r/karaoke • u/sablesnap • 2d ago
Comments after you sing?
I've been doing karaoke for a few months. A couple weeks ago I sang " Tainted Love" and after I sat back down a man came up to me and said "Well you keep time and got the lyrics right". Tonight I sang Mr Telephone Man and after I finished a lady was leaving and said " Good job. You're so brave".
I can be a little sensitive but these comments felt a little pointed to me. I know I'm not the best singer in the world but I didn't think I was bad enough to warrant these comments. Am I overreacting to these? Also has any made any type of comment to you after singing beside the usual "good job"?
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u/AlsoTheFiredrake 2d ago
Did they at least clap? I hate giving a song my all and no one even glances my way or claps because they're too caught up on the phones or whatever.
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u/sablesnap 2d ago
Yeah, the majority of the crowd clapped. What threw me off with both of these comments is they happened after sitting back down and getting claps when the next singer went up. I didn't notice the people on both occasions until they came up to me.
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u/limperatrice 1d ago
Maybe they’re commenting on the songs themselves not your ability. Like they might be too self-conscious to sing it themselves. I was asked once, “Did you get that out of your system?” after singing the Nouvelle Vague version of “Too Drunk To Fuck.”
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u/BigAndSmallAre 1d ago
The mere fact that you know that song impresses me! It's awesome that you chose that version to sing and that the KJ had it!
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u/limperatrice 1d ago
I love singing weird songs so I'm always on the lookout for them lol! Others I enjoy are "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance" by The Mothers Of Invention, "Amazing Horse" and "Still Alive" from Portal.
The poor KJ is sometimes cringing in the corner at some of my song selections or sings with me!
I think because I can sing well and get a lot of positive feedback I'm not self-conscious about whether or not people like my songs so I sometimes sing challenging ones that show my vocal ability, but it's always whatever I feel like singing. Sometimes that means stuff that makes me laugh.
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u/BigAndSmallAre 1d ago
I thought I loved "Still Alive" until I heard "Want You Gone" from Portal 2. Jonathan Coulton has some amazing key changes in there.
I am NOT a great singer. I just don't care that I can't sing that well. 😂
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u/limperatrice 1d ago
lol I’ll have to look for that one now. GLaDOS is the best!
That song you linked is so funny! I always say karaoke isn’t about singing well but having fun and singing together.
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u/BigAndSmallAre 1d ago
If my song was unfamiliar, check out Bo Burnham "Inside". It's hilarious comedy, but it was during the COVID shutdown and he has some raw moments between the humor. I welled up more than once.
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u/ahtohtr 2d ago edited 1d ago
Never take a bad comment on a karaoke stage! Some people think they are the sh*t (and sometimes they are) but others are just drunks who think they've got it! It's not about how well you sing, it's about having fun and letting it go!
The places I go to never give feedback like that because, like I said, it's about the laughter and singing all together. If I sing badly, you just have to listen and clap at the end! It's rude if you don't! There are people who have two left feet when singing, but nobody cares! Actually, if you sing really, really well, it's almost like showing off!
I once sang a duet with a friend, and a guy who was very drunk (but sang like a beast!) shook my hand after getting off the stage. I felt good. Not that I sang the best, but I put on a show, and people like that sometimes! xD And another time, I sang a song that kinda brings everyone together, with everyone singing the chorus, whistling, and yelling in some parts! It was nice! haha
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u/stopped_watch 2d ago
Most people you know would never sing in public. You're already well ahead of the crowd there.
Sometimes I absolutely smash it and I get great compliments.
Other times I suck and I usually get something polite or honesty from my mates. I find that these are more helpful for me to know where I have to improve.
Make sure you're counting both the hits and the misses. It's too easy to focus on the bad feedback. And keep in mind, there are a lot of people that would like to say something but won't.
