Last night I went with some coworkers to karaoke – we went to a Koreatown norebang.

Usually I’m spoiled by a pretty extensive English selection, so this particular karaoke place was disappointing.  It had some strange options (Gay Bar, Dick in a Box) but over all there were several songs I was looking for that just weren’t there (Come on Eileen, for goodness sakes, is a karaoke classic!).

But we had an excellent crowd, I wound up in the “smaller” room – there were six of us and we easily could have fit many more.  But it meant we all got to pick our songs for a while with minimal waiting, and because I had a good silly crowd nobody got self conscious or hogged the mike.  There was alcohol, but somehow we got the reputation as the “non-alcholic” room, so people left us to our own quieter fun time, instead of the drunken antics from the big room next door.  Honestly, I think I had a lot more fun because of that!  Especially because I can get very embarrassed by my own voice… however last night I very competently and proudly sang Celebrity Skin by Hole solo.  I never ever want to sing solo at karaoke, even when totally drunk, and this was still sober time.

It boosted my confidence so much, even after people started trickling in to join us (I think because the realized we had alcohol left and they didn’t) I was still able to keep pace, hold the mike, and even did Malibu on my own.  For which I got compliments!  But I was also proud of my choices, they were often good karaoke sing-alongs, so everyone got really involved.  That way everyone got to be a part and feel included, which is what I really want out of a session.

Over all, while I am still not a singer, I’m really glad I was able to spend last night out with these folks, and that I did let my voice fly free a bit.

Songs I wanted to sing and couldn’t: I’m Only Happy When It Rains, U + Ur Hand, Come On Eileen, One Week, and I’m sure a handful more that aren’t coming to mind right now.  Apparently I love my angry girl music.