How karaoke conquered France

“And it’s Romain’s turn!” Joyfully announces the voice in the bar speakers. In the subdued atmosphere of Maclaren’s Pub, in Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain), the thirties put his glass on the counter and readjust his t-shirt before taking the microphone, without an ounce of apprehension.

“Whether I sing badly or, I know that I will have a good time and that people will applaud!” he slips with a smile. His choice? The waltz in a thousand time, From Jacques Brel, a song whose unique rhythm he appreciates and which reminds him of the time of his grandparents. After having discovered karaoke by chance with friends, five years ago, this technician in medical devices Bressan changed his mind on this entertainment that he deemed to be angry and caught up to the point of going alone to this Irish pub, in the middle of August. “I am sure I find an exceptional conviviality there.”

That evening, between 8:30 p.m. and midnight, around fifty people came, like him, to give voice. There is Marilyne and Michel, 70, she vibrant on a title of the Belgian singer Mentissa, declaring her flame on the Joe Dassin, or even Olivier and Mathieu, two quadras who came to “laugh” on a title of Patrick Bruel.

The Maclaren’s Pub has been timidly experimenting with karaoke evenings with a handful of regulars. “Today, it is an institution that attracts clientele from all walks of life!” Rejoice Catherine and Damien, who took over the case in 2019. This success says a lot about the path traveled by this leisure since its arrival in France, in the 1990s, from mainly from Japan.

A way to meet people

At the beginning, only a few establishments wishing to renew their animation offer dared to make their customers sing, micro in hand, on tubes of all ages, eyes on a screen broadcasting music and pre -recorded words. Then the activity was professionalized. The deep change in exit habits and an increasing wave of interest in Asian cultures have installed fashion, invented in Japan.

In 2017, according to a Statista study, 54 % of French people said they had already participated at least once in a karaoke evening. “When I started, little one, there was one from time to time, and today, we no longer know where to turn!” Confirms Amandine, 41, installed in Chambéry (Savoie). It is not to displease him: like many other enthusiasts, this social host finds a way to express and share her taste for song “without any pressure”. Exit every week, she selects and trains at home on songs in voice, from Tina Turner to Dalida. His favorite? “”What’s up 4 non -blondes! I grew up with it was my mother’s song. ” A nostalgic impulse confirmed by the tops regularly mentioned by the organizers, most of which date from the 1980s to 2000.

Valentin, he especially takes the opportunity to meet people, admitting not to sing “very well”. This 35-year-old Clermont worker tries “to go regularly in this type of evening because they easily create the link,” he explains. “It is also a small ordeal that allows us to let go, a form of outlet,” adds Justine, 29, an engineer from Aude. These various motivations show that practice has adapted to Western customs, according to Christophe Gaudin, sociologist installed in Korea. “In Asia, karaoke is rather practiced in intimacy, to tighten links in a community,” says the specialist. In France, he often takes the form of vocal performance in front of a group of strangers … which is not easy for everyone! ”

More and more high -end

If the karaoke has settled in the long term, it is also because it has been able to evolve, going from amateur conditions – hence its reputation for low -end leisure – to more quality, comfort, heat. The techniques have evolved, as Philippe tells. The Maclaren’s host now uses professional equipment and specialized services like Karafun – the French leader, who offers an application for individuals and software for organizers. “I started improvising with a hundred songs,” he says. Today, I offer Georges Brassens like Disney songs, including sharp titles, in good conditions. ”

Professionals have also adapted to the requests of fans. Installed in the Vosges, Christophe Steiner launched Starnight Karaoke: no recorded band but musicians who come to play the songs chosen by customers on site. “Many people come in mode The Voicethe television show broadcast on TF1. So, we offer them a real stage experience and a more human side, “he said, convinced of the influence of these telecrochets on the boom in his activity.

To conquer the youngest

Beyond the machines which now allow it to be practiced at home -from around 50 to 200 euros -some go so far as to completely reinvent the form to conquer a more urban and younger audience. Founded in 2014, the company BAM KARAOKE BOX offers to privatize a room with neat decoration, high-tech material and cocktail bar, a concept much closer to Asian karaoke. More intimate but paying – between 5 and 25 euros per hour per person at BAM -, the formula is not suitable for everyone.

However, it appeals to its target audience: Bam Karaoke Box now counts 80 rooms in Paris, Bordeaux, Chamonix, or even London, and 9000 singers per week. “A large number of customers reserve for a birthday, a seminar or a bachelor party; We also have a lot of twenty -year -olds who no longer like to go out in a box and prefer this cocoon spirit, “explains Marie Rassat, business marketing manager, far from being the only one, now, to offer this private version of karaoke.

What largely dust the image of it with young people, familiar with the practice of singing but in the mode of covers: social networks are full of covestitles interpreted by others than the designer of the song – artists, content creators or simple Internet users. Thomas Moreau regularly notes this during the sessions he organizes twice a month in his hybrid place in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône). With the essentials Céline Dion or Johnny Hallyday, “there is now always a group of teenagers who come to ransack a piece by rapper Jul!” A microphone, music and lyrics: it is enough to bring generations together.