They did it their way: Competitive karaoke brings nation’s singers to Las Vegas

Belting voices filled the air at Ellis Island’s Front Yard beer garden on Tuesday night — singing karaoke hits like “My Way” by Frank Sinatra and lesser known songs like “Apex Predator” from the musical version of “Mean Girls.”

While it’s common to hear karaoke singers at the off-Strip casino, where a small stage in its lounge has drawn bar-goers since the mid-1990s, it’s unusual to see those singers choreographing a performance for judges scoring their work.

These singers aren’t just boozed-up belters. Almost 50 came to Las Vegas for the Karaoke World Championships’ U.S. national finals, held Monday through Wednesday, to compete for a chance to perform at the world championships in Panama City this fall. Josh Baron, the national director of the Karaoke World Championships, said the competition drew an initial 1,500 contestants across the country, in both online and sponsored venue entries.

For this group, their passion for karaoke goes beyond a few moments on stage.

“No matter where I go, I find the same singers and the same people, but with different names,” Baron said over the sound of a lounge singer crooning Billy Joel’s “My Life.” “It’s very healing from their daily work or their stress, or things that have happened in the past. All of them have a story.”

Contestants are judged on four criteria: voice, technique, artistry and stage presence. A panel of judges, including former contestants, TV talent scouts and vocal coaches, score each performance on a 10-point scale per category.

Nevada resident Mico Mauleon won first place for solos on Wednesday night and will move on to represent the U.S. in Panama. Duet team Chris Hoffman and Tomi Kaiser, from Washington, took the top spot in that category and will also perform at the world competition.

The best karaoke performers are the ones who love to sing and show it, Baron said.

“Singers sometimes get skewed because in their own mind, they have an idea that’s like, ‘Oh it’s a competition, so I need to be singing Celine Dion or Sam Smith,’ where that’s not what they’d normally do,” Baron, a frequent host at Ellis Island and other spots in Las Vegas, said. “We want them to be themselves and tap into that inner artist.”

It’s that connection to artistry that initially drew Las Vegas resident Coreen Kindred to the competitive karaoke world. Kindred judged this year’s duet competition and previously placed in the top 10, twice, at the world championships. She said Baron encouraged her to try out for competitive karaoke after seeing a video she posted on Facebook five years ago. Her first time at a Seattle bar was “nerve-wracking,” she said, but she focused on enjoying herself while singing her favorite genres of jazz and musical theatre.

“It’s a lot easier to just get up and sing after a drink or two,” Kindred said. “Any time that what you do and feel from the heart is being judged, it just adds a layer of anxiety. When I finally realized that I just needed to be myself and that I just needed to enjoy it and not worry about myself, that’s been when I did better.”

Others were drawn to the karaoke contest for its paradoxically welcoming atmosphere. Denver residents Portia Glommen and Megan Schraeder performed a duet Tuesday night — their first year competing in the contest. Schraeder said the pair began singing competitively at the karaoke nights at Blush and Blu, a lesbian bar in the city. She said having so many peers qualify from an event in a queer space is a reflection of the welcoming attitude of the larger karaoke community.

“It’s a lot of people who are there to have fun and support each other,” Schraeder, an actor by trade, said. “Those are the best karaoke environments — some people are so scared to sing and so having the community and joy that comes out of it is huge.”

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross on X.