CALL it a singing room with alcohol, a chance to be mortally embarrassed, or a way to impress that cutie you’ve been chatting up all night. Either way, the noraebang allows you that opportunity. Noraebang translates to ‘singing room’, it’s an opportunity to make a fool of yourselves. It’s so much more fun when you know what to do, so keep reading.
The Korean script for the noraebang (노래방)
Noraebang are everywhere in South Korea – next to places to drink and eat, there are seemingly more noraebang across the country than anything else. While they’re difficult to generalize, most will sell the use of a room by the hour, and reservations are not required. Quality varies from ‘hole-in-the-wall’ to five-star. They’ll all have a book – mostly in Korean, but also featuring songs in English, Japanese, and Chinese – of song titles and numerical codes. To get the song going, just punch in the code, then hit the ‘enter’ or ‘start’ key. Depending on the device, there may also be a ‘queue’ button to add it to the playlist. Follow your host’s lead or try hitting any of the green buttons when in doubt. The fancier places will have a wireless device about the size of an iPad, while the hole-in-the-wall places will have a button panel built into the wall.
Even though much of the song selection is Korean, there are plenty of English songs in there as well. Expect to see plenty of pop and rock, especially from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and ’2000s. There’s also some country music around, curiously – I say curiously because you won’t hear it anywhere else in Korea. Plenty of party songs and anthems are around as well, so your hardest task will be picking a song. After singing, stick around for the canned applause and a numerical rating that shows your accuracy.
The background music is usually accompanied by a visual – sometimes a colorful, abstract background, and other times you can expect the music video to the original song. In some cases, you’ll also be watching some sort of music video channel while you sing a completely different song. While most accompaniments will be in the song’s original key, some of the fancier places have a feature that allows you to shift it to the key of your choice. There may also be a dial for the echo effect – turn it down if at all possible.
If it’s your turn to sing, punch in the numerical code, then grab the microphone and get the party started! There may not be a lot of time after you hit start, so be ready. Background melodies are very simple, but usually feature a countdown indicating where you come in and letters that change color as you sing.
And then there’s the alcohol. This is as good an excuse to drink in this country as any – stock up before you walk in. If you forget, the noraebang staff may have a fridgeful of beverages. It’s usually easier to send someone to the closest convenience store – they’re never too far away. For better or worse, drinking and singing go hand-in-hand, although not usually at the same time. Don’t forget to eat something while drinking, and try some water or juice every now and then. Hangovers – especially Korean hangovers – are no one’s idea of fun.
Noraebangs are plenty of fun, cheap, and a distinctly Korean tradition. Check them out when you get a chance, and take a chance on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ or a Korean song!
