Doing away with stage fright

It’s always good to go up on the stage, grab a mic and sing to one’s heart’s content.

And providing just the right platform for that are the ‘Karaoke In Style’ nights being held at Hard Rock Cafe every Wednesday.

As is the case with all karaoke sessions, the most recent one also saw a mix of genres, with audience members crooning to some rock ’n roll tunes, a few metal renditions and even some refreshing new-age indie tunes.

Sheridan Brass, the host of the show, was his usual energetic self, supporting the nervous first-timers and crooning along with the regulars.

Of the many who performed, one of the truly excited participants was Jonathan, who performed ‘I Got You (I Feel Good)’ by James Brown.

“I consider James Brown a real showman and he’s quite a legend in the world of music.

That’s why I picked this song this week though I might do a classic rock or even metal song the next time,” he said. Speaking about the karaoke nights in general, he added, “It’s always a good experience because it’s a chance to show one’s talents and it takes nerves to go up and entertain the crowd. And Sheridan is an awesome Karaoke Jockey (KJ). But the karaoke nights need to pick up a lot more in terms of getting more singers. The crowd and choice of songs is good but there aren’t too many new faces taking part.”

Lakshmi, a regular at the karaoke sessions, was also excited about performing there.

“I performed ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ by Def Leppard and had a really fun night.

Sheridan manages to keep the ball rolling and the crowd in general is supportive and makes you want to sing. I sing every week and it’s special each and every time! In fact, last week, someone went up on stage to sing and ended up taking his shirt off,” she noted.

Nisha, another performer, said, “Once you sing your first track, karaoke becomes the most addictive thing you’ll ever do.”

Even for the shy spectators who didn’t dare to go up on stage, the evening was a fun-filled one with familiar songs to sing along to.

Sharat, an audience member, opined, “I can’t deal well with stage fright but it was fun to watch and sing from my table. Some of the people here are really talented and it’s good that they’re finally getting a stage they deserve.”