What is karaoke?
Karaoke is an increasingly popular form of entertainment which lets everyone be a star! Karaoke allows you to sing along with the soundtracks to your favorite recording artists. Having originated in Japan, Karaoke has now spread throughout the U.S. and the world. Millions now enjoy Karaoke at home and in clubs and restaurants. Karaoke is a Japanese abbreviated compound word which translates roughly as “empty orchestra. “Kara” comes from “karappo” meaning empty, and “oke” is the abbreviation of “okesutura,” or orchestra. Karaoke is used to describe any sing-a-long track which displays lyrics on a TV or video screen. Usually, a music disc consists of vocals and accompaniment. Music discs in which only the accompaniment is recorded are called “Karaoke CD’s or Karaoke Discs.
A2. Karaoke is singing along with a song with the singer replacing the original lead singer. Karaoke songs are reproduced to sound like the original song but without lead vocals. The lyrics of the song are displayed to the singer on a TV screen with the words to be sung highlighted so that the singer can follow along without having to memorise the song lyrics.Karaoke songs may include some vocals – if the original song contains background vocals then the karaoke versions will usually contain them as well. Certain karaoke discs provide the lead vocals as well. See our Karaoke Formats section for information about each type of karaoke disc. You can also find out more information about karaoke from Wikipedia.
Karaoke is singing with a pre-existing song, where you replace the original lead singer. Karaoke songs are reproduced to sound like the original song, but without lead vocals. The lyrics of the song are presented to the singer via a video screen, highlighting the words to be sung, so that the singer can follow along without memorizing the song lyrics. Karaoke songs are rarely produced by the original artist or recording studio. They are usually recreated by independent karaoke manufacturers. Most of these manufacturers use professional musicians and singers to produce the likeness of the original song. Karaoke songs may include some vocals. If the original song contains any background vocals (i.e. chorus, harmonies, back-up singers, etc), then the karaoke versions will usually contain them as well.
