Karaoke Culture

By Lee Candelario

I am always fearful going to a Filipino function. Not because of the noise, the crowds, the food or the speeches. It is the fear of karaoke. I am not a singer. But it doesn’t really seem to matter anyway. I admire the Filipino spirit: the ability to sing your heart out in front of a crowd, who may or may not be listening.

It seems that karaoke is acceptable in any setting in the Philippines. Of course, in bars and restaurants, karaoke is the norm. But when I heard people belting out their favourite tunes in the middle of a department store, I was really surprised. What shocked me more was the fact that the shoppers, oblivious to the performance, went on with their shopping without a second glance. I tried to imagine that here in Australia, and envisioned a totally different scenario.

I imagine myself, in the middle of JB Hi Fi, picking up the microphone and launching myself into an out of tune rendition of Islands in the Stream. My vision continues with shoppers stopping, staring, then moving as far away from the performance as possible. In fact, some even leave the store, which forces the staff to take the microphone from me and eject me due to loss of sales.

My next vision is different. I am in SM, North Edsa. I casually pick up the microphone and start to sing Pare Ko. There are a few shoppers around, but no one really takes much notice at first. Then there is clapping and cheering for the ‘Americana’ singing in Tagalog. My fellow shoppers join in. I am not removed from the store, on the contrary, I am asked to come back on a regular basis to entertain the shoppers and boost sales.

Why are my visions so different? Because Filipinos love their karaoke. They accept anyone, whether they can hold a tune or not. Performance is in the blood. It is an integral part of life in the Philippines.

Imagine Australian parliament with karaoke. Question time would be so much more interesting in song. Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott sing a duet they then agree on policy and eat pancit and adobo!

For now I guess I will just be happy to listen to others sing. An authentic Filipino karaoke machine is on the shopping list for our next Philippines trip. Look out, neighbours, you may be awoken to Islands in the Stream one Sunday morning. It’s better than being woken up by a lawn mower, isn’t it?