most embarrassing moment of my career: Knocking over a row of steel lockers while interviewing my favourite DJs.
First album: True Blue by Madonna - this must have belonged to one of my older sisters, but I remember making up my own dance moves and listening to it non-stop.
Funny fact: The end monologue in Thriller still scares me so much I have to leave the room when it's on.

About me
I've loved music ever since I was a kid and I have been lucky enough to be writing about it for a living for five years. Like many, I dreamed of being a in a band, but the only instrument my parents let me learn when I was a kid was the clarinet so I took to writing about pop music instead. In my career, I've had the pleasure of meeting Keane, Coldplay, Muse and Florence Welch.

Whenever I face a difficult decision I always stop and think "what would Beyonce do?"