If you visit a country in Asia you may see a lot of street signs with 'KTV' written on them. These signs are advertising KTV bars. KTV bars are places where people can do karaoke. Karaoke is an activity where people sing famous songs. The words to the songs are displayed on a TV screen and people sing them out loud. Karaoke was invented in Japan in the 1980s and became popular around the world in the 1990s. The global karaoke market is estimated to be worth $10 billion.
Inside KTV bars are individual karaoke rooms. The karaoke rooms are decorated with party lights and comfortable sofas. You choose the songs you want to sing by using a touchscreen computer or an app on your phone. You can also order food and drinks which you are allowed to consume inside the karaoke room.
The price of renting a karaoke room depends on the quality of the KTV bar and how many hours you want to use the room for. Some KTV bars are expensive as the karaoke rooms are big and well decorated. Other KTV bars are inexpensive as the karaoke rooms are small and have less glamorous decorations.
You can also do karaoke at home. All you need is a microphone, a television and a games console with karaoke video games. Today there are lots of karaoke video games to choose from. You can buy video games featuring one artist, such as The Black Eyed Peas, or multiple artists, such as SingStar.
Karaoke is a really fun activity because you can do it with your friends, family and colleagues. You can also dance and play instruments such as tambourines and maracas. I enjoy KTV so much I try and go as often as possible. Since arriving in China four months ago I have been to KTV three times!
What do you think of karaoke and KTV bars?
