The first time I sang karaoke was in a bar in my home town of Curicó in Chile. I sang Hero by Mariah Carey. I remember being so nervous with everyone watching me. I was only 17, but I won. The prize was meant to be a trip to the Dominican Republic, but nothing happened in the end. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t true anyway – it was a bit of a dodgy bar. But, 15 years later, a karaoke competition finally sent me abroad.
Since that first time singing Mariah, karaoke has become a part of me. I sing every day: in my room, in the shower, when I’m cleaning the house. I love all kinds of music: rock, hip-hop, cumbia.
I never thought I could turn it into a career. I used to do odd jobs in hospitality, but about seven years ago, when I was 26, I began uploading videos of myself singing cover songs online. I soon got my first booking to perform in a local casino. Since then I’ve been singing professionally in casinos, restaurants and malls across Chile. It’s been great training for karaoke. I sing everything – pop in English, pop in Spanish, Latino rock, English rock, to rancheras and reggaeton.
Five years ago, I started applying for singing competitions. I was a semi‑finalist in The Voice Chile in 2022. Last year, I won the heats of the Karaoke World Championships in Chile, making it to the finals in Finland.
We all know karaoke as a fun activity to do with friends on a night out, but competitive karaoke is all around us – look at singing contests such as The Voice or The X Factor. In competitions, judges are not only evaluating your skills as a singer, but also how you interpret the song, the intonation, the diction and your mastery of the stage.
I think winning at karaoke depends on the songs you sing – you have to be strategic and choose ones that show off your range. Although I don’t speak English, at the championships I chose Never Enough from The Greatest Showman and Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing, as these songs have a wide vocal range.
For me, karaoke is about expressing your feelings through the song. I’m not good at talking about my feelings, but I can do that through other people’s lyrics. And that’s what you have to do to succeed at karaoke. The big difference between a singing competition and a karaoke competition is that, in karaoke, you have the lyrics on a screen. Still, it’s a world away from a late-night bar when you’re clowning around with friends. I still love that kind of karaoke, though I’ll make sure my friends get the chance to sing more than me.
The Karaoke World Championships finals took place on a cold afternoon in Turku, Finland, last October. It was my first time out of Chile, so it all felt like a dream. Everything was really surprising to me – the language, the weather – but in a good way.
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I’ve never had vocal training, so I prepared by watching videos of the artists whose songs I was covering, studying how they perform. I also noted the vocal arrangements, whether there’s staccato, belting or some twang. I paid attention to every detail.
At the finals, I had to sing four songs in front of judges and a live audience, and I was up against participants from 42 countries. I was so nervous. I almost didn’t want to go out on the stage because I felt like I was going to cry. I thought, what am I doing here? I was the only person who couldn’t speak English, so people had to translate for me. My body was trembling, but I could hear Chileans chanting in the audience, which was really comforting. The judge gave me 429 points – putting me in first, ahead of the second-place scorer at 417.
When they announced that I had won, I was in shock. My heart was beating fast and I felt full of happiness. All the competitors were excellent singers who have successful careers in music, so I couldn’t believe it.
It might sound strange, but even today I still struggle to acknowledge the achievement – I get impostor syndrome. Though now, after all these years, I’m starting to record music I’ve written myself. Still, it’s amazing that karaoke is a big part of my life – and to think that it all began with Mariah Carey.
As told to Naomi Larsson Piñeda
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Source: theguardian.com
