5 great tips to build your confidence and help you sing karaoke

A night of karaoke with friends can be a great time. But the prospect of belting out a tune or two can be about as daunting as it gets for many people. These tips will help you get rid of those nerves and sing karaoke.

Public speaking can be terrifying for many folks. Then there’s singing in public, which, understandably, can inspire outright dread. Nervous tension can get the best of anyone and fear and self-consciousness has prevented many an aspiring karaoke singer from getting up on stage. If this sounds familiar, there’s good news: there are ways to get over your nervousness.

Try to keep this in the forefront of your mind. Most people who are nervous about singing karaoke, or getting up on stage in general, think that someone out there is keeping score.

The truth is, everyone is singing karaoke to have a great time. No one expects you to sing perfectly and you shouldn't be so hard on yourself either. Just sing because you want to have a good time.

If you are of legal drinking age, a bit of alcohol will probably help you relax. Being anxious about getting up on stage will hurt your confidence, and a boozy beverage might just do the trick.

Be careful not to have too much, however, as being inebriated will likely make taking to the stage a little difficult.

If you trip up on a lyric or miss your timing, think of it as a good thing! Karaoke is all about making mistakes and pushing through — most people just want to sing along to the chorus.

Remember, this is your performance and you can sing it any way you want. So don't be held down by the way a song has always been sung. Take some creative liberties!

If you can imagine that no one else is there, you will be able to sing your heart out just like you do in the shower or in your car.

See if you can picture yourself alone, up on stage. This will help push you to the best possible performance.

It's true. Most people are drinking, the karaoke bar or club is usually dark, and few people will remember anything that happened on the karaoke stage the next day.

So in a way, karaoke really is a perfect opportunity to release your inner rock star.