This post was first published on 2 February, 2012. Some things have changed since that time, and I rarely karaoke with Twitter folk these days.

My name is Diane. And I’m a karaokeaholic. I know that sounds terribly tragic, and is soooo eighties, but it is one of my most favourite things to do. Ever.

And lucky for me, there are a bunch of Adelaide Twitter folk who love it just as much as I do. Every 6 to 8 weeks, we organise #KaraokeFriday and have the best fun rocking our socks off.

People don’t get it though. They think it’s a) sad or b) tragic or c) stupid or d) all of the above. So, because I get quite sick of explaining a) why I do it and b) what the benefits are and c) in the interests of community service, I thought I’d put together a list of why karaoke is so awesome.

1. You get to be a rock star

For 3 minutes (approximately) you ARE Dave Grohl, or Tom Jones or Pink or Alanis Morissette. Or anyone else whose songs you love. For 3 minutes (approximately) you get to sing those songs you love to sing in the car, or the shower, or while you are cleaning. And you get to sing them to people. A real live audience. For 3 minutes (approximately) you are a rock god. Or goddess. Or both, if you are singing something from Rocky Horror Picture Show.

2. You get to hang out with great people

One of the best things about karaoke is that you get to hang out with awesome people who also appreciate its higher art form and overall contribution to society. When out with the #KaraokeFriday bunch, we usually have dinner and a few drinks beforehand karaoke starts, and inevitably end up solving the problems of the world. The fall of dictatorships in the Middle East? That was our doing.

3. You get to demonstrate commitment

We’ve all been there. Well, those who karaoke regularly have. You’ve picked a song. You love it. You know it by heart, and you’re pitch perfect. You know you can nail it. You are oozing confidence. Until about 2 bars in, at which time you realise that the song you’ve been practising and the song that is now playing are in completely different keys. Oh, the horror. But you’re there. You’ve committed. You know you have to see it through, even though you wish the ground would open up and you would be swallowed so the torture that you have inflicted on yourself could end…!

4. You get to be really, really happy

I have never been to a karaoke bar and seen depressed people. Or aggressive people. Karaoke makes people happy. How can it not? You can either watch people and be entertained, or get up there and do some entertaining of your own. If you are a virgin karaoke-er, you step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself. At a primal level, you know you have done something amazing! If you are a veteran, you receive applause, accolades and validation. What’s not to love about that? Honestly, if I were a counsellor and I had depressed clients, I would schedule regular visits to karaoke bars as part of their recovery. Really. I absolutely would.

Join us!

So if you are an Adelaidean and you are desperate to karaoke, or even not so desperate and want to see what all the fuss is about, or you don’t have anyone to go with, get in touch with me and karaoke with a great bunch of people.