Karaoke Singing
Written on Mar 16, 2026
Karaoke singing has changed a great deal since I moved to the Philippines in 2006. Although karaoke singing is a pastime in other countries, including the United States, it is a little different in the Philippines.
Filipinos like to sing outdoors when away from downtown areas. The only people it seems to bother are next door neighbors, but only because they are not participating.
Karaoke Machines
Like everyone else in my area of the Philippines, we rented dedicated karaoke machines for years. The problem we encountered is that the vendors would more than triple their daily rates during holiday seasons.
A couple of years ago, I noticed relatives singing along with karaoke songs on Youtube with their mobile phones and Bluetooth speakers. It was a good idea, but I decided to go a little bit further.
A few months ago, before the Christmas holiday season, I bought an amplifier, speakers, and a 32-inch television to use for karaoke singing under our carport. I was already subscribed to YouTube Premium, so no one would have to worry about skipping advertisements.
The television connects to the amplifier using Bluetooth. I'm using an extension cord to power the amplifier and an automatic voltage regulator (AVR). The television is plugged into the AVR. I know what can happen when I fail to use an AVR.
The television is connected by wi-fi. When connection problems start happening, I have to unplug the router inside the house and wait 30 seconds before plugging it back in. Unless there are more than a couple of people using their phones with my wi-fi at the same time, that usually solves the problem.
Karaoke Singing
Most of the people who sing karaoke around me are good enough that it does not bother me. There are some individuals, however, who should never be allowed anywhere near a microphone. Not for singing anyway. I will not mention names, but two of them are related to me.
I am not being racist when I say most Filipino men sound alike when they have been drinking for a while. Although I rarely sing anything these days, I am usually good at singing specific songs in the Tagalog language. I can get an ovation, standing or sitting.
We do not have karaoke parties unless they are in conjunction with a special occasion. It has to be a holiday, a birthday, a wedding anniversary, or something like that. People are just too busy for it otherwise.
Image by Cornelia Schneider-Frank from Pixabay