When I saw the advertisement about a week before the event, two thoughts popped into my head: One, a karaoke night sounds great and would be a lot of fun, and two, I will never participate in the competition. I don’t consider myself much of a singer, especially compared to others. Thus, I didn’t sign up. I did attend the event, however, because one of the members of The Bluestocking performed, I went to offer my support (congrats to Bea Polinario, who got 2nd place!).
However, as soon as I stepped into the event, my feelings toward performing shifted. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with many students around cheering people on as they sang a variety of songs, looking like they were having the time of their lives. It ranged from laughing with the performers who were doing a hilarious routine to being genuinely surprised at some of the hidden talents we have around our college. That’s why, when it came down to it, I thought singing onstage wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. The bigger issue was picking the right song to sing. After scouring through all the songs in my head from Frank Sinatra to Phil Collins, I had to pick the one song that was fun to do, didn’t require as much effort to sing, and guaranteed to have everyone engaging with me: “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
To say everyone was excited when the song started playing would be an understatement. Everyone began singing along, and we all got lost in the music, making me forget all my worries and anxieties about performing in front of everyone. It didn’t matter whether or not I sounded good to them; they all engaged with me anyway and we all had a fun time together. After my performance, I left feeling accomplished, having managed to put myself out there, take risks, and have fun as a result. This encouraged me to attend more events like this in the future, hoping to capture that same camaraderie that I experienced that night.