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Karaoke History

Origin of the Word:

Karaoke is a japanese word made from 2 other Japanese words, ‘kara’, empty (as in karate – empty hand) and ‘oke’(short for okesutora), orchestra.

Not only is it in the Japanese Dictionary but it is also now in the latest editon of Oxford English Dictionary published in England and from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means “a device that plays instrumental accompaniments for a selection of songs to which the user sings along and that records the user's singing with the music”. This just goes to show that Karaoke is not only a Japanese past time anymore but that it is now enjoyed by many throughout the world.

Origin of Karaoke:

It’s interesting to note that there are a few stories of how Karaoke got started.

The first and most common is that it started in the city of Kobe, Japan, in the 1970’s. It happened when a performer for a small snack bar in Kobe fell ill and could not perform so the owner of the establishment prepared tapes of accompaniment recordings so that the guests could sing with the music.

However, others contend that it started in the 1950s to 1960s with an American TV-show that played music while showing the lyrics on the bottom of TV screens so that the viewers can sing along, which brought about the phrase of “sing alongs”.

Why Karaoke became so Popular in Japan:

In the old days of Japan, parties came alive when someone started to sing and others kept time by clapping along making the party much more cheerful. It didn’t matter if the person sang well or not and if he didn’t, it brought on laughter that made the party even more lively.

Having such a custom, the Japanese do not feel ashamed when getting in front to sing and others do not criticize because they know it’s all in good fun. This is probably why it has grown so popular in Japan and then the rest of the world.