Karaoke is a great way to have fun with friends. After a few drinks, no one cares if you’re a good singer or not, and you can just sing along to your favorite songs (or the ones you’re afraid to admit are your favorites).
But what do you do in those interludes when the lyrics stop and you’re left with nothing to sing? Here are five suggestions!
1. Beatbox
Many times I have found myself without lyrics to sing and fifteen or more seconds to fill before they return. A good way to entertain yourself and your friends is to start beatboxing with your mouth. Note that this can result in more saliva being deposited on the microphone than usual, so the next person to sing may not fully appreciate your efforts.
2. Play Air Guitar
You don’t need an inflatable guitar for this, but it helps. And it still counts as an air guitar, because what is an inflatable if it is not air? Plus, since they’re unbreakable, you can have fun pretending to destroy your imaginary ensemble at the end of your performance.
3. Do a “spoken word” interlude.
The choice of the karaoke player who can’t bear to be taken away. You can talk about anything: how “you” came to write the song you’re singing; the person to whom you would like to dedicate your performance; your shopping list.
4. Start clapping
Hard to do with a mic in hand, but I’m sure I saw Mariah Carey do it once, and her hands are small. Start clapping to the beat, encouraging your buddies to join in. However, if it doesn’t take off in any way, you should start berating people just because you have a mic.
5. Get on some furniture
This won’t be for all venues, but if you’re singing at home using a karaoke machine or online karaoke machine, I guess it’s up to you. Climbing on a couch (please make sure it’s not busy first) is the home version of scaling the lighting rig, and almost certainly less dangerous. However, if you are in a public place, you may want to prepare for some form of disapproval, which could range from a severe reprimand to being physically expelled from the premises.