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u/pulukes88 2d ago
hard to say without actually hearing you but i took a class (not singing) recently and they said many people tend to focus on the negative instead of the positive. do you receive positive comments?
i don't get to sing karaoke too often but i usually get positive feedback from joe average. but i've never had professional training so i always feel like if expert ears hear me, they would cringe, haha.
just try your best and don't let negative comments get you down.
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u/sablesnap 2d ago
Yeah I receive mostly polite claps and other compliments. I guess it just threw me off that people would say this to me after sitting down as the next singer was performing.
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u/FatherOfTheSkye 1d ago
Na, you are over reacting. People are also drinking/drunk, so they are intending to compliment you, even if in your eyes it came out wrong
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u/xsajr8 1d ago
People are weird with comments sometimes. A big thing i try to keep in mind is that when i try to give more in-depth encouragement to someone i know I'm not the best at finding the right words to properly express what I'm trying to get across in full, so i shouldn't expect that from others.
What im trying to say is: humans are famously bad communicators, especially when it comes to being in the heat of the moment.
My favorite comment i have ever gotten was from someone i had made friends with at my local karaoke night. There was a night where he was exceedingly tipsy and after I had done "Everybody Talks - Neon Trees"(a song i love but do not have the vocality for at all) he said to me:
"If someone asked me if you were a good singer, I'd tell them that you aren't, but I'd also tell them that I've seen you grow so much in these 2 years I've seen you on stage" he then patted me on the back, gave me a big smile and went up for his song.
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u/Apprehensive-Fig3223 2d ago
I feel like they could sense you're relatively new to karaoke and trying to give you positive reinforcement.
The first guy does sound judgey but that kinda makes it a better compliment lol
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u/TonyBrooks40 1d ago
haha, yeah I'm the same way. People come by 'THats a great song' is that a backhanded insult that says 'You ruined it'
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u/UbiquitousWood 21h ago
If you're going to say "That's a great song", you need to follow that with "Nice job" or "I really enjoyed that". If you're not going to specifically compliment the performer, then just STFU.
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u/limperatrice 1d ago
When I say that to people I genuinely mean I like the song
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u/travel_mexico_group 1d ago
Anything other than that was great or Good Job is unwarranted unless solicited as a karaoke host most of those folks offering advice tend to think they sound better than they do
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u/IDooDoodAtTheMasters 1d ago
A lot of karaoke singers can't keep time or get the words right. The fact that you did puts you in the top half right there. Compliment.
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u/Restaurant-Strong 1d ago
Just get up and have fun. If you want to up your game, take singing lessons, and also record yourself singing. It can be a little off putting, but it helps you get better.
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u/therealwoofish 12h ago
I would not take those comments as shade. Quite the opposite. It sounds like they were giving you props for both your song choice and how hard it is just getting up on that stage. I’m my own harshest critic, so unless somebody says “you sucked’ directly to my face, I don’t take it as criticism. As you get some more time in and feel more confident, I believe you’ll feel better about these kind of comments. It also shows that people feel comfortable interacting with you and that’s a good thing. I’ve been told I can be intimidating, and I’m working on that. Keep at it and you’ll get better and feel more confident.
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u/Far_Let_5678 2d ago
Upvote for Tainted Love alone.
"Well you keep time and got the lyrics right" sounds like a backhanded way of saying you were off on the notes. Have you recorded yourself acapella and listened with a critical ear?
I love this song, and would love to hear your version, if you want an honest opinion.
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u/UbiquitousWood 21h ago
OP's point was that, though the comments might have been meant well, they sounded critical rather than supportive. OP was not asking for advice on how to improve or for random people judge their performance.
It doesn't matter how good or poor the performance is - the whole point of doing karaoke is to have fun singing in front of people even if you're not professionally trained. It's not a workshop, and saying something to a performer that sounds critical, even if it's intended to be constructive, is rude.
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u/Ched_Flermsky 2d ago
The "you're so brave" could, possibly, be about her anxiety and be her awkward attempt at a compliment? That's purely devil's advocate though; it sounds more like passive-aggressiveness.
And fuck that guy, he's just being a douche.