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Let’s Sing: A Guide to Karaoke in the Philippines

A Filipino by the name Roberto del Rosario holds the patent to the karaoke machine and created the Sing-along system that we all know and love . Del Rosario must have really considered what his fellowmen love to do because almost fifty years later, karaokes are still in full swing in the Philippines. So, grab some good friends , and let’s explore the local karaoke scene.

For most millennials like me, singing along to karaoke is a form of de-stressing after a long week of school or work . We usually go to a karaoke bar on Friday (sometimes in our uniforms straight after school/work ) to drive away from the weekday blues. These karaoke bars are everywhere especially in the city and they vary in price and amenities; they charge either by the hour, by room, or per person . A pro tip would be to go from Monday through Thursday because the prices are cheaper these days. Since there’s really no other time other than Friday or Saturday for us, my friends and I think that it’s worth saving for it because the fun is priceless. I would advise you to never expect an hour to be enough because once you start , you would not want to stop. Four hours of karaoke fun is common but for most, it won’t be enough . An hour extension can be requested at your discretion and depending on the availability of the place.

Karaoke is never complete without food and drinks. We’re bound to get hungry and thirsty midway so we pre-order some finger foods and drinks (a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages) to prepare . Upon being assigned to our room, we choose the songs ahead before grabbing the microphone. Having a long list of songs reserved for everyone so the fun never ends is always a good idea. Most karaoke places have a variety of song genres and sometimes you can avail them in other languages but the best choices are your personal picks. With most young people in the Philippines, you can never go wrong with the latest international hits, OPM (Original Pinoy Music), hits from the 90’s, 2000’s and 2010’s, and K-Pop (Korean Pop). While singing along, a running gag we have with the Philippine sing-along system is the use of stock videos that play in the background along with the lyrics so it doesn’t look too bland. These videos range from random scenery, dancing 3D cartoons, girls in swimsuits running in the beach , and clips with really bad acting from old, low budget European romance films (even when the song is mellow and wholesome). They usually don’t use the song’s official music video because of copyright restrictions so you never really know what you’re gonna get.

It is a great outlet to express feelings and more often than not, your friends will begin opening up about their bottled-up emotions. In my experience , we usually start with some rock music to vent our school/work frustrations (the more screaming, the better; besides, who’s there to judge?) then the music choices suddenly will change to pop (so we can dance along) then into sad songs . At this point, someone usually ends up too drunk and taking the song too close to heart and starts crying about their relationship situation . What happens in the room stays in the room !

We always pass the microphone around and make sure everyone gets his own solo, not leaving anyone out. Filipinos, even the quiet ones with the right push and encouragement , will soon start unleashing their wild side in karaoke as they “birit” (reach high notes) from the bottom of their heart . Be supportive and cheer them on even if they’re out of tune because you definitely won’t see them do that again in a long time. When your friends get too drunk, you’ll get the hint once they start sleeping on the couch instead of jumping around so be prepared for it and be there for them.

Singing has always been a core aspect of Filipino culture . After all, music makes us feel more alive, expressing ourselves better and it keeps the party going. It is a great way to bond and forget life ’s hardships even just for a few hours . We learn and get to know each other better based on our taste of music so it is a great way to know our colleagues better. Go and hit that note to your heart in a Karaoke bar and don’t forget to pay the bill on your way out ! Got a sore throat the next day ? Some warm ginger water will help you out!

Learn Tagalog

good friends - mga mabuting kaibigan
per person - bawat tao
no other time - walang ibang panahon
drive away - mapalayo
never expect - huwag umasa
once you start - kapag naumpisahan na
won't be enough - kulang
hungry and thirsty - uhaw at gutom
choose the songs - pumili ng mga kanta
other languages - mga ibang wika
best choices - mga magandang pili
most young people - karamihan ay mga kabataan
in the room - sa loob ng silid
on your way out - paglabas
next day - susunod na araw
1. good friends - mga mabuting kaibigan
2. per person - bawat tao
3. no other time - walang ibang panahon
4. drive away - mapalayo
5. never expect - huwag umasa
6. once you start - kapag naumpisahan na
7. won't be enough - kulang
8. hungry and thirsty - uhaw at gutom
9. choose the songs - pumili ng mga kanta
10. other languages - mga ibang wika
11. best choices - mga magandang pili
12. most young people - karamihan ay mga kabataan
13. in the room - sa loob ng silid
14. on your way out - paglabas
15. next day - susunod na araw

Learn Cebuano

good friends - maayong mga higala
per person - kada tao
no other time - walay laing oras
drive away - pahawa
never expect - ayawg salig
once you start - inig masugdan nimo
won't be enough - kulang ra
hungry and thirsty - uhaw ug gutom
choose the songs - pili sa mga tukar
other languages - laing pinulungan
best choices - kinamaayohan nga mga mapili
most young people - kasagaran sa mga batan-on
in the room - sulod sa kwarto
on your way out - inig uli na
next day - sunod nga adlaw
1. good friends - maayong mga higala
0:03
2. per person - kada tao
0:02
3. no other time - walay laing oras
0:03
4. drive away - pahawa
0:02
5. never expect - ayawg salig
0:02
6. once you start - inig masugdan nimo
0:02
7. won't be enough - kulang ra
0:01
8. hungry and thirsty - uhaw ug gutom
0:02
9. choose the songs - pili sa mga tukar
0:02
10. other languages - laing pinulungan
0:02
11. best choices - kinamaayohan nga mga mapili
0:04
12. most young people - kasagaran sa mga batan-on
0:03
13. in the room - sulod sa kwarto
0:03
14. on your way out - inig uli na
0:02
15. next day - sunod nga adlaw
0:02

Learn Ilocano

good friends - nasayaat nga gagayyem
per person - iti maysa nga tao
no other time - awan ti sabali a panawen
drive away - makaadayo
never expect - haan ka nga agtalek
once you start - no narugianen
won't be enough - kurang
hungry and thirsty - mawaw ken mabisin
choose the songs - agpili ti kanta
other languages - sabali nga lenguwahe
best choices - adu nga pili
most young people - kaaduan ket ub-ubbing
in the room - iti uneg ti kuwarto
on your way out - no rumuar
next day - iti sumaruno nga aldaw
1. good friends - nasayaat nga gagayyem
2. per person - iti maysa nga tao
3. no other time - awan ti sabali a panawen
4. drive away - makaadayo
5. never expect - haan ka nga agtalek
6. once you start - no narugianen
7. won't be enough - kurang
8. hungry and thirsty - mawaw ken mabisin
9. choose the songs - agpili ti kanta
10. other languages - sabali nga lenguwahe
11. best choices - adu nga pili
12. most young people - kaaduan ket ub-ubbing
13. in the room - iti uneg ti kuwarto
14. on your way out - no rumuar
15. next day - iti sumaruno nga aldaw
Filipino OccasionsKaraoke
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