“I thought songs with melodies like “Let It Go” wouldn’t be popular in America but I guess I was wrong…” “No ‘Baby Shark’? I thought American kids would be singing it.” “What is this? I thought K-pop was taking over America?” “Well American karaoke isn’t usually in private rooms…It’s usually in front of a lot of people, so…” “The hit songs are all hip-hop but no one sings hip-hop at karaoke, huh?” Here’s what Japanese netizens think of the list: list has an overwhelming amount of Disney and musical songs, which don’t make an appearance on Japanese karaoke rankings. There are a lot of classics from the early 2000s, a decent amount of oldies, some contemporary pop, and a country song, but what stands out most is that the U.S. Surprisingly, the U.S.’s top karaoke songs have a pretty similar level of variety to Japan’s. ▼ Somehow, eight years after its initial release, “Let It Go” is still the most popular karaoke choice. “Under the Sea” (from The Little Mermaid).“This is Me” (from The Greatest Showman).“Do You Want to Build a Snowman” (from Frozen).
“A Million Dreams” (from The Greatest Showman).“Shallow” – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (from A Star is Born).right now? Let’s check out karaoke machine company Singing Machine’s list of the top 20 most popular karaoke songs: Which songs are the most popular for karaoke singers in the U.S. ▼ “Homura” by LiSA was the fifth most popular karaoke song in April in Japan. According to the Karatetsu monthly karaoke song ranking, the top twenty songs from April consisted of songs like pop singer Yuuri’s “Dry Flower” the theme song to the Demon Slayer movie, “Homura” by LiSA and the classic 90’s hit and Evangelion theme song, “Cruel Angel’s Thesis” by Megumi Hayashibara. In Japan, for example, the top karaoke songs come from all manner of genres, from anime theme songs to older hits to current pop and even vocaloid music. That leads us to wonder, though… do the songs that karaoke-goers like to sing differ between Japan and the U.S.? Obviously the songs themselves would probably be different, since Japan has its own, extremely profitable music industry, but what about the kinds of songs that people tend to choose? Though it isn’t nearly as popular in North America, karaoke does have its own niche market in the U.S too, thanks to those who love to get on stage at a bar in front of strangers, rent a private karaoke box with friends, or bust out the karaoke machine at home. You can find karaoke places throughout big cities in Japan, and you can also enjoy it in unexpected places like cinemas, saunas, and even airplanes.
Karaoke is pretty much a national pastime of Japan–along with nomikai drinking parties, of course, but those are usually followed by karaoke anyway. How do America’s karaoke selections compare to Japan’s